Challenge Accepted!

While I was blogging today, I noticed a conversation on the APBA Facebook Group, the discussion was that of Larry Walker, and the subject of course, is if he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

I have posted many posts through the years, through my ongoing subject "The Ongoing Hall of Fame Debate" posts, so it's no surprise if you have bumped into Larry Walker's name from time to time throughout those posts.

I am not going to go in-depth why he belongs, you can read all about that in those posts.

The reason for this post is that someone in the APBA Facebook Group posted that taking out Walker's inflated numbers due to Coors, you would have a .290 career hitter with 300+ home runs, and stated that there was "Lots of guys like that." ...

Challenge accepted!

My research came up with the following...

There was only 44 players in the history of Major League Baseball that has hit .290 or higher with 300 or more home runs.

Of those 44, 28 of them are already in the Hall of Fame.

Out of the 16 remaining non-Hall of Fame names...

• 5 of them were connected to HGH or steroids: Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez & Robinson Cano).
• 3 of the 16 players had Coors Field connections: Matt Holliday, Ellis Burks & Todd Helton.
• The Rest of the list contains a who's who in many Hall of Fame discussions: Dick Allen, Moises Alou, Albert Belle, Lance Berkman, Miguel Cabrera, Juan Gonzalez, Jeff Kent & Mo Vaughn.

Miguel Cabrera will easily be added to the Hall, making him 29 of the 44 from this list in the Hall, as he will be a lock for 1st ballot induction. 

Here is a list of the 16 players....

I put asterisks (*) next to the HGH/steroid guys, while I placed upper arrows (^) next to guys connected with Coors Field.

Larry Walker, by the way batted .313 during his career with 383 HR, so he would be on this list generally speaking -- which would place him 7th on this list, 3rd among non-HGH guys.

It should be noted that Dick Allen is the only player not to debut in 1980 or later on this list.

Simba's Pride

It was announced on the evening of December 8th, that Baseball Hall of Fame's "Modern Era" committee elected catcher Ted Simmons, along with MLB Players Association executive director Marvin Miller, to join the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Of course, this got some baseball fans riled up when they heard that Simmons will be joining the Hall, going as far as saying that the curse of Harold Baines continues. Baines has been a lightning rod in discussions and debates when it comes down to his Hall of Fame merits. For me, it should not have been a surprise that Simmons name was called, since he only missed the Hall by a single vote, the last time the committee met.

The fact of the matter is that Simmons belongs. Simmons ranked 2nd all-time among catchers in hits (2,472), RBI (1,389) & doubles (483). Simmons also batted a lifetime .289 with a .785 OPS (.348 on-base percentage), to go along with 8 All-Star Game appearances.

Comparing Simmons to Gary Carter was another telling tale:

Offense

• Gary Carter: 2,092 hits, .262 BA, 324 HR, 1,225 RBI (.335 OBP / .439 SLG / .773 OPS).

• Ted Simmons: 2,472 hits, .285 BA, 248 HR, 1,389 RBI (.348 OBP / .437 SLG / .785 OPS).

Carter played in 285 more games than Simmons, and only beat Simmons in two of the above offensive categories, homer runs (+76) & by literally a hair with .002+ higher slugging percentage.

Defense

Many people speak harshly about Simmons' defense, but they were thinking more of his later years when he slowed down. This has also been brought up in Bill James' Historical Baseball Abstract. 

• Gary Carter: .991 fielding pct, 1,203 assists, 35% caught stealing, with 121 errors & 1,498 stolen bases allowed.

• Ted Simmons: .987 fielding pct, 915 assists, 34% caught stealing, with 130 errors & 1,188 stolen bases allowed.

Carter and Simmons' defensive numbers were closer than I think most people even realized. Carter had close to 300 more assists, but Carter had more games behind the plate (2,056 to 1,771), so it's safe to say the assists are neck-to-neck, just as the case is with the caught stealing percentages (35% to 34%). Simmons did commit 9 more errors behind the plate, Simmons was sloppier at the other positions comparably to Carter at other positions. Simmons though, had 310 less stolen bases allowed.

1993 N.L. Championship Series Replay (Game 5)

Avery needed to be on top of his game in Game 5.

The Atlanta Braves avoided the sweep with a 10-9 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4, now they play the series one game at a time.

GAME 5

On the mound: The Phillies will send Curt Schilling (Grade C-XZ) out to the mound. Schilling, the last time out, pitched a one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts against Atlanta, now we'll see if he can close out Atlanta on their home turf. Meanwhile, the Braves will send out Steve Avery (Grade B-YZ) to keep the dream alive.

Top of the 2nd: After Jeff Blauser boots a grounder with Darren Daulton reaching safely on an error, Pete Incaviglia makes the Braves pay with a two-run blast to left. Incaviglia now has 3 home runs this series.

Bottom of the 2nd: Fred McGriff hits his 4th HR of the series, a solo home run to right, cutting Philly's lead in half.

Bottom of the 3rd & 4th: Curt Schilling strikes out the side in the 3rd inning -- Steve Avery, Otis Nixon & Jeff Blauser. Schilling would strike out Fred McGriff & David Justice, back-to-back in the 4th inning, giving him 5 K's early on, with his only mistake being the McGriff home run back in the 2nd inning.

Bottom of the 6th: Otis Nixon leads off with a single, then steals second base. Jeff Blauser grounds out to second, while Nixon advances to third. Ron Gant, who had a big game in Game 4, grounds out [52-27] to third, while Nixon stays put. Fred McGriff pops up for 3rd out, Phillies still lead, 2-1.

Top of the 7th: Steve Avery has now pitched 5 scoreless innings since two-run homer by Pete Incaviglia, while striking out 3 of the last 6 batters.

Bottom of the 8th: The Phillies go to the pen, calling on reliever David West (Grade A*-XYW), while the Braves call on Sid Bream to pinch-hit in place of the pitcher (Bream strikes out). Jeff Blauser keeps 8th alive with two-out walk, but Ron Gant strikes out. The Phillies are three outs away from wrapping up the series.

Top of the 9th: The Braves' reliever Steve Bedrosian (Grade A&C*-YZ) walks the lead-off man in Kevin Stocker. Phillies' Jim Eisenreich hitting for the pitcher, flies out. Lenny Dykstra grounds out, while Stocker advances to second. The Phillies go to the bench and select Ricky Jordan to pinch-hit for Mariano Duncan, [42-22] Stocker steals third. Jordan grounds out to third though, for the 3rd out, stranding the insurance run at third.

Bottom of the 9th: The Phillies call on their wild closer Mitch Williams (Grade B*-XW) to face McGriff, Justice & Pendleton. Fred McGriff leads off with a single to center [15-10]. The fans are starting to make some noise, while the tomahawk chop is getting going...  Williams sets, delivers, David Justice smacks this one down the line in left, into the corner in left, ricochets off the wall, McGriff scores, the rolling to the right, Pete Incaviglia finally gets to it, while Justice slides into third!

Phillies fans have got to be wondering why Incaviglia was still playing left, but the Phillies pay the price, while the winning run is now on third for Terry Pendleton, who already has two doubles for the night. To be honest, maybe they could have avoided allowing a triple with a better fielder, but one thing is for sure, that's all on Williams, you can't be leaving that in the zone, he's lucky Justice didn't get all of that. The Phillies' pitching coach Johnny Podres is out there trying to settle down Mitch.

Everyone is back in their positions...
Williams delivers, Pendleton hits this one past Morandini! This one is over! The Braves win, as they force a Game 6! 

We will see you all back in Philadelphia for Game 6, as the Braves will now have their ace Greg Maddux on the mound.

1993 N.L. Championship Series Replay (Games 3-4)

The Atlanta Braves find themselves down, 2-0 in the series, while their lineup has only totaled 5 hits this series. The Phillies' John Kruk has been on fire, batting 6-for-7, with a walk, 3 RBI, 2 runs & a stolen base, while it was Curt Schilling who pitched a Game 1 one-hit gem of a shutout, with 10 strikeouts to boot. 

Atlanta will now have to battle back in Games 3 & Game 4 if they want to get back into this series --Thank god! They have Tom Glavine & John Smoltz ready to pitch in these upcoming, must-win outings.

GAME 3

On the mound: Terry Mulholland (Grade B-YZ) for Philadelphia vs Tom Glavine (Grade B) for Atlanta, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta.

Top of the 1st: Lenny Dykstra draws a lead-off walk. With one out, John Kruk smacks a single to right center [15-10], steals second. After a Dave Hollins strikeout, Darren Daulton clears the bases with a two-run double [33-0, 51-6]. 

This game will be about missed dice rolls or calling the wrong plays on the wrong dice rolls, during the bottom of the 2nd, with a runner on 1st, I call on the Braves' pitcher Tom Glavine to sacrifice bunt, which normally is the right call... how was I suppose to know that he would roll an 11-7, which would have been a single, moving the base runner to third -- Instead, it's a sac bunt, moving runner to second with 2 outs.

Top of the 4th: After a one-out single by Darren Daulton (his 2nd hit of the game), Pete Incaviglia gives Philly a huge lead with a two-run shot off of Tom Glavine, making it 4-0, Phillies lead. The Atlanta crowd is dead silent.

Bottom of the 5th: Lead-off double by David Justice [33-4]. The Braves call on their bench in Francisco Cabrera, and flies out to center [34-31, just missed rolling a 33-5, which would have resulted in a two-run homer]. With 2 outs, the Braves call on Sid Bream to pinch-hit for Tom Glavine, with a runner on 3rd, but strikes out. Greg Olson comes into the game to take place for catcher Damon Berryhill, Deion Sanders will take over in center, while the Braves will call on reliever Kent Mercker. 

Top of the 6th: Darren Daulton [11-0, 33-1] hits a two-out solo home run off Kent Merker, giving him a single, double & homer in 3 at-bats so far, along with 3 RBI. Phillies extend the lead to 5 runs.

Bottom of the 6th: With a runner on 3rd & 2 outs (Deion Sanders - single), Fred McGriff [rolls a 44-8 vs Grade B-YZ] flies out to right. 

Earlier that half-inning, I decided to go for a hit-and-run with Jeff Blauser up & Sanders on 1st, rolling a 31-9, which resulted in a ground out, with the runner advancing to 2nd... versus 31-9 regular result of, infield hit, runner to second.

Bottom of the 7th: Braves catcher Greg Olson hits into inning-ending double play, giving Terry Mulholland 7 shutout innings [Grade Advancement to A-YZ].

Bottom of the 9th: Fred McGriff breaks up Terry Mulholland's shutout bid, with a solo home run to right. The home run was McGriff's 2nd HR of the series.

The Phillies take a strong control of this series, and are on the verge of a sweep. Mulholland is the 2nd Phillies pitcher this series to pitch a complete game. The Braves have only totaled 9 hits, averaging 3 hits per game. John Kruk is batting .727 this series (8-for-11 with 3 RBI, 3 runs & 2 stolen bases. Darren Daulton fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle, while logging 3 RBI & 2 runs.

GAME 4

On the mound: Danny Jackson (Grade C) will pitch for the Phillies in the possible series-clinching win, against John Smoltz (Grade B-X) for Atlanta. We are at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in front of 52,032 fans.

Top of the 2nd: The Phillies start off the inning with back-to-back doubles by Dave Hollins and Darren Daulton (the latter leading to a RBI). With one out, two batters later, Milt Thompson has himself his 1st hit of the series, driving in Daulton, to give Philly, a early 2-0 lead. Kevin Stocker's single, the Phillies' 4th hit of the inning off John Smoltz, plus Mark Lemke's fielding error (on a ball hit by pitcher Danny Jackson) would lead to the bases being loaded. Lenny Dykstra would draw a bases loaded walk. After striking out Mickey Morandini for the 2nd out, Smoltz would allow another bases loaded RBI walk, this time to John Kruk. Dave Hollins would ground out to Smoltz on the mound to stop the bleeding. 

Phillies lead 4-0, the Braves in fact have never led at any point in the series up to this point, and are in a big hole right from the start.

Bottom of the 2nd: The Braves had to do something drastic, down 4-0, with bases loaded, thanks to a Terry Pendleton walk, Dave Justice single & Mark Lemke walk. The Braves called on pinch-hitter Bill Pecota to hit for John Smoltz, the team only had one out, but couldn't afford for Smoltz to hit into an inning-ending double play or the Braves coming up with nothing at all. Pecota would come through with a sac fly, cutting the lead down to 3 runs (trailing 4-1).

Smoltz would only pitch 2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 4 earned runs & two costly walks through 2 innings, while striking out 3 Phillies. The Braves go to Kent Mercker (Grade B*-XW) in hoping to avoid any more runs.

Bottom of the 3rd: Two outs, Fred McGriff hits a ball to shortstop Kevin Stocker, in which he bobbles the grounder, McGriff is safe on the error. Terry Pendleton hits a single to center, while McGriff advances to third. David Justice would make Danny Jackson pay on a mistake pitch, as Justice sends it over the left field fence at Fulton-County, to tie the game up at 4-4.

Top of the 4th: Kevin Stocker leads off the inning with a single off of reliever Kent Mercker, in for his 2nd inning of work. The Phillies call on Kim Batiste to pinch-hit for pitcher Danny Jackson. Batiste flies out, while Dykstra grounding out advanced the base runner to second. Mickey Morandini comes through with an RBI single to give the Phillies, a 5-4 lead, but was then foolish by being picked off first base by Mercker. 

Roger Mason (Grade C*-Y) will come in to pitch for the Phillies, for his first action of the series.

Bottom of the 4th: Lead-off single by Mark Lemke. Braves call on Francisco Cabrera to pinch-hit for Mercker, hoping for a two-run blast, but instead he hits into a double play. Cabrera had a 11-5, 33-5 & 66-1 single column card. Otis Nixon hits a single, while Jeff Blauser follows with a single, advancing Nixon to third, Blauser then steals second. Two outs, two balls & two strikes on Ron Gant -- Gant smacks a single to right [55-8], driving in both runners, and giving Atlanta their first lead of the entire series! The Braves keep it coming with a two-run homer by Fred McGriff, his 3rd of the series.

The Phillies will have to go to the pen again, they were hoping Mason would at least go two innings, but he obviously doesn't have his stuff. The Phillies call on Mike Williams to face Terry Pendleton, and gets Pendleton to end the nightmare of an inning for Philadelphia. Braves lead 8-5.

The Braves call on Marvin Freeman (Grade D*-X) to pitch the 5th inning.

Top of the 5th: John Kruk leads the inning off with a double [11-0, 61-6]. Dave Hollins draws a walk. Darren Daulton hits an infield fly, no one advances, one out. Jim Eisenreich hits a single to left, scoring in Kruk, while Hollins advances to third. 1st & 3rd for Milt Thompson, strikes out. Kevin Stocker steps up to the plate with 2 outs, the Braves elect for Freeman to intentionally walking Stocker to face the pitcher. 

The Phillies manager Jim Fregosi elects to pinch-hit for the pitcher Mike Williams, calling on Wes Chamberlain; Braves' manager Bobby Cox counters with reliever Jay Howell (Grade A*-YZ) coming in to relieve Freeman. Howell delivers, Chamberlain flies to left for final out of the inning. The Phillies trim Atlanta's lead down to 2 runs though.

Bottom of the 5th: Ben Rivera (Grade C-YW) gets his first appearance of the National League Championship Series, while retiring the side.

Top of the 6th: With Jay Howell still on the mound for the Braves, Lenny Dykstra leads off the inning with a solo home run over the right field fence [22-0, 15-1]. Phillies now trail, 8-7.

Bottom of the 6th: The Braves keep their pitcher Jay Howell in, allowing him to hit. Howell would hit a fly ball to center in which Dykstra must have lost the ball in the lights, as the ball drops, call that an E-8! Otis Nixon does Dykstra a favor though & hits into a double play. Blauser flies out to finish 6th.

Top of the 7th: Reliever Jay Howell, who has had a few two-inning performances during the season will get one more inning of work (if possible) for Atlanta. Howell walks the lead-off hitter Darren Daulton, but gets Jim Eisenreich to strike out & Milt Thompson to ground out. Howell then plunks Kevin Stocker with a pitch. Runners on 1st & 2nd, 2 outs, and down only 8-7, the Phillies will have catcher Todd Pratt pinch-hit for the pitcher Ben Rivera. The Braves will have to stick with Howell, as they don't have too many options and are not sure how long this game could go.

Make or break pitch for Howell, Pratt sends it to left center, it's off the wall, Daulton scores, Ron Gant throws it to home, and Stocker will score! The Phillies have reclaimed the lead, it's now 9-8!

The Braves would get out of eventually, but the damage has been done. The Phillies are 9 outs away from a sweep, and they are now calling on their best bullpen arms. Larry Andersen (Grade B*-XY) will be pitching the during the bottom of the 7th. 

Bottom of the 7th: The Braves' Ron Gant leads off with a single to right. Fred McGriff flies out for out number one. Braves call on hit-and-run, and Terry Pendleton executes it perfectly [34-31], advancing Gant to third. David Justice strikes out for the second out. Braves call on pinch-hitter Sid Bream in place of catcher Greg Olson. Sid Bream hits it to center [15-10], drives in Gant, but Pendleton is thrown out at third on the throw from Lenny Dykstra in center. Game tied up at 9-9.

Top of the 8th: With two outs, Darren Daulton puts a scare into Braves reliever Steve Bedrosian (Grade A&C*-YZ) with a double [22-0, 24-6]. Only for Jim Eisenreich to come up empty, by grounding out to short. 

Bottom of the 8th: The Phillies go with Larry Andersen another inning, saving David West for later if need be. With one out, the Braves' Rafael Belliard came in to pinch-hit for Bedrosian, and hits a single to right [25-9]. Otis Nixon draws a walk [35-14], runners on 1st & 2nd. Jeff Blauser flies out to center with no runners advancing, two outs. Ron Gant continues to rake in this game, smacking RBI single over second, stealing second, with Nixon on third; Gant has 3 hits & 3 RBI in this one. 

The Phillies finally call on reliever David West, who hits a fly out to end the inning.

Top of the 9th: Greg McMichael (Grade A*-X) will try to close things out for Atlanta. With two outs, the Phillies call on Pete Incaviglia (2 HR this series) to hit for the pitcher, but fouls out behind the plate [65-35].

The Braves really had to work hard for this victory, but still need to pull out three straight to win this series. The Braves' bats finally came alive, but most of that may have had a little to do with that there was no pitching on either side in an ugly, see-saw battle in Game 4. 

One game at a time.

1993 N.L. Championship Series Replay (Games 1-2)

My 1993 National League Championship Series Replay...

GAME 1

On the mound: Steve Avery (Grade B-YZ) for Atlanta vs Curt Schilling (Grade C-XZ) for Philadelphia, at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

Bottom of the 1st: Second baseman Mariano Duncan draws a one-out walk. John Kruk follows with a single to right center (steals second). With two strikes, Dave Hollins works the count to a walk, to load the bases. Suddenly in trouble early, Avery has to pitch to the dangerous Darren Daulton, but Daulton would ground into an inning ending 6-4-3 double play.

Top of the 2nd: Curt Schilling strikes out the side in Fred McGriff, Dave Justice, and Terry Pendleton, giving Schilling 4 K's early on... This could be a long night for Atlanta, if this is any indication for things to come.

Top of the 3rd: Mark Lemke draws a one-out walk. Steve Avery up at bat, Lemke advances on a passed ball to second. Avery bats Lemke over to third for the 2nd out. Otis Nixon draws a walk. With runners on the corners, the Braves elect to hit-and-run with Jeff Blauser at the plate, Nixon is off and running, but is thrown out trying to steal second, on a solid throw by Darren Daulton. [Blauser rolled a 13-14, which if I did not elect to hit-and-run, would have drawn Atlanta's 3rd walk of the inning, with Gant up to the plate].

Top of the 5th: Damon Berryhill breaks up Curt Schilling's early no-hit bid with one out. Mark Lemke draws his 2nd walk of the day [rolling back-to-back, 14 results, which resulted in a walk against Schilling's Z control rating]. Runners on 1st & 2nd for the Braves' pitcher Steve Avery at the plate, Avery lays down a sac bunt, to advance the runners to 2nd & 3rd, 2 outs. Otis Nixon [rolls a 51-10] flying out to Lenny Dykstra for final out. Score remains, zero apiece.

Top of the 6th: With Ron Gant on second (due to a walk & advancing to 2nd on a groundout), Dave Justice has a chance to do some damage, but flies out center [Curt Schilling has pitched 6 shutout innings & advances to a Grade B-XZ].

Bottom of the 6th: Lead-off single by Lenny Dykstra. Mariano Duncan hits a double [66-0, 63-6] off Avery, scoring in Dykstra, for the game's first run. John Kruk makes it back-to-back RBI doubles [33-0, 62-6], 2-0, Phillies lead. Dave Hollins flies to right, for 1st out, no advancement by Kruk. Darren Daulton grounds it to the pitcher [44-8] , pitcher tosses over to first for the 2nd out, while Kruk moves on over to third. Pete Incaviglia [22-6, single column card] hits a two-run homer off Avery, for the nail in Avery's coffin. Braves Manager Bobby Cox has seen enough, and will go to the pen. Reliever Marvin Freeman stops the bleeding as Wes Chamberlain grounds out to second. Phillies lead 4-0.

Top of the 7th: Curt Schilling strikes out Mark Lemke to retire the side, recording his 7th strikeout of the game [Schilling advances to Grade A-XZ with 7 shutout innings].

Curt Schilling goes on to pitch a one-hit, 10 K gem, shutting out the Braves, while allowing 4 walks. The Braves' Steve Avery gets the loss, allowing 6 hits, 4 earned runs & 3 walks in 5.2 innings. John Kruk collects 3 hits, including a RBI double, run & stolen base. Mariano Duncan drew 2 walks, while also having an RBI double.


GAME 2

On the mound: N.L. Cy Young favorite Greg Maddux (Grade A-YZ) for Atlanta vs Tommy Greene (Grade B-X) for Philadelphia, at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia. Phillies lead series, 1-0.

1st Inning: Both teams squander chances. Atlanta led off 1st with a single & stolen base by Otis Nixon, with Jeff Blauser drawing a walk on the next at-bat, but two infield flies with no runners advancing & a fielder's choice at second later, the Braves came up empty. Philadelphia with 2 outs, draw back-to-back walks (a rarity) against such a great control artist like Maddux, but Darren Daulton would come up empty at the plate to capitalize on the opportunity.

Bottom of the 3rd: The Phillies' Lenny Dykstra leads off with a single & stolen base [33-0, 34-11]. Mickey Morandini flies to right, Dykstra advances to third. John Kruk singles to left, Dykstra scores, Kruk advances to second on wild throw by Ron Gant. Phillies lead 1-0.

Top of the 4th: David Justice with two outs, hits a solo home run off of Tommy Greene to give Atlanta's first run of the series, tying the game at 1-1.

Bottom of the 5th: Mickey Morandini draws a one-out walk. John Kruk smacks and RBI double over first [35-14, 2 balls... 11-0, 56-6], giving Philly back the lead, 2-1. Dave Hollins draws a walk (4th walk by Maddux). Runners on 1st & 2nd, Darren Daulton grounds out, advancing the runners to 2nd & 3rd. Jim Eisenreich connects on a big single to right [25-8 vs Grade A, 2nd & 3rd], scoring both runners, making the game, 4-1 Philadelphia! Milt Thompson strikes out for the 3rd time ending the big inning.

Top of the 6th: Fred McGriff does his best to keep the Braves in the game, hitting a two-out solo homer off of Greene. Braves trail 4-2.

Top of the 7th: The Phillies went to the pen prior to the inning, with Larry Andersen toeing the rubber; Phillies pinch-hit for Greene during the bottom of the 6th with Wes Chamberlain. Andersen (Grade B*-XY) strikes out the side in Terry Pendleton, Damon Berryhill & Mark Lemke.

Bottom of the 7th: The Braves stay with Greg Maddux for one more inning. Maddux rewards manager Bobby Cox' faith with 3 strikeouts in the inning, although giving up a 3rd hit in the game to John Kruk.

Kruk has 6 hits during the first 2 games of the 1993 NLCS.

Top of the 8th: Jeff Blauser hits a single off reliever David West with two outs, steals second [33-0, 52-11]. Ron Gant ends the possible threat by grounding out.

Top of the 9th: Phillies' closer Mitch Williams, 'The Wild Thing', retires the side, by getting pinch-hitter Bill Pecota to fly out for the final out.

Phillies lead the series, 2-0. When asked if he thought home plate umpire Frank Pulli was squeezing him on some possible strike calls, Greg Maddux said "I don't have much to say on the matter, we are the ones that lost the game. I think we'll be good to go once we are back in front of our home crowd."

It should be mentioned that Pulli was once placed on probation by former commissioner Fay Vincent for placing bets on non-baseball sporting events, along with umpire Rich Garcia back in 1989.

The Atlanta Braves have totaled only 5 hits in the first 2 games of the series (combined), while the Phillies' John Kruk alone has 6 hits through 7 at-bats this series, along with a BB & 3 RBI.

Atlanta will have to find their stride in Atlanta, as their postseason fate weighs on Tom Glavine & John Smoltz the next two games.