Hold The Champagne Indians Rough Up Maddux To Send Series Back To Atlanta

The ceremonial first pitch Thursday was thrown in outer space. Then something really unusual happened.

Atlanta Braves right-hander Greg Maddux lost a game away from home and the World Series is headed back to Dixie.

After commander Ken Bowersox, orbiting earth aboard the space shuttle Columbia, symbolically delivered his pitch, Maddux figured to take command from there and pitch the Braves to the World Series championship.

He hadn’t lost a road game in more than a year, covering 20 starts. He lost only twice this season in 32 starts.

It’s now three in 33.

In a Game 5 surprise at Jacobs Field, the Cleveland Indians brought the Braves and Maddux back to earth with a 5-4 victory before 43,595 spectators, most watching the American League champs in person for the final time this season.

Many expected this to be the final game of the season, period. But Orel Hershiser outpitched Maddux, Albert Belle spoke with his bat instead of his foul mouth and Jim Thome drove in two key runs to keep the Braves’ celebratory champagne on ice.

Thome’s first homer of the Series, a solo blast off reliever Brad Clontz in the eighth inning, took on added significance because Ryan Klesko’s two-out, two-run jolt off Jose Mesa in the top of the ninth pulled Atlanta within one run.

Mesa refocused following a visit to the mound by Indians pitching coach Mark Wiley and buzzed a called third strike past Mark Lemke.

So now it’s back to Atlanta for Game 6 Saturday night with the Braves still needing one win to become World Series champions and the Indians needing two.

“We still have a long road ahead,” Thome said. “We need to go into Atlanta and take it game by game. Beating Maddux gives us a big boost and we can use it as a positive instead of going to Atlanta down 3-2 and thinking negative.”

Hershiser, who atoned from his Game 1 loss by holding the Braves to two runs (one earned) over eight innings, said the pressure now rests solely on the Braves.

“We weren’t expected to win (Thursday) and their fans are probably wondering what the heck’s going on,” Hershiser said. “They have to win because they already have lost twice in the World Series.”

Thursday night figured to be a slam dunk for Atlanta.

A parade down Peachtree Street already had been planned for Saturday, but not announced. There won’t be a parade. Not Saturday, anyway.

Stymied on two hits and two unearned runs by Maddux in the series opening, 3-2, loss last Saturday, the Indians studied films and made adjustments.

“A lot of us were looking to hit one of the first two pitches he threw,” Thome said. “We thought we took too many pitches the first time we faced him.

“Fortunately, he got some pitches up in the (strike) zone and we capitalized on them.”

Belle put the Indians ahead in the first inning by hitting a two-out home run to right field that also scored Omar Vizquel from second base. Maddux, who walked only 23 batters during the regular season, walked Vizquel.

After Belle completed his slow journey around the bases, Maddux delivered a chin-high fastball to Eddie Murray, who backtracked and then exchanged heated words with the pitcher.

Both benches and bullpens emptied.

Asked if Murray overreacted Braves manager Bobby Cox said, “We don’t throw at people, so he can react any way he wants.”

Luis Polonia reduced Hershiser’s lead to one with a solo homer to right field in the fourth inning and the Braves pulled even and almost ahead in the fifth by scoring once and loading the bases with one out.

With a chance to put the Indians in a major bind, Polonia blistered a ground ball directly at Vizquel, who began an inning-ending and perhaps Series-saving double play.

“The game changed in the fifth inning,” Cox said. “Polonia hit the ball as hard as you can humanly hit a ball.”

Cleveland broke the 2-2 tie in the sixth.

Carlos Baerga hit a one-out double to left, Belle was intentionally walked and, with two outs, Thome bounced a single up the middle to put the Indians ahead.

“That was the key hit of the game,” Indians manager Mike Hargrove said. “Then, the two-out homer in the eighth turned out to be huge. What Jimmy did tonight is what he did all year for us.”

Thome’s tie-breaking single was followed by Manny Ramirez’s RBI hit to right field.

“We have to go back home and win a game,” Cox said. “It’s over the bridge now. It’s gone. We have to look forward to winning a game in Atlanta.”

The Braves will send left-hander Tom Glavine against Cleveland right-hander Dennis Martinez in a rematch of Game 2, which Atlanta won, 4-3.

Notes

The last time a team rallied from a 1-3 deficit to win the Series was 1985, when the Kansas City Royals did it against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Indians starter Orel Hershiser improved to 8-1 with a 1.64 earnedrun average in 13 postseason games. His ERA is the sixth-lowest ever.

Klesko became the first left-handed batter to hit a homer off Indians closer Jose Mesa with a two-run shot in the ninth. It was Klesko’s third homer in as many games.