Glavine Gets Third 20-Win Season in Row

Tom Glavine likes the company he’s keeping these days--guys like Ferguson Jenkins, Dave Stewart and Warren Spahn.

Glavine became the first National League pitcher in more than 20 years to win 20 games in three consecutive seasons and the Atlanta Braves battered the New York Mets, 11-2, Sunday night to maintain their National League West lead at three games over the San Francisco Giants.

“It puts me in the company of some players that are among the elite in the game,” said Glavine. “I really feel good about doing something that hasn’t been done in a long time.”

The Braves, winners of five of six games on this home stand, are 31-7 since Aug. 8, when they were 8 1/2 games behind the Giants.

The Braves, with 12 games left, are idle today before starting a six-game trip to Montreal and Philadelphia. The Giants, 7-3 winners at Cincinnati on Sunday, open a four-game series in Houston tonight and have 14 games remaining.

Glavine (20-5), the NL’s first 20-game winner this season, went six innings, giving up nine hits, two runs, walking one and striking out four. It was his sixth consecutive victory and 10th in 11 decisions.

Jenkins was the last NL pitcher to win 20 games at least three years in a row, doing it six in a row (1967-72). In the American League, Stewart was the last. He did it four consecutive years (1987-90).

Glavine is the first since the franchise moved to Atlanta to do it. Spahn last did it (1956-61) when the club was in Milwaukee.

“It shows some people that don’t think I’m that good a pitcher,” said Glavine. “I can take pride in it when I’m done playing.”

Said Manager Bobby Cox: “Not too many pitchers in baseball can say they’ve done what he’s done.”

Glavine had gone 26 consecutive innings without issuing a walk until the fourth inning when Kevin Baez drew a base on balls.

Otis Nixon had three hits in the Braves’ 14-hit attack. Jeff Blauser, Ron Gant and Fred McGriff each had two hits.

Dave Justice added a sacrifice fly and two-run single. The three RBIs gave Justice a share of the NL lead at 110 with Gant, who also drove in a run, his 18th in eight games. Blauser and Terry Pendleton each drove in two runs.

The Braves led 2-1 before sending 10 batters to the plate in the fifth off Pete Schourek (3-12), scoring five runs on four hits, a walk and two Mets errors.

“We didn’t play well defensively and that’s been a problem our pitching staff couldn’t overcome,” said Met Manager Dallas Green, who, along with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing balls and strikes.