Entering play on July 1, 1986, the Braves, fresh off a 5-game winning streak, were three games over .500 and just one-and-a-half games behind the first place Giants.
San Francisco was in town for the second of a three-game series. A two-run homer by Murph put the Braves ahead 6-5 in the 7th. Maybe Chuck Tanner’s guarantee of a parade down Peachtree Street wasn’t so outlandish.
The optimism was short-lived. Candy Maldonado homered off Gene Garber to tie it in the 9th. One inning later, Maldonado lined a single to right field, scoring two, with a third run crossing home thanks to a Terry Harper throwing error.