Pittsburgh, who lost the 1990 NLCS to the Reds, were the favorites when the series started. A lackluster effort by the Braves offense and Tom Glavine in Game 1 seemed to confirm expectations. But the Pirates didn’t have Steve Avery.
The 21-year-old southpaw was the Braves’ best pitcher down the stretch, posting a 2.25 ERA in his last 7 starts. Two of those games came against the Dodgers. Avery pitched 18 innings, allowing only 1 run. That’s 1 more run than the Pirates would score in two games vs. Avery.
The youngest player on either roster set the tone in the first inning.