Joe Torre has fond memories of the first game played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
He'll remember the last game even more.The New York Yankees moved within one win of the World Series title, holding off the defending champion Atlanta Braves 1-0 Thursday night for a 3-2 lead.
Andy Pettitte outdueled John Smoltz, and gimpy right fielder Paul O'Neill made a running catch with runners on first and third for the final out. The victory gave the Yankees an 8-0 record on the road in this postseason.
Next up is Game 6 Saturday night at Yankee Stadium, where New York is just 2-4 this October. Jimmy Key will start against Atlanta's Greg Maddux.
"I'm sure the crowd will be on a high, but he have to keep our emotions under control," Cecil Fielder said after doubling home an unearned run in the fourth inning.
Torre, who hit the first regular-season home run at this ballpark in 1966, had a hard time watching the wrapup. Next year, the Braves will move across the parking lot to the not-yet-named Olympic stadium.
"I really was very nervous tonight," the Yankees manager said. "I had a feeling from about the fourth inning that one run was going to have to be enough."
The finale at the park once known as The Launching Pad did nothing to enhance its reputation as a haven for hitters.
Instead, the House that Hank Built - this is where Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record with home run No. 715 - went out with a whimper. There were only nine hits, nothing really close to a homer, and the lone run scored as the result of an outfield misplay.
As it wound up, the last home run was Jim Leyritz's three-run shot in Game 4 in the middle of the Yankees' rally from a six-run deficit for an 8-6 win in 10 innings Wednesday night.
This was the first time in major league history that the last game at a ballpark came in the World Series. The crowd of 51,881 filed out quietly, having seen the Braves blow a big chance in the ninth and lose for the third straight night.
"It's a game of inches," Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said. "The breaks haven't gone our way much here."
Pettitte, tagged for seven runs in 2 1-3 innings in Game 1, shut out Atlanta on four singles for eight innings, but gave up a leadoff double to Chipper Jones in the ninth. Fred McGriff then pulled a groundout to the right side, moving Jones to third.
John Wetteland relieved and, with Pettitte holding a towel over his head in the dugout, Javy Lopez grounded the first pitch to drawn-in third baseman Charlie Hayes. Jones had to hold as Hayes made the play for the second out.
Ryan Klesko then pinch-hit for rookie Andruw Jones, and the Yankees intentionally walked him. That put the winning run on base, a night after Cox was criticized for an intentional walk in the 10th inning that set up the go-ahead run.
Cox sent up ex-Yankee Luis Polonia to bat for rookie Jermaine Dye, and Wetteland started throwing fastballs. After six two-strike fouls, Polonia hit a drive into the alley in right-center that O'Neill managed to catch on the run with his glove fully extended.
"In batting practice, I caught a ball like that over my head and I thought, `That would be a funny way to end a game,"' O'Neill said.
Wetteland earned a save for the third straight day. Polonia's out made Braves pinch-hitters 0-for-20 in this postseason, and a record 0-for-23 in postseason play dating back to last year's Series.
"I thought he had a bad leg," Polonia said. "I thought I had a hit."
Smoltz fell to 9-2 lifetime in the postseason despite giving up just an unearned run. He struck out 10 in eight innings and permitted four hits, three by Fielder. Smoltz had been 4-0 in the NL playoffs and Series this year.
Hayes opened the fourth with a fly ball into the gap in right-center. Four-time Gold Glove center field Marquis Grissom was calling for it when Dye cut a few feet in front of him. The ball fell out of Grissom's glove for a two-base error.
"With all the crowd noise and all that, I finally heard him at the last second and there was no other way for me to go but in front of him," Dye said. "I'm sure I probably blocked his view a little bit."
A day earlier, Dye made an ill-fated try to catch a line single by Fielder, letting the ball skip past him and keying New York's rally from a 6-0 deficit.
"I made the error, the error hurt us," Grissom said.
Hayes moved to third on Bernie Williams' grounder and scored on Fielder's double.
This was the 23rd 1-0 game in Series history, with the Braves winning the previous one last October in Game 6 over Cleveland to clinch their first World Series title.
The road team has won all five games in the Series. The only other time that happened was 1906 when the Cubs and White Sox played in Chicago.
NOTE: The Braves went 1,284-1,181-1 in their 31 years at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, including postseason play.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
World Series
ATLANTA VS. NEW YORK
Yankees lead series 3-2
(All games on Fox)
Game 1
- Atlanta 12, New York 1
Game 2
- Atlanta 4, New York 0
Game 3
- New York 5, Atlanta 2
Game 4
- N.Y. 8, Atlanta 6 (10 innings)
Game 5
- New York 1, Atlanta 0
Game 6 - Saturday
- Atlanta at N.Y., 6:01 p.m.
Game 7 - Sunday
- Atlanta at N.Y., 5:35 p.m. *
* - if necessary