NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Braves Win Division Title Again

The Atlanta Braves became the first National League team to win four consecutive division titles, clinching the East on Wednesday at Denver with a 9-7 victory over Colorado, coupled with a loss by second-place Philadelphia.

Atlanta won NL West championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The Braves moved to the NL East last year, and were in second place behind Montreal when the strike ended the season in mid-August, and no division titles were officially awarded.

The Braves’ clinching became complete when the Phillies lost, 5-4, at Montreal. At the time, Atlanta’s charter flight from Denver was en route to Cincinnati, where the Braves play this weekend.

The Braves did not rush the mound when the final out was recorded, and the clubhouse was nearly silent later. Several cases of champagne had been brought to Coors Field just in case the Braves won the division title, but no corks popped and the bubbly remained on ice.

“You always like to see it happen on the field with the third out and the team running onto the field,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “It will be anti-climatic, but who gives a darn.”

Montreal 5, Philadelphia 4--Rondell White went three for four with two RBIs and scored a run at Montreal.

White, batting .567 during an eight-game hitting streak and .688 in the last four games, singled home Joe Siddall to break a 2-2 tie in the fifth.

New York 10, Houston 5--Damon Buford hit a pair of homers and Jeff Kent and Carl Everett had one each, leading the Mets at New York and preventing the Astros from gaining a game in the wild-card standings.

Bobby Jones (9-8) got his fourth victory in a row, giving up nine hits while striking out four and walking one in eight innings.

Cincinnati 6, Florida 0--Pete Schourek took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Barry Larkin capped a three-run fifth with his 14th homer to lead the Reds at Cincinnati.

Schourek joined Greg Maddux as the NL’s only 16-game winners.

Schourek walked Chuck Carr in the first, but he was thrown out trying to steal second. Schourek was perfect after that until Charles Johnson singled cleanly to center with one out in the sixth.

St. Louis 8, San Francisco 4--David Bell homered and drove in three runs as the Cardinals completed a three-game sweep at St. Louis.

The Cardinals, who outscored the Giants, 31-9, in the series, won their season-high sixth in a row.

Ray Lankford extended his hitting streak to 14 games with an RBI double in the third, but he missed an opportunity to tie Jim Bottomley’s team record for homering in five successive games.

San Diego 8, Pittsburgh 7--Pinch-hitter Roberto Petagine’s two-run double keyed a four-run seventh inning that carried the Padres at Pittsburgh, but the Padres probably lost outfielder Bip Roberts for the season after he was hit by a pitch in the bullpen.

Roberts’ fibula was fractured when he was struck by a pitch thrown by teammate Andy Ashby.

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Wild-Card Races

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Division Leaders *--*

Team Division W L Cleveland* Central 89 39 Boston East 77 50 Angels West 72 57

*--*

Wild Card *--*

Team W L Pct. GB Seattle 67 62 .519 -- New York 66 62 .516 1/2 Texas 65 63 .508 1 1/2 Kansas City 63 63 .500 2 1/2 Oakland 61 67 .477 5 1/2 Milwaukee 60 67 .472 6 Chicago 59 68 .465 7 Baltimore 59 69 .461 7 1/2

*--*

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Division Leaders *--*

Team Division W L Atlanta* East 81 48 Cincinnati Central 77 50 Colorado West 68 59

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Wild Card

*--*

Team W L Pct. GB Dodgers 68 61 .527 -- Houston 65 62 .512 2 Philadelphia 64 64 .500 3 1/2 Chicago 63 64 .496 4 San Diego 62 65 .488 5 San Francisco 61 67 .477 6 1/2 Montreal 61 67 .477 6 1/2

*--*

* Clinched division title