Braves Are Well Aware of Schilling’s Value

Eight years ago, the Atlanta Braves went home disappointed when they faced Curt Schilling in the National League championship series, explaining their heightened sense of urgency this time.

The all-star starter had two dominant outings in helping the Philadelphia Phillies defeat the Braves in 1993, and the league’s team of that decade has not forgotten.

With Schilling scheduled to start Game 3 tonight for the Arizona Diamondbacks at Turner Field, the Braves said that their series-tying victory in Game 2 at Bank One Ballpark was a must-win situation, though they’re definitely not relaxing yet.

“Well, all the games are obviously important, you don’t take any of them for granted, but, yeah, we knew we needed to get the split,” Atlanta right fielder Brian Jordan said. “After losing [to Randy Johnson in] Game 1, you don’t want to be down, 0-2, going back home against [Schilling].

“I mean, when you look at what he’s done, it’s just obvious you wouldn’t want to be in a situation like that. We have a lot of confidence as a team, we’re not going to assume anyone is going to beat us, but everyone knows what he’s done.”

Schilling reinforced his reputation as a big-game pitcher in two thrilling performances during Arizona’s five-game victory against the St. Louis Cardinals in the division series. After opening with a three-hit, nine-strikeout shutout in Game 1, Schilling closed the series with a six-hit, one-run, nine-strikeout complete game.

“Pretty phenomenal,” said first-year Arizona pitching coach Bob Welch, who pitched for the Dodgers from 1978-87. “I really enjoyed watching it, and got a chance to be a part of it as well.”

Schilling’s left-handed counterpart, and top challenger for the NL Cy Young Award, was equally impressed.

“He pitched unbelievable,” Johnson said. “He’s been real complimentary since he’s been here, since he’s been a teammate of mine.

“He says I raised the bar for him. I told him, when we were celebrating [winning the division series] a couple of nights ago, that after watching him pitch the two games that he pitched, that he’s raised the bar for me now in the postseason.”

In each start, Schilling barely outdueled Matt Morris in a matchup of 22-game winners. Even the disappointed Cardinals were honored to have witnessed the show.

“In Game 1 and Game 5, to be sitting on the bench and watching Curt Schilling and Matt Morris ... that isn’t major league baseball, it’s a league above this one,” St. Louis Manager Tony La Russa said.

“It was really a privilege. When a guy does that kind of job, the loss is easier to take. I take my hat off to him.”

Similar comments have been made about Schilling since he emerged as one of the game’s premier power pitchers with Philadelphia in the early ‘90s. He won 16 games to help the Phillies win the ’93 NL East title, and then overwhelmed the Braves in the pennant-clinching series.

Schilling pitched eight scoreless innings in the Phillies’ 1-0, 10-inning victory in Game 1, and eight-plus innings in their 4-3, 10-inning victory in Game 5.

The right-hander’s 1.69 earned-run average and 19 strikeouts helped Philadelphia win the best-of-seven series, 4-2, and earn Schilling the most-valuable-player award.

Talk about a lasting impression.

“I remember him more as a low-ball pitcher,” Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox said. “He kept the ball down, way down in the strike zone, and hit the outside corner.

“Now, he’s more well-rounded. He’ll change your eye level. He’ll go way up out of the strike zone intentionally.”

Schilling, who turns 35 in November, was in only his third full season in the majors that year, and his first as a full-time starter. But lack of experience did not temper his confidence entering the championship series, or the World Series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Before that, I was a loud nobody. Then I became a loud somebody,” said Schilling, 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA in the World Series. “Until we got into that series, and those games happened, I don’t know that anybody knew if I could do it when it mattered most.

“I believed in myself, but I didn’t know. ... We were definitely the underdog at that time. We go out in Game 1, and there’s 60-some-thousand people in [Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia]. The game starts out, [Schilling had] five straight strikeouts, and the place was going crazy. It was a steamroller thing. We just steamrollered off that game.”

The Diamondbacks hope that Johnson’s 2-0, 11-strikeout victory in Game 1 is a tone-setter for this series. Miguel Batista pitched seven strong innings in Game 2, but the Braves pounded Arizona’s shaky bullpen in an 8-1 victory.

Now, Schilling tries to swing the momentum again.

“Winning the league championship and going to the World Series is a huge step and a huge accomplishment,” he said.

“Not going there, that would be tough to swallow considering what we’ve gone through. So, I’m satisfied up to this point, but I think there’s still a lot of ball for us left to be played.”