BASEBALL PLAYOFFS DAILY REPORT : NATIONAL LEAGUE : Walk Says Victory Was Not a Miracle

Bob Walk, whose three-hitter led the Pirates to victory in Game 5, said he is bothered by the perception that his performance was was somewhat of a miracle.

“I have spent the last two days hearing people say things like, ‘How could Walk have won that game?’ ” Walk said. “It’s not like I’m a piece of dog meat. I have won games before, you know.”

Walk is 92-67 with a 3.82 earned-run average. This season he was 10-6 with a 3.20 ERA.

“It bothers me that everybody acts like it’s such a surprise,” Walk said. “I know, I don’t have many complete games (13) and that would not have been a complete game if it was played in July. Jimmy (Leyland) would have taken me out.

John Schuerholz, the Braves’ general manager who helped build a perennial loser into a two-time division champion, said that baseball’s “optimal” winning formula involves more limited use of free agency.

“You have to rely most heavily on your home-grown players today and just use free agents here or there to fit specific needs,” Schuerholz said. “Those free agents aren’t necessarily the highest-priced guys, or the most visible guys, or the guys with the most visible agent.

“You only take guys who fit specific needs of your clubhouse.”

This is why Schuerholz signed Terry Pendleton and Sid Bream after the 1990 season even though the two free agents were not sought by many teams.

Stan Kasten, the Braves’ president, declined to comment on Deion Sanders, who upset the club by breaking a promise and playing for the Atlanta Falcons in Miami Sunday before joining the Braves in Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

“That is one subject I’m not going to discuss,” he said.

It is believed that Sanders did not play in Game 5 Sunday night, even though there were several situations where he could have been used, because the Braves were punishing him.

Next to Sanders, the most controversial topic at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium involved organist Carolyn King.

Fans have bombarded the Brave offices with complaints that she is playing the Braves’ war chant, which accompanies the tomahawk chop, in the wrong key. Fans say it makes the chant sound dreary.