Flag Is Up for Series in Canada : Game 3: Emotions should run high at the SkyDome for the first game in the fall classic to be played on Canadian soil.

As if the Blue Jays’ first home World Series game weren’t enough to stir Toronto fans into a frenzy tonight at the SkyDome, nationalistic fervor over the upside-down display of the Canadian flag Sunday promises to heighten emotions in a Series already remarkable for its dramatic swings.

“Mistake or no mistake, I just don’t see there’s any excuse for it, and I think our fans will be a little more into it because of that, which is of benefit to us,” Blue Jay third baseman Kelly Gruber said of the Marine Corps Color Guard’s gaffe in Atlanta, which was taken as an insult by many Canadians.

“People in the United States wouldn’t like it very much if they put the shoe on the other foot,” added Gruber, an American who married a Canadian and whose two children were born in Canada. “This has been the friendliest border since whenever. But you can’t expect the flag to be turned upside-down.”

A tidal wave of patriotism will be one of several obstacles for the Atlanta Braves, who got their first look at the SkyDome in a late-afternoon workout Monday and will get their first look at right-hander Juan Guzman tonight.

Besides contending with the fastball and slider of Guzman, who defeated the Oakland Athletics twice in the six-game American League playoff series, the Braves must contend with artificial turf, a dizzyingly high roof and history in a Series tied, 1-1.

The dome might prove their biggest foe. The home team has won all eight World Series games played indoors: the Minnesota Twins won all four games at home against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987 and all four against the Braves last year. During the season, the Braves were 12-3 in domed stadiums, splitting six games in Montreal and sweeping nine at Houston.

After shagging fly balls and taking batting practice for about an hour, the Braves said the SkyDome passed their test.

“I was out there for 10 minutes and nothing bad happened,” center fielder Otis Nixon said. “I’ve heard good things about this ballpark, and I guess they are true.”

Even if they aren’t, playing indoors beat playing in the chilly wind that knifed through Toronto on Monday. “I wouldn’t think any baseball player would prefer playing in a dome, but if you have to, this is one of the nicest I’ve seen,” Atlanta shortstop Jeff Blauser said. “I just like the look of it and that it doesn’t have a plastic roof. The problem for us in the Metrodome was pop-ups. That was in the back of everybody’s mind. This place has a better background, as far as seeing balls.”

Far better, the Braves contend, than the Metrodome, which a year ago became their house of horrors. Manager Bobby Cox wouldn’t even refer to it by name Monday, calling the SkyDome “a real ballpark” and scornfully replying “Minnesota” when asked his basis of comparison.

“I don’t think there will be any adjusting to do,” said Cox, who visited the SkyDome once as a fan but never went onto the field until Monday. “It’s a lot like Houston’s dome, and for us, playing here won’t be a problem.”

Gruber predicted Atlanta infielders might have difficulty gauging the hops ground balls will take on the turf. “High choppers to third give me fits, and there’s spots in left and right field that can be tough because of the lights,” he said. “Some things are going to be tough for them to adjust to, but this is not a Metrodome.”

The Blue Jays hope their fans, who set a major league attendance record of 4,028,318 this season, will create a problem the Braves can’t overcome. Prodded from their usual reserve earlier this season when Dave Winfield urged them to become more vocal, fans backed the Blue Jays in decibel-shattering numbers during the playoffs, and Toronto players are counting on that again.

“The environment here has become hostile (to opponents) thanks to Prime Minister Winfield,” outfielder Joe Carter said. “The fans have become a 10th man. It’s a plus for us, especially in crunch time.”

Said Guzman: “The fans are going to intimidate them, and they’re going to help us. The fans have been very good during the last (playoff) series, and I hope it’s still the same way in this series.”

Fan support alone won’t win it for the Blue Jays, who have yet to steal a base or to stop the Braves, who have seven successful steals. Cox said he hadn’t decided on his lineup, but Deion Sanders probably will be in it after a two-steal game Sunday that energized the Braves’ offense. Lonnie Smith is also a candidate to be the designated hitter, as he was in the four games played under American League rules in last year’s World Series.

Base stealing alone won’t be enough to give the edge to the Braves, who lost Sunday when closer Jeff Reardon gave up a two-run home run to pinch-hitter Ed Sprague. Atlanta is hitting .155 in the two games, with only one extra-base hit, the three-run homer by Damon Berryhill that lifted them to a 3-1 victory in the opener.

“To start the Series away and lose the first game on a big hit, and then to be down almost the entire second game and come back and win, we have to feel good about that,” Winfield said. “We’re very happy to be home and to be 1-1 in the Series. There’s a lot of excitement here.”

Playing at home gives Toronto Manager Cito Gaston the freedom to use the lineup he used most of the season, with John Olerud at first base, Carter in right field, Candy Maldonado in left and Winfield as the designated hitter.

“Having the DH is very important for us,” center fielder Devon White said. “It’s an advantage, like having all those Blue Jays fans yelling for us.”

Blauser conceded Guzman an edge, “seeing as how we’ve never faced him,” and made one other guess. “As for the fans,” Blauser said, “I don’t know how much (the flag incident) bothered people here, but those Marines, I imagine, are still doing pushups.”

TONIGHT’S GAME

PITCHERS: Atlanta’s Steve Avery vs. Toronto’s Juan Guzman

TV: Channel 2

RADIO: KNX(1070), KFMB (760), KTNQ (1020, Spanish)