Mark Prior threw a two-hitter and outpitched Greg Maddux as the Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 Friday to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five National League playoff series.
It was the first complete game by a Cubs pitcher in the postseason, since Claude Passeau threw a one-hitter to beat the Detroit Tigers 3-1 in Game 3 of the 1945 World Series.
"It was surreal to be in that dugout in the first inning and watch a guy I've watched my whole life growing up," Prior said. "Obviously there is nervousness and a little anxiety. You wouldn't be human if you weren't anxious in this situation. It's the playoffs, you lose and you go home."
PHOTO: AP
Matt Clement will start Saturday, when the Cubs try to capture their first postseason series since winning the 1908 World Series. Russ Ortiz, the Braves' 21-game winner who took the loss in Game 1, will go on three days' rest.
The Braves will need to wake up their bats and start catching the ball after making four errors Friday.
Atlanta led the NL in every major hitting category this season: batting average (.284), homers (a franchise-record 235) and runs (907, another club mark), but the 23-year-old Prior was simply too good.
"This offense is very good, you've got to respect what they can do," Prior said.
He gave up only Marcus Giles' single to shallow right-center in the third and Mark DeRosa's pinch-hit double leading off the eighth. Atlanta spoiled the shutout when DeRosa moved up on a groundout and scored on Giles' sacrifice fly.
Prior, who won 18 games in his first full major league season, walked four, struck out seven and was bolstered by a frenetic crowd at Wrigley Field.
"He had great stuff and he's really hard to hit," Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said. "We didn't hit that many balls hard. He was a little wild early and we didn't take advantage of it."
Marlins 4, Giants 3
In Miami, Ivan Rodriguez hit a two-run single with two outs in the 11th inning as Florida beat San Francisco to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five playoff series.
The All-Star catcher also hit a two-run homer and made an outstanding play behind the plate.
"Having that kind of game made me feel pretty good," Rodriguez said. "It was one of the best games of my career."
Edgardo Alfonzo's RBI single in the top of the 11th put San Francisco ahead 3-2, but right fielder Jose Cruz Jr. dropped a routine fly to start Florida's comeback. The Giants stranded a record 18 runners, including at least one in scoring position in each of the final seven innings.
With the defending NL champion Giants on the brink of elimination, right-hander Jason Schmidt will probably start Saturday on three days' rest. He threw a three-hit shutout to beat the Marlins in Game 1.
Rookie sensation Dontrelle Willis will pitch for Florida.
Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the first inning, then the Marlins were shut out until Cruz gave them an opening to start the 11th. He drifted toward the foul line, tried to make a one-handed catch of Jeff Conine's fly and dropped the ball.
Damn yankees
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner insists Joe Torre will be back to manage the team next season, no matter what the founder of USA Today thinks.
Responding to a column in the newspaper by Al Neuharth, Steinbrenner gave Torre a vote of confidence Friday and said the manager will keep his job regardless of how the Yankees do this postseason.
"My job is here, to manage this club. When he feels it's not good enough, then that's up to him," Torre said.
New York and Minnesota were tied 1-1 in the best-of-five division series heading into Game 3 on Saturday at the Metrodome.
Neuharth called Torre "baseball's most overrated manager" and said if the Yankees don't reach the World Series this year Steinbrenner could finally fire Torre.
"As a lifelong Yankee fan, I think the head groundskeeper could have managed as well as or better than Torre has during the past three seasons' playoffs," Neuharth wrote. Steinbrenner disagreed.
"I have great respect for Al Neuharth as a businessman and an innovator," the owner said in a statement. "On this one, he's wrong. He's been caught off base. Joe Torre is my manager. I support him. He's done the job. And he'll be my manager next year."
Torre has been New York's manager since 1996, winning four World Series titles and five AL pennants. But he was criticized by Steinbrenner several times this season when the Yankees slumped.
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