Second guessing

With bullpen ready, Glavine allowed game-tying homer

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Posted: Wednesday October 27, 1999 03:04 AM

NEW YORK (AP) -- All Atlanta manager Bobby Cox wanted from pitcher Tom Glavine in Game 3 of the World Series Tuesday night was seven innings. Seven good innings.

When he got those seven, Cox tried for eight and it turned Game 3 of the World Series around.

Glavine had used just 73 pitches in the first seven innings and was handling the Yankee hitters comfortably, leading 5-3. As the Braves batted in the eighth, the manager and his pitcher talked over the situation.

"There was discussion, yes," Glavine said. "I felt fine. I went back out."

CNN/SI On-Site I think it was asking a lot for Tom Glavine to go beyond seven innings. I think Cox got everything that he was going out of Tom. He went to the well once too often again. John Rocker was ready and I think Cox should have gone to him then. -- CNN/SI Baseball Analyst Ozzie Smith

Glavine had spent the weekend in bed, suffering from the flu that cost him the start in Game 1 of the Series. So Cox watched him closely, monitoring every pitch.

"Tommy Glavine was throwing great," Cox said. "He didn't want to come out of the game. I asked him if he was tired and he said no. We all thought he was throwing great. Tommy thought he was throwing great himself, he and I thought he was throwing good."

Glavine had a remarkably low pitch total. He seemed comfortable, pitching easily even after allowing home runs by Chad Curtis and Tino Martinez. Glavine dismissed Curtis' homer and said he thought the pitch to Martinez, a hanging slider, was the only mistake he made all night.

"I honestly feel like it was the only bad pitch I threw," he said.

So with closer John Rocker throwing in the bullpen, Cox sent Glavine out for the eighth inning. That turned out to be the manager's mistake.

The first batter in the eighth was Joe Girardi and he took Glavine's first pitch, No. 74 of the game into right field for a single. Still, Cox stayed in the dugout.

"I thought Tommy could get at least a couple of outs," Cox said. "There was no reason to take him out." Cox said.

Next was Chuck Knoblauch. Pitch No. 75 was outside for a ball and so was pitch No. 76. Cox never moved.

Now, with the count in his favor, Knoblauch had the edge on Glavine. He swung at pitch No. 77, sending it toward the right field wall. "It was down and away, pretty much where I wanted it," Glavine said.

Brian Jordan went back as far as he could and jumped as high as he could. The ball hit his glove and caromed over the wall for the two-run home run that tied the game.

Glavine never got a chance to throw pitch No. 79.

"A pop fly to right field turns out to be a two-run homer," Glavine said. "Here, it's a home run. Everywhere else, it's an out. The game was played here. It counted."

So did Curtis' second home run of the night, leading off the 10th inning against Mike Remlinger and winning the game, 6-5.

Glavine thought only Martinez's homer was legitimate.

"We got beat by two pop flies to right field that carried," he said. "It was bad luck."