With One Swing, the Pressure Is Off Gant : Braves: He has waited for his 30th homer, and it provides the first runs in a victory over the Dodgers.

As the Atlanta Braves vaulted over the Dodgers again in the National League West Friday night, Ron Gant took this little leap into the record book.

Gant couldn’t help himself. He was too excited to keep his feet on the ground, so he jumped exultantly as he rounded first base and watched his sixth-inning drive soar into the left-field pavilion at Dodger Stadium.

Gant’s two-run homer broke a scoreless tie and propelled Steve Avery and the Braves to a 3-0 victory and a half-a-game lead in the West.

It also put the Atlanta center fielder in the 30-30 club for the second consecutive season. Gant has 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. The only other players to produce 30-30 in consecutive seasons were Willie Mays (1956-57) and Bobby Bonds (1977-78).

“Being that the score was tied and it was my 30th home run, a lot of emotion came out--probably more than I’ve shown in a long time,” Gant said of his leap.

“I mean, it was a great feeling. I’ve tried to put 30-30 out of my mind and concentrate on the pennant race, but so many people have asked me about it that it been in my subconscious.

“I’ve been pressing, not taking good swings, trying to hit the 30th. I haven’t been relaxed up there. I’ve wanted to get it out of the way.

“Now I feel I can relax, go out and get base hits, steal bases, score runs and do whatever we need.”

Gant came in with a .244 average after hitting .303 last year, when he had 32 homers, 33 stolen bases and 84 runs batted in. He had gone 31 at-bats since hitting home run No. 29 on Sept. 12, and he had hit only three homers since Aug. 14.

“I’m not happy about my batting average,” he said, “but I feel like I’ve been driving in runs, getting some clutch hits and that’s my job.”

Gant has 97 RBIs, 59 in the last 72 games. He has 19 winning hits, five in September.

Gant went to the plate in the sixth inning telling himself that he had seen mostly fastballs from Tim Belcher in the past and to look for another.

“I wasn’t going to let him beat me with a fastball,” Gant said. “He threw it and I was ready for it.”

The fan who retrieved the ball brought it to Gant after the game, and he traded a bat and two autographed balls for it. The significance of 30-30?

“I’ve gone through a lot of tough things in my career,” Gant said. “I think everybody knows how I was sent to the low minors after my rookie season and had to work hard to come back.

“I think I’ve glorified myself by getting 30-30 again.”

Beyond 30-30, there was victory.

“Our team confidence is really high right now,” Gant said. “We needed the momentum of this win. There’s no stopping us now. People talk about our lack of experience, but I don’t see it as a problem.”

In other words, he was asked, the Dodgers should accept that the Braves are for real?

“They have no choice,” he said. “They’ve seen us do it all year. Our pitching has been great and we’re scoring runs behind it. Anyone who thinks we’re a fluke must live on another planet.”