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Posted: Sunday October 24, 1999 01:18 AM
ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Just as in 1996, the Atlanta Braves took the lead against the New York Yankees and watched it disappear.
Paul O'Neill's two-run single highlighted a four-run eighth inning and Orlando Hernandez pitched seven dazzling frames as the Yankees drew first blood in the 1999 World Series with a 4-1 victory.
The Braves took the early lead on a fourth-inning homer by Chipper Jones, their only hit off Hernandez. But it was not enough against the Yankees, who lost the first two games of the 1996 Fall Classic to Atlanta before winning the next four contests.
"This isn't unusual. We're used to being in close games," said O'Neill.
Hernandez (1-0) struck out eight of the first 11 batters he faced and finished with 10 in seven innings, the most by a Yankee in the World Series since Bob Turley had 10 in 1958 against the Milwaukee Braves.
Hernandez walked two to improve to 5-0 with a 1.02 ERA in six postseason starts.
"His ball moved to wherever he wanted it to," loser Greg Maddux said. "After my second at-bat tonight, just watching his stuff at the plate, I knew we weren't going to score again off him."
Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton each retired a batter and Mariano Rivera worked the final 1 1/3 innings for the save. Rivera allowed two baserunners in the ninth, including Bret Boone's single, before striking out Brian Jordan on three pitches and getting pinch-hitter Greg Myers to weakly foul out to third to end the game.
Rivera has not allowed a run in nine innings this postseason.
The two hits were the fewest allowed in a World Series game since Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers combined on a one-hitter to close out Cleveland in Game Six of the 1995 series.
The Yankees have won nine straight World Series games, three short of the record and the longest since Cincinnati won nine straight in 1975, 1976 and 1990.
The Yankees closed out the 1996 series with a win over Maddux (0-1), who was forced into an emergency start tonight when Glavine came down with the flu.
Maddux was on course to make amends for the 1996 loss until the eighth inning, which featured a pair of costly errors by first baseman Brian Hunter, who just entered the game.
"With no disprespect to the great pitcher that is Greg Maddux, I thought one run was not going to be enough to win the game," Hernandez said through an interpreter. "I always have the confidence that my team would come through for me."
A four-time Cy Young Award winner, Maddux allowed just three hits in seven frames before Scott Brosius singled for his third hit to open the eighth.
Pinch-hitter Darryl Strawberry walked before Chuck Knobluach bunted hard between first base and the mound. Hunter struggled getting the ball out of his glove to load the bases. Derek Jeter stroked a run-scoring single to left field to finish Maddux.
"Brian is an excellent first baseman. We don't generally miss on plays like that," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "When you make mistakes in big games like this, it generally costs you a ballgame. I never thought about taking Maddux out before that."
Reliever John Rocker, who staged a running feud with the New York Mets and their fans in the National League Championship Series, was no match for their Big Apple counterparts. With the infield in, O'Neill greeted Rocker by grounding a single to right field to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead.
"I was in a good position to hit," O'Neill said. "Lefthanders aren't going to make their living off Rocker. I got a break and found the hole."
O'Neill took second when Hunter made an errant throw trying to get Jeter at third. Bernie Williams was intentionally walked and Rocker retired Tino Martinez and Jorge Posada before walking pinch-hitter Jim Leyritz to force in a run. It was Leyritz who hit a pivotal three-run homer in Game Four of the 1996 Series.
Brosius, the Most Valuable Player of the 1998 World Series, was 3-for-4 and is 11-for-22 in five Fall Classic Games.
"It's fun this time of year," Brosius said. "This is what you want to play for. You can try to analyze things, but you just go out there and play."
Maddux, who fell just short of the All-Century Team announced today, walked three and struck out five. Despite a 2.09 ERA, he fell to 2-3 in five World Series starts and to just 10-10 in postseason play.
Glavine is expected to return to the rotation for Game Three on Tuesday. Kevin Millwood will start for the Braves in Game Two on Sunday against the Yankees' David Cone.
Maddux cruised through the first six innings, allowing singles to Jeter in the first and Brosius in the third. Both were left stranded at second base. Maddux retired eight straight batters before Brosius singled again in the fifth.
O'Neill showed some of New York's early frustration when he grounded out meekly to Maddux to end the sixth. O'Neill jabbed an elbow at Maddux as the pitcher jogged toward the line to complete the tag.
Williams walked and stole second to start the seventh before Maddux worked out of damage by retiring the next three batters, including Ricky Ledee on a called strike for the third out.
Hernandez already has earned a reputation as a superb October performer and did nothing to disprove that tonight. Coming at the Braves with an assortment of pitches, he dominated early, striking out the side in the first and third innings.
Hernandez made Boone his eighth strikeout victim to open the fourth before Jones pulled a 1-0 pitch just inside the right field foul pole for his first homer since September 23. Jones hit 45 homers during the regular season.
The Yankees have won 15 of their last 16 postseason games, with an 8-1 mark this season. Since 1996, New York is 32-10 in the playoffs, including an 18-3 mark on the road.
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