European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 22 a the stars and stripes thursday october 24, 1991manic game meshes with braves style by Steve Wilstein Atlanta apr on and on they played into the loony full Moon night 50,000 fans howling managers searching their benches for bodies More players than Ever in a world series pouring out of the dugout like a video game gone wild. The Atlanta braves loved it. By the 12ih inning everyone a Box scores were filled with the names of 42 players scrawls All Over the pages. Coaches were pulling their hair Over errors. Every pitch carried tension every swing turned up the pressure. The braves did no to mind. They were in their element ready to play till Dawn tease their fans make the game 3 key twist and squirm gasp and groan and finally scream before leaving. If Ever a team thrived on danger a teetering on the Edge and looking so Cool doing it a it is the braves. They could have panicked at the Start tuesday night Down two games to none and victimized by a Ball that threaded through the Outfield for a triple by Minnesota a first Batter Dan Gladden. Instead Steve Avery 21 going on 31, steeled his Blue Gray eyes after Chuck Knoblauch a sacrifice Fly and did no to allow another baserunner until the sixth inning while the braves built a 4-1 Lead. They could have come undone in the eighth when an error at third led to averys exit and an immediate two run Homer against reliever Alejandro Pena by Pinch hitter Chili Davis that tied the game 4-4. Pena heightened the drama by giving up two More hits with one out but then strolled off the Mound with a pair of strikeouts that created the strongest winds on this Balmy evening. The braves might have swooned finally in the 12th, the game already Lour hours Long and into wednesday morning when an error on a possible double play Ball gave the twins runners at first and third with one out. But this is a team that simply does no to panic or quit the kind of players who make managers grow old fast but die Happy. Atlanta trailed los Angeles by i games at the Allstar break and was 4 / behind As late As aug. 3. Even in the stretch run the braves had to mount rallies to come from behind and win. In the playoffs against Pittsburgh the braves came Back some More winning from a three games to two deficit. It was same Type of thing in game 3 of the series As they won 5-4 in 12 innings with the heroics coming from Mark Lemke the second baseman who nearly blew it with his error in the top of the inning. Lemkes nerveless single to left drove in Dave Justice with the winning run and if there were any non believers in the wild chanting Tomahawk chopping crowd before the game there were none afterwards. Some players and fans thought the game might go on till Sun up a grand affair that nobody really wanted to end. Atlanta s general manager John Schuerholz had other thoughts. A i was never worried that it was t going to finish. I was Only worried that we  be on top when it did a he said Quot they be done this kind of thing All year Long. That show we won the division. That show we won the Pennant period. And that s Why we re Only one game behind in the world  it a i a. Braves second baseman Mark Lemke watches his game winning single Settle into left Field in the Bottom of the i2th.redemption comes quickly for latest improbable hero by Ronald Blum Atlanta apr a world series Matching unexpected teams got another Surprise Star tuesday. On sunday Scott Leius emerged from obscurity to hit a game winning Homer for the Minnesota twins. On tuesday Mark Lemke another no name hit a game winning single in the 12th inning to give Atlanta a 5-4 Victory. A i still Haven t figured out what happened Quot said Lemke a 26-year-old second baseman. Quot this was the biggest hit of my career and in a  Lemke Wasny to ticketed for stardom. He was drafted by the braves on the 27th round in 1983 and made it up to the majors in 1989, going 10 for 55. A last year he hit .226, slowed by a sprained left ankle. He started just 51 games this season 49 at second and two at third. One of the reasons he got playing time was that second baseman Jeff Treadway was Hurt. But none of that mattered on tuesday night. Now hell be remembered for the hit that won the longest world series game since 1977 and the first Ever played at Atlanta. Quot we needed this game and it looked like it was getting away Quot  said. Quot after a while i did no to think anyone was going to  Lemke had made a crucial error in the top of the inning. After Dan Gladden singled he let Chuck Knoblauch s grounder go though his legs sending Gladden to third. Game 3 Star a the Ball was hit and i think i just moved Over too far and it came Back on me a he said. A i think 1 overan it a Little. I knew at that Point that its not the end of the world. You got to put things behind you. You got to forget about  his teammates yelled encouragement. Quot you re not done. We re not done. You got to keep going Quot he remembered them saying. And the braves did keep going. Kent Mercker and Jim Clancy pitched out of it in the top of the 12th, giving Lemke his Chancrin the Bottom half. David Justice singled with one out and Brian Hunter then popped out. Justice stoic second and Greg Olson walked. Lemke then stroked a clean opposite Field single to left and Justice just heat the tag by Catcher Brian Harper. Quot i was looking for a fastball to hit a Lemke said. Quot i think 1 overs Wang on the first pitch. After i fouled it off it kind of settled me Down. I said a hey you done to need a Home run Here. Done to even try to do  a was he thinking this was a Chance to redeem himself Quot i did t think about the error a he said. Quot but i thought it would have been pretty Good if i did. A seriously you have to take the game As it comes. Even if you make an error you have to put it behind  strategy puts the polish on Gem of a game by Mike Tully Atlanta up history can now begin to sort out game 3 of the 1991 world series. Start by assuming it was at least the Best series contest since game h in 1986, when the red sox failed to get the one strike that would have closed Down the new York mets but tuesday night s Gem in which the Atlanta braves downed the Minnesota twins 5-4 in 12 innings May even surpass anything that happened in 1986 and go All the Way Back to 1975, when Bostons Carlton Fisk ended game 6 with a Home  the Atlanta Minnesota game did no to need a winning Homer or a Bill Buckner error to give it character. Instead it relied on strategy a strategy that could t have developed in an american league Park with a designated hitter. It also featured baseball s ability to build toward a deciding moment and the Best moment of All May have come in the top of the 12th. Atlanta second baseman Mark  committed an error that put runners on first and third with one out. Kent Hrbek struck out but Chuck Knoblauch stole second on the play creating a scenario for history. The open base meant Atlanta no longer had to pitch to Kirby Puckett. And due to an earlier double switch the Pitcher was batting fifth. Worse. Twin manager Tom Kelly had no position players left so he had to Send a Pitcher to the plate with the bases loaded. Kelly chose Rick Aguilera Over Mark Guthrie. I he Choice was easy. Aguilera a Good hitter batted while with the mels in the National league. Guthrie has never batted in the majors. Aguilera smacked the Ball but directly to Center fielder Ron Gant to retire the Side. The game also featured another botched play by the Atlanta Outfield a Pinch hit two run Homer by Minnesota Schili Davis and a clutch strikeout of Puckett by reliever Alejandro Pena with the winning run on third in the eighth. Finally the game featured enough aggressiveness by both managers that clubs set a record for most Pinch hitters and players used in a world series game. Lemke ended it by atoning for his error with a game winning hit. But not before the twins and the braves with some help from Good old fashioned nine Man Ball provided one to store in the memory Bank