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 What pitchers' duel? Anderson's 3 RBIs give Phillies 7-4 win over Braves
Posted: Monday April 05, 1999 08:42 PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- So much for the expected pitching duel between Tom Glavine and Curt Schilling. Rookie Marlon Anderson, cheered on by a large contingent from his native Alabama, drove in the three runs to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 7-4 victory Monday over the Atlanta Braves. Curt Schilling allowed five hits and all four runs in six innings, but picked up the win when Anderson came through in the seventh with a two-run single against Glavine, coming off a 20-win season that earned his second NL Cy Young Award. "There were more runs scored than anyone would have thought," said Glavine, who surrendered seven hits, two walks and five runs in 6 2-3 innings. "But that's the nature of the game." Glavine took a 4-3 lead into the seventh, only to give consecutive singles to Bobby Abreu and Mike Lieberthal. Desi Relaford bunted the runners along before pinch-hitter Kevin Sefcik popped up to short center. After an intentional walk to Doug Glanville, Anderson blooped a broken-bat single to center to bring home the tying and winning runs, chasing Glavine. "As a hitter, that's going to pump you up," said Anderson, who brought almost 50 family members and friends to the game. "It was the right move for them to make at the time, but as a competitor it pumped me up." The Phillies added two runs in the ninth against Mark Wohlers, the former Braves closer trying to make a comeback from a disastrous season. He was nearer to the plate than a year ago but still walked four and surrendered a run-scoring double to Anderson off the center-field wall. Wohlers threw 31 pitches in two-thirds of an inning -- 20 balls and 11 strikes -- then cursed at reporters in the clubhouse before stalking away. "Other guys go through these things, but it's just not as magnified," he said. "I don't want to dissect everything I do." Jeff Brantley pitched the ninth for his first save with Philadelphia. Brian Jordan, lured away from St. Louis with a $40 million, five-year contract, took over the cleanup role for the Braves with cancer-stricken Andres Galarraga sitting out the season. Jordan, playing his first regular-season game in an Atlanta uniform since he was with the NFL Falcons in 1991, admitted he was nervous but did a pretty good impression of the Big Cat in his Braves debut. He singled in the first and came around to score on Javy Lopez's two-run double. In the fourth, Jordan led off with a homer to left, then performed the "Dirty Bird" as he crossed home plate. "That was my tribute to the Falcons," he said, referring to the arm-flapping dance made popular by the NFL team on its way to the Super Bowl. "The first day is out of the way. Now, I can go out and have fun." The Phillies halved the 2-0 deficit on Lieberthal's RBI single in the second, then went ahead in the third on Scott Rolen's two-run homer. Jordan's homer tied the score at 3 before the Braves took advantage of two shoddy fielding plays to score the go-ahead run. Ryan Klesko was credited with an infield hit when shortstop Desi Relaford threw low after fielding a high chopper up the middle. Then, Walt Weiss hit a low liner to right that hit Bobby Abreu in the wrist and bounced away, allowing Klesko to score all the way from first on what was ruled a triple. Galarraga, being treated at his home in West Palm Beach, Fla., wasn't forgotten on opening day. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch via a television hook-up from south Florida. Surrounded by two of his three daughters, Galarraga tossed the ball toward a camera that showed the scene on the center-field video board in Atlanta. Eddie Perez, one of Galarraga's closest friends, crouched behind the plate, a ball already in his glove. After Galarraga threw, Perez emerged from his crouched and displayed the ball to the cheering crowd as if it had traveled across two states. Several of the Braves scrawled "14" -- Galarraga's number -- under the "A" on their caps. Notes: The Braves had won six of their past seven openers. ... Atlanta has 12 players who were not on their 25-man roster at the beginning of last season, including starters Bret Boone, Brian Jordan and Otis Nixon. ... Anderson and left-fielder Ron Gant were the new additions to the Phillies' lineup. ... Schilling was the first Philadelphia pitcher since Terry Mulholland (1991-93) to start three straight openers. ... Glavine's start marked only the second time in the last seven years that Greg Maddux wasn't on the mound to start the season. Maddux is scheduled to pitch Tuesday against Chad Ogea. ... Kevin McGlinchy made his major league debut in the seventh, getting one out in relief of Glavine. ... Attendance was 47,522, the largest opening-day crowd in the three-year history of Turner Field and just short of a sellout.
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