Braves Wring Out Dodgers in 11 : Baseball: Pressure built from a first-inning misplay to an 11th-inning at-bat ends in Gant’s refusing to lose to a fastball.

“I think I thrive on pressure situations,” Ron Gant was saying in the Atlanta Brave clubhouse Saturday night.

Pressure comes in different forms, and the Atlanta center fielder has responded to all of them.

There was the pressure of rebuilding his promising career from the ground up in 1989, having returned to Class A after a rookie-of-the-year type season in 1988.

Gant returned in 1990 to become the 13th player in major league history to join the 30-30 club, hitting 32 homers with 33 stolen bases, added to 84 runs batted in and a .303 batting average.

There is daily pressure in September of a pennant race, and it was probably at its most intense in the 11th inning of a tie game Saturday.

Gant faced Roger McDowell with two outs, the bases loaded and a crowd of 44,773 on its feet, swinging rubber tomahawks in an orange demonstration that underscored the must-win aspect for the Braves.

“The atmosphere out there was pretty electric the whole game, and I was probably too keyed up reacting to it,” Gant said.

“I hadn’t been swinging the bat well, but I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I was a good hitter--that I just needed to relax.

“I told myself, ‘don’t let a fastball beat you.’ He threw one and I was ready for it.”

Gant slashed McDowell’s 1-and-1 fastball off the wall near the left-field corner to give the Braves a 3-2 victory and a half-a-game lead over the Dodgers in the National League West.

“I don’t know how anyone could be anything but excited,” Gant said of his emotions in a surprisingly matter-of-fact clubhouse.

“A lot of people have said we would fold under the pressure because we’re a young team, which isn’t really true. I think we proved again today that we can play under pressure. I think the Dodgers know that.

“We have different people pick us up almost every day. If that continues, I think we’ll win it.”

While Terry Pendleton, the Atlanta third baseman, has received widespread support for the National League’s most valuable player award, no one has picked the Braves up more often than Gant.

He has 18 game-winning hits, four in September. He has 52 RBIs in the last 66 games and 90 this season.

He has 30 steals and 29 home runs. One more home run and he will join Willie Mays (1956-57) and Bobby Bonds (1977-78) as the only players in major league history with consecutive 30-30 years.

Gant acknowledged that he has been thinking about that too much, swinging too hard in a slump since Aug. 30, his average slipping to .247.

“That’s frustrating because I know I should be hitting for a higher average,” he said, “but a lot of guys have driven in a hundred runs and hit 30 homers while batting .220.

“Every player wants to come through in clutch situations, and that’s what I’ve been doing, so I’m not too concerned about the average. I think it can be overrated.”

Before the 11th inning, Gant had struck out twice, grounded into two force plays and walked with the bases loaded.

He also had misplayed a first-inning drive by Kal Daniels, hesitating and then diving in vain for a triple that scored the Dodgers’ runs.

“It was hazy, overcast, tough to see the ball,” Gant said. “I started after it, then lost it. By the time I picked it up again, it was farther from me than I thought.

“I should have caught it, but it was history. It wasn’t on my mind when I went up to hit in the 11th. Nothing that had happened earlier was. You can’t put that kind of pressure on yourself and expect to function.”

Maybe Gant could. He has gone from that rookie high (19 homers and 60 RBIs in 146 games) to the “embarrassing low” of his option to Class A as the Braves moved him from second base to third base to the outfield.

He has rebounded in a style deserving of more recognition, but Gant said he doesn’t worry about that or let it distract him “as long as I have the respect of my peers.”

A division title and another 30-30 season will thrust Gant into that often elusive spotlight. In the aftermath of his 11th-inning hit, Gant reflected on his larger redemption and said:

“I came back when people said I wouldn’t. I handled it like a man. I’ve had a lot of things happen in my career and worked hard to overcome them. I feel good about all that.

“If I do it (30-30) again, it will be one more indication of how I’ve redeemed myself.”