In the End, Brewers Out of Their League

For eight innings, the Milwaukee Brewers looked like a team that has always played in the National League. In the ninth, they looked like NL rookies.

Gerald Williams trotted home from third after catcher Mike Matheny’s attempted pickoff throw skipped into left field in the ninth inning, giving the Atlanta Braves a season-opening 2-1 victory Tuesday at Atlanta in the Brewers’ first NL game after 28 years in the American League.

“This is our style of baseball,” Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones said. “We pitch, play defense and hopefully get some timely hits.”

The Braves, who left Milwaukee after the 1965 season, scored the winning run without benefit of a hit to beat the Brewers, the former Seattle Pilots who moved to Milwaukee just before the 1970 season and have now become the first major league team to switch leagues since the 1892 season.

In the top of the ninth, Kerry Ligtenberg walked the bases loaded with two out but Jeff Cirillo strayed too far from first and was picked off by a throw from catcher Javy Lopez.

Williams, traded by the Brewers during the off-season, walked with one out in the bottom of the ninth and took third when another pinch-hitter, Keith Lockhart, singled to center. Loser Bob Wickman struck out Andruw Jones, but Matheny threw to third when Lockhart broke for second on the pitch.

The throw was terrible, bouncing past Cirillo into left, and Williams came home with the deciding run. Ligtenberg, the fourth Atlanta pitcher, got the win.

Brewer Manager Phil Garner, who forgot to put a pitcher on his lineup card during Milwaukee’s first interleague road game a year ago, was particularly livid about Cirillo’s base-running blunder. “The whole bench saw it coming,” he said. “He had a gigantic lead. We screamed at him to get back. Jeff has played long enough to know better.”

New York 1, Philadelphia 0--By the time the Phillies and Mets finished in the 14th inning, opening day had become opening night in New York.

In the longest scoreless opener in National League history, pinch-hitter Alberto Castillo’s single with two out and the bases loaded gave the Mets the victory.

A nearly full Shea Stadium was bathed in sunshine and 82-degree weather when the first pitch was thrown at 1:45 p.m. EST. There were far less than the 49,142 left when Brian McRae crossed home plate at 6:20 p.m.

Matt Franco opened the 14th with a single off loser Ricky Bottalico and became just the third Met to reach second base when McRae walked. After a forceout at third, Gilkey singled for what should have been the game-winning hit to left, but McRae lost his footing and fell rounding third.

It looked like the marathon would continue until Castillo finally ended it with a single to right on a full-count pitch.

Florida 11, Chicago 6--For at least one game, the Marlins looked like those World Series champions of last year.

With a revamped roster that includes 14 rookies, the Marlins scored six runs in the first inning and opened the season with a victory before a sellout crowd of 41,126 at Miami.

World Series MVP Livan Hernandez won despite giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings, mainly because Gary Sheffield and catcher Charles Johnson hit three-run homers.

It was a familiar start for the Cubs, who set an NL record by losing their first 14 games in 1997.

Johnson’s record 172-game errorless streak behind the plate ended in the first inning when he threw high on Mickey Morandini’s attempted steal.

San Francisco 9, Houston 4--Jeff Kent had a career-high five hits, including a three-run homer, as the Giants outlasted the Astros in 13 innings at Houston to win their first opener since 1994.

It was the most hits in a game for a Giant since Mike Benjamin had six on June 14, 1995, at Chicago.