ABSTRACT:
“Gerald Williams has been a big catalyst for this lineup. He’s a tough out , and when he gets on base, he’s trouble.” Al Leiter on Atlanta leadoff hitter Gerald Williams.
Leiter made those comments well before he faced Williams in Friday night’s NLCS Game 3 at Shea. Leiter knew what Williams was long before he scored the only run in the Braves’ 1-0 win that sent the Mets to the brink of elimination. But the statement might have been as true as any Leiter has made all season.
The Braves are built around starting pitching; they have been throughout their wondrous run through the 1990s. In the past they’d been a stagnant, plodding offense, taking one base at a time and waiting fro the long ball………
“Nothing surprises me in baseball any more,” Williams said of the best defensive team in baseball giving away what proved to be the game-winning run. “You just try to do whatever you can to score a run. Fortunately for us, they turned the ball over, so to speak.”