NLCS Notebook

Glavine: '98 performance better than Cy Young year

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Posted: Wednesday October 07, 1998 11:03 PM

Glavine has had an ERA under 3.00 in each of the last three seasons AP

ATLANTA (AP) -- Tom Glavine insists his fourth 20-victory season was his best, even better than in 1991 when the Atlanta Braves left-hander won the NL Cy Young award.

"I'm a lot better pitcher," said Glavine, scheduled to pitch Game 2 against San Diego's Kevin Brown.

"I was a little more inconsistent than I'd have liked the first six weeks of the year, but beyond that, I think it's been a tremendously consistent season for me."

Glavine, who just completed his 11th full season with the Braves, is 173-105 in his career and also had 20-win seasons in 1992 and 1993.

The 32-year-old is 9-9 in the postseason, including a 1-0, one-hitter in Game 6 against Cleveland in 1995 to clinch the World Series.

Aaron cheers

Henry Aaron, the career home run leader, said he had no favorites in the homer chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

McGwire finished with 70 homers, four more than Sosa, to shatter the single-season record of 61 set by Roger Maris in 1961.

"That was the greatest thing that could ever happen for baseball -- the home run chase," Aaron said Wednesday night.

He said two factors helped McGwire and Sosa -- expansion and a more tightly wound baseball.

"I was talking to Duke Snider [former Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder and fellow Hall of Famer], I don't remember where, but he was saying the baseball's were wound very tight this year," said Aaron, who later autographed a baseball for San Diego's Jim Leyritz.

"But, anytime you hit 70 home runs, or 60 home runs, it's a great year."

Aaron believes Seattle's Ken Griffey might have a chance to break his record of 755 homers. Griffey hit 56 this season and has 350 overall.

"He's got to do two things," Aaron said. "Stay focused and stay healthy."

No workout

Because of a college football game between Hawaii and San Diego State on Friday night at Qualcomm Stadium, the Atlanta Braves won't be able to work out there during Friday's scheduled off day.

Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said an optional workout Friday morning at Turner Field is a possibility. "It's no big deal. We know the San Diego ballpark," he said.

The Braves did not workout in Chicago during their off-day in the opening playoff series and did all right, beating the Cubs in Chicago 6-2 after winning the first two games in Atlanta for a three-game sweep.

Padres advance

By beating the Houston Astros in the division series, San Diego advanced to the championship series for the first time since 1984. The Padres then beat the Chicago Cubs in five games to advance to the World Series where they lost to Detroit in five games.

Mr. October

With apologies to Reggie Jackson, San Diego's Jim Leyritz has become Mr. October Jr. with six home runs in 15 postseason games.

Leyritz, who hit three in four games against Houston, hit a game-winning homer to give the New York Yankees a 7-5 win over Seattle in Game 2 of the 1995 division series, and also had a game-tying three-run homer in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series against Braves closer Mark Wohlers.  

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