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Posted: Wednesday October 06, 1999 08:18 PM
ATLANTA (Ticker) -- In near-perfect fashion, Kevin Millwood again bailed the Atlanta Braves out of trouble.
Making his playoff debut, Millwood shut down the Houston Astros with a sparkling one-hitter -- the first in the postseason in 32 years -- as the Braves evened their National League Division Series at one win apiece with a 5-1 victory.
Game Three of the best-of-five series is Friday afternoon in Houston.
"That's as strong a game that has been pitched against us all year," Houston manager Larry Dierker said. "He spotted his fastball well and threw hard. We really hit only two balls well the whole game."
The Braves had won 10 straight Division Series game before they were surprised by the Astros in Tuesday's opener. Atlanta improved to 13-2 in Division Series play and will try to become the first NL team to lose the opener and win a series.
Brian Jordan drove in a pair runs with a sacrifice fly and a single for the Braves, who took the lead for good on a sacrifice fly by Eddie Perez in the sixth.
Houston's only run came on a second-inning homer by Ken Caminiti, whose three-run ninth inning homer capped the Game One win.
"He pitched a great game, he really did," Caminiti said. "He worked his magic on off-speed pitches."
Millwood spent the regular season as the fourth starter on a staff that begins with three Cy Young Award winners. But Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine began the year poorly and John Smoltz spent time on the disabled list. Enter Millwood, who won nine of 10 decisions at one point before the All-Star break and finished with 18 wins.
"It's got to be the best game (I ever threw)," said Millwood, who threw a one-hitter in April 1998 against Pittsburgh. "In the second and third innings, I threw a couple of sliders and a couple of curveballs that were pretty good. I knew from then on."
Millwood won his last six regular-season decisions and Braves manager Bobby Cox awarded him the Game Two start. The North Carolina native was brilliant, retiring 15 straight batters at one point and finishing with eight strikeouts.
Houston's only two baserunners were Caminiti and Jeff Bagwell, who reached on an error by third baseman Chipper Jones in the seventh.
The one-hitter was the first in the postseason since Atlanta's Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers combined to one-hit Cleveland in Game Six in the 1995 World Series. The last complete-game one-hitter in the postseason was tossed by Boston's Jim Lonborg against St. Louis in Game Two of the 1967 World Series.
Millwood, who took a no-hitter into at least the sixth inning three times this season, was not used in the playoffs in 1997 and 1998, his first two years with the Braves.
"I don't get too excited. I'm pretty low-key," Millwood said.
"But about the eighth inning, I was getting excited. I had to back off a little and calm myself down."
Millwood won his duel with the flamboyant Jose Lima (0-1), who was pitching on three days rest for the second straight start.
Lima allowed four runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out four.
"I tip my hat to (Millwood). He beat us. But this is not over," Lima said. "We're going to go back home and play in front of our fans."
Lima had won his previous three outings this season on three days rest and fell to 0-5 lifetime against Atlanta.
For the second straight game, the umpires checked a stain on Lima's uniform pants but allowed him to continue.
Perez hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth to score Ryan Klesko, who reached on a bloop single and went to third on a double by Andruw Jones off the glove of third baseman Caminiti, which broke an 0-for-20 drought in Division Series play.
The Braves broke open the game with three runs in the seventh.
Bret Boone doubled off the wall and went to third when the ball was misplayed by left fielder Daryle Ward. Chipper Jones was intentionally walked and Jordan hit a sacrifice fly, chasing Lima.
"I except challenges and when the other teams say they're going to pitch around Chipper, I take it as an insult," Jordan said.
"I'm at my best when there are runners in scoring postion."
Scott Elarton relieved and allowed run-scoring singles to Klesko and Andruw Jones.
The Braves manufactured a run off Lima in the first. Gerald Williams reached on an infield single, stole second with one out, went to third on a ground ball by Chipper Jones and scored when Jordan singled to center.
Klesko had three of the Braves' 11 hits.
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