1991 NLCS: Game 7

Game 7:

Thursday, October 17, 1991 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	6	1
Pittsburgh	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
WP: John Smoltz (2–0) LP: John Smiley (0–2) Home runs: ATL: Brian Hunter (1) PIT: None

Box Score Info. - (read me)

BATTING

Atlanta Braves               AB   R   H RBI      BB  SO      PO   A
Smith lf                      3   1   0   0       1   1       1   0
  Mitchell lf                 1   0   0   0       0   1       1   0
Pendleton 3b                  5   1   1   0       0   0       0   1
Gant cf                       3   1   1   1       1   0       4   0
Justice rf                    3   0   0   0       1   1       3   0
Hunter 1b                     4   1   2   3       0   0       5   2
Olson c                       3   0   1   0       1   1       8   0
Lemke 2b                      3   0   0   0       1   0       3   1
Belliard ss                   3   0   1   0       1   0       0   2
Smoltz p                      2   0   0   0       1   2       2   0
Totals                       30   4   6   4       7   6      27   6

FIELDING - 
E: Lemke (1).

BATTING - 
2B: Hunter (2,off Walk).
HR: Hunter (1,1st inning off Smiley 1 on 2 out).
SH: Smoltz (1,off Mason).
SF: Gant (1,off Smiley).
IBB: Justice (1,by Walk).
Team LOB: 8.

BASERUNNING - 
SB: Gant (7,2nd base off Walk/LaValliere).

Pittsburgh Pirates           AB   R   H RBI      BB  SO      PO   A
Merced 1b                     4   0   1   0       0   0      10   0
Bell ss                       4   0   2   0       0   2       1   1
Van Slyke cf                  4   0   0   0       0   1       3   1
Bonilla rf                    4   0   1   0       0   0       0   0
Bonds lf                      4   0   1   0       0   0       5   0
Buechele 3b                   4   0   0   0       0   2       1   0
LaValliere c                  3   0   1   0       1   0       6   1
Lind 2b                       4   0   0   0       0   0       1   5
Smiley p                      0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
  Walk p                      1   0   0   0       0   1       0   0
  Espy ph                     1   0   0   0       0   1       0   0
  Mason p                     0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
  Wilkerson ph                1   0   0   0       0   1       0   0
  Belinda p                   0   0   0   0       0   0       0   0
Totals                       34   0   6   0       1   8      27   8

BATTING - 
2B: Bonds (1,off Smoltz).
Team LOB: 8.

PITCHING

Atlanta Braves               IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP
Smoltz W(2-0)                 9     6   0   0   1   8   0  35

Pittsburgh Pirates           IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP
Smiley L(0-2)                 0.2   3   3   3   1   1   1   6
Walk                          4.1   2   1   1   3   3   0  18
Mason                         2     1   0   0   1   0   0   7
Belinda                       2     0   0   0   2   2   0   8
Totals                        9     6   4   4   7   6   1  39

BK: Walk (1).
IBB: Walk (1,Justice).

Umpires: HP - Doug Harvey, 1B - Frank Pulli, 2B - Dana DeMuth, 3B - Eric Gregg, 
LF - Bob Davidson, RF - Bruce Froemming

Time of Game: 3:04   Attendance: 46932

Starting Lineups:

   Atlanta Braves                Pittsburgh Pirates          
1. Smith               lf        Merced              1b
2. Pendleton           3b        Bell                ss
3. Gant                cf        Van Slyke           cf
4. Justice             rf        Bonilla             rf
5. Hunter              1b        Bonds               lf
6. Olson               c         Buechele            3b
7. Lemke               2b        LaValliere          c
8. Belliard            ss        Lind                2b
9. Smoltz              p         Smiley              p

The Braves scored three runs in the first inning, partly on a Brian Hunter two-run home run, and never looked back. Twenty-game winner John Smiley made the start, fared poorly, was yanked after two-thirds of an inning and lost to John Smoltz, who shut out the Pirates. Although Bob Walk was masterful in middle relief, it was too little, too late, even though he pulled his groin trying to help his cause attempting to stretch a single into a double in the bottom of the seventh. The Braves won 4–0 and nabbed the pennant. After Atlanta had gone 26²⁄₃ innings without scoring, the Pirates themselves went the final 22¹⁄₃ innings without scoring. That streak would reach 30 innings before José Lind snapped it with a home run in the eighth inning of Game 1 in the 1992 NLCS.

Avery won the Series MVP award. Pitching 16.1 innings, the Braves starter did not allow a run, giving up nine hits and walking four while striking out seventeen. Avery said, "It's been the best time of my life."

The Braves scored fourteen runs in the games Smiley pitched (Game 3 and 7), including nine off Smiley, but only five runs in the other five games combined. Smiley had been the Pirates' biggest winner in 1991, notching twenty victories for the only time in his career .

The Atlanta Braves World Series appearance was the first in franchise history since moving to Atlanta in 1966. The Braves lost a memorable and dramatic seven-game series to the Minnesota Twins.