The teams line up for the National Anthem in the first post-season
game played in Enron Field
President George Bush is just one of many Houston
fans hoping for playoff success
|
Houston Astros
NL Central Champions 93-69 |
VS. |
Atlanta Braves
NL East Champions 88-74 |
Game 1 at Houston - Braves 7, Astros 4
Tuesday, October 9th
The teams line up for the National Anthem in the first post-season game played in Enron Field |
President George Bush is just one of many Houston fans hoping for playoff success |
 Hopes are high when the hard-won Championship banner is unveiled |
 Wade Miller, pitching in the 1st inning, gave up two single and a sacrifice fly |
 Atlanta ace Greg Maddux did not allow a run until the 5th |
 The Atlanta defense controls the game early. Richard Hidalgo cannot break up a 2nd-inning double play... |
 .... and Craig Biggio tries to do the same in the third inning |
 In center, Andruw Jones robs Moises Alou of extra bases in the 2nd inning |
 Brian Jordan watches his 4th-inning home run leave the park |
 In the bottom of the 4th, Berkman reacts after striking out to Maddux |
 But Brad Ausmus turns the game around with a dramatic, game-tying homer in the 5th |
 Greg Maddux wipes his brow after blowing his 2-0 lead to the #8 hitter |
 B.J. Surhoff keeps a soft pop dropping off the bat of Wade Miller |
 An error by slick-fielding Rey Sanchez leads to an unearned Houston run in the 6th |
 Former First Lady Barbara Bush takes a snapshot while the good guys are on top |
 Julio Lugo makes the non-play of the game, an error that should have been an inning-ending double play in the 8th |
 Chipper Jones makes Lugo pay, homering on the first pitch he sees from Wagner |
 Chipper takes a moment to watch his game-breaking shot leave the park |
 Fans scramble for Chipper's home run ball |
 Chipper receives a hero's welcome from his teammates at home plate |
 A Tale of Two Dugouts: Chipper is all smiles in the 8th inning |
 while Wagner tries to understand why Chipper's first-ever hit against him was a 3-run, playoff homer |
 and Lugo laments the fielding miscue that will define his off-season performance |
 Andruw piles on in the 9th with a homer |
 Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was all smiles during his post-game interview |
 Houston manager Larry Dierker is irate with reporters after the second-guessing begins |
Game 2 at Houston - Braves 1, Astros 0
Wednesday, October 10th
 Journeyman Dave Mlicki takes the mound for Houston |
 After reaching on a Lugo error, Julio Franco narrowly avoids getting picked off by Mlicki |
 Atlanta starter Tom Glavine faces Jeff Bagwell in the 1st |
 After walking, Bagwell promptly gets caught stealing and is not too happy with his baserunning |
 Julio Lugo throws the ball away on an infield hit by Andruw Jones in the 2nd |
 B.J. Surhoff advances to third on the bad throw by Lugo. He would then score on a double play grounder. |
 Craig Biggio turns the 2nd-inning DP that would score the game's only run |
 Paul Bako is forced out on a grounder by Tom Glavine in the 5th |
 Lance Berkman reacts after hitting into a 6th-inning DP |
 Despite his heroics, Marcus Giles can't stop this hit by Hidalgo in the 7th |
 Marcus Giles is safe on a close play at second with an 8th-inning double that knocks Mike Jackson out of the game |
 During the 8th-inning pitching change, Lugo knows that his 2nd-inning error is looming larger with every passing inning |
 Biggio and Bagwell ponder their worsening predicament during the delay |
 Chipper takes a moment to chat with former President Bush |
 Dierker takes a long, lonely walk back to the dugout in the 8th |
 Marcus Giles goes horizontal to rob Craig Biggio of a hit in the 8th |
 Biggio, for his part, can't believe it |
 B.J. Surhoff takes one for the team against Billy Wagner in the 9th |
 John Smoltz enters in the 9th to finish his second straight game |
 Berkman takes the long walk back to the dugout after hitting into a 9th-inning double play |
 Lugo in the 9th |
 Smoltz reacts after getting Moises Alou for the final out |
Game 3 at Atlanta - Braves 6, Astros 2
Friday, October 12th
 Returning home to Atlanta, the fans let the Braves know what they wanted... |
 ... a sweep of the Houston Astros |
 The Astros look upward for help during the national anthem |
 The Braves sent revitalized starter John Burkett to the mound |
 The Astros countered with Shane Reynolds, who pitched the clincher on the final day of the season |
 Craig Biggio has a few choice words for the ump after getting rung up in the 1st |
 Ex-Astro Paul Bako takes an early shot at picking Jeff Bagwell off of first base |
 Weak-hitting Paul Bako connects on a 2nd-inning pitch from Shane |
 Uh, oh. He got all of that one |
 Party time starts early for the Braves |
 Julio Franco adds a solo shot in the 3rd |
 More party time for the Braves |
 Shane's not having his best day |
 And Larry Dierker is wondering what he has to do to beat the Braves in October |
 Throwing out Brian Jordan to end the 3rd is little consolation |
 Andruw Jones advances to third on a Rey Sanchez hit in the 4th |
 With two runners on, Shane has to bear down |
 But Braves manager Bobby Cox pulls another trick from his sleeve... |
 ... and Andruw comes home on the squeeze play |
 Burkett leaves with an ovation after giving up a two-run homer to Daryle Ward in the 7th |
 Chipper takes care of a Craig Biggio grounder to end the 7th-inning rally |
 Jeff Bagwell shows his frustration after an 8th-inning strikeout |
 In the bottom of the 8th, Chipper can't exactly relate to Bagwell |
 He's too busy rounding the bases |
 ...celebrating another homer |
 ...and hobnobbing with yet another ex-president |
 Smoltz reacts to striking out Richard Hidalgo for the second out of the 9th |
 and gets Brad Ausmus to fly out to end the game |
 The Atlanta dugout empties onto the field |
 Chipper enjoys the win |
 Dierker congratulates Cox |
 Ted Turner congratulates Cox |
 Turner with Greg Maddux |
 But there's a different atmosphere in the Houston dugout |
 There's nothing to say |
 Nobody enjoys losing |
 Even when it's your first time in the playoffs |