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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- As the ball sailed into the Atlanta Braves'
bullpen, Chad Curtis pumped both fists into the air. And then he
did it again.
Then came a high-five from coach Jose Cardenal at first base,
and another from Willie Randolph at third.
|  | | Chad Curtis lifted the Yankees to victory. His teammates lifted him in celebration. |
Curtis was flying around the bases, taking the jog of his life.
One to go.
Curtis hit his second home run leading off the 10th inning
and the New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 6-5 Tuesday night
to move within one victory of another World Series sweep.
"It was special," Curtis said after blast off Mike Remlinger. "I don't think -- in fact, I know --
I've never hit a walk-off home run. I've heard people talk about
tingling. I've never felt that before -- the electricity running
through my legs."
Just when everything seemed to be going Atlanta's way in Game 3,
the Yankees still found a way to win.
Curtis homered in the fifth to begin their comeback from a 5-1
deficit, and homers by Tino Martinez and Chuck Knoblauch off Tom
Glavine tied it. Knoblauch's two-run homer in the eighth glanced off the glove of right fielder Brian Jordan.
Then in the 10th, Curtis sent a 1-1 pitch from Remlinger
far over the left-field fence for the Yankees' 11th straight World
Series victory in game they've played in. It was the first game-ending homer in the Series
since Joe Carter's Game 6 shot won it all for Toronto in 1993.
Last October, Curtis sat and stewed during the Series against San
Diego, never setting foot on the field during any game.
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GAME 3 AT A GLANCE
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Every game a hero
Chad Curtis remained on the bench in all four games of last season's World Series sweep for the Yankees. He sat in the first two games of this Series. Finally, Curtis got the nod in left field. He hit two home runs, including the game-winner off Mike Remlinger leading off the 10th inning. Curtis had hit five home runs during the season and became the 12th player to have a multi-homer game in the Series after not having one during the season.
Goat
Mike Remlinger had a terrific regular season -- 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA. However, he has not fared well in the postseason. He's 0-2 with a 6.12 ERA, having allowed seven runs in 10.1 innings. Against Curtis, he delivered a meaty fastball that was clocked over the left-field fence.
Managerial move of the night
Before the game, Bobby Cox said he hoped Glavine could pitch seven innings. Glavine did just that and led 5-3. But he went out to the mound in the eighth, having thrown only 72 pitches, and Cox left him in the game. Five pitches later, the lead had vanished.
Key number
26-7. The Yankees have outscored their opponents by 19 runs from the seventh inning on this postseason. They scored a run in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the 10th in this game after winning Game 1 with four runs in the eighth.
Last word
"Tommy Glavine was throwing great. Didn't want to
come out of the game. I asked him if he was tired and he said no.
We all thought he was throwing great. Tommy thought he was throwing
great himself, and I thought he was throwing good."
-- Bobby Cox
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While the Yankees celebrated their sweep, he hurt.
"I felt more like I was congratulating my teammates than
celebrating with them," he said.
On Tuesday, Curtis made his first ever start in the Series and ended up as
the hero.
"I have a tendency when I get up there in that situation, I try
to hit a home run," Curtis said. "So I went up there and tried to
hit it up the middle and I hit a home run."
Roger Clemens, who joined the Yankees this spring in hopes of
winning his first World Series ring, gets a chance to close it out
in Game 4 Wednesday night against John Smoltz.
"It would have been nice to have won tonight," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "It
would have gotten us going real good. This was a big one to lose
tonight."
Mariano Rivera, Mr. Automatic in October, pitched two innings for the victory. He has not allowed a run in his last 41 2/3 innings, and has a postseason streak of 24 1/3 scoreless innings.
Up until the Yankees turned from singles hitters into the Bronx
Bombers, the Braves were in control.
Glavine, scratched from his Game 1 start because of the flu,
fortified himself with a plate of ravioli and pitched like a
two-time Cy Young Award winner. And Atlanta looked every bit like
the team that led the majors with 103 wins.
Bret Boone hit three doubles in the first four innings against
Andy Pettitte and every Braves batter had a hit by the fifth.
By then, it was 5-1 and the sellout crowd of 56,794 was booing the
home team.
Through seven innings, Glavine had thrown 72 pitches and led 5-3.
As the Braves batted in the eighth, the manager and his pitcher talked
over the situation.
"There was discussion, yes," Glavine said. "I felt fine. I
went back out."
Glavine had spent the weekend ill in bed, so Cox watched him closely, monitoring every pitch.
"Tommy Glavine was throwing great," Cox said. "Didn't want to
come out of the game. I asked him if he was tired and he said no.
We all thought he was throwing great. Tommy thought he was throwing
great himself, and I thought he was throwing good."
But Joe Girardi singled and Knoblauch hit his home run.
"He has such command. He'll lull you to sleep -- away, away,
away," Knoblauch said. "I just wanted to react to this ball. On
2-0, I was just ready for anything."
Jordan went back as far as he could and jumped as high as
he could. The ball hit his glove and caromed over the wall for the
two-run home run that tied the game.
"A pop fly to right field turns out to be a two-run homer,"
Glavine said. "Here, it's a home run. Everywhere else, it's an
out. The game was played here. It counted."
Early in the game, it was all Braves. Boone could been seen huddling in the dugout with batting coach
Don Baylor, checking out what appeared to be hitting charts. During
Monday's workout, Baylor held an extended session of batting
practice and stressed patience at the plate and emphasized hitting
to the opposite field.
Pettitte failed to get out of the fourth and it looked good for Atlanta. But then the Yankees flexed their muscles.
Curtis hit New York's first home run of the Series, a solo shot
with two outs in the fifth. Martinez made it 5-3 with a solo drive
in the seventh, and Glavine dropped his head in disgust.
From there, everything went right for the Yankees, who have owned this October.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
NY Yankees Clubhouse
Frozen moment: Curtis gets his moment
Braves talk softly after tough loss
Roger's chance at redemption
Key at-bat: Knoblauch goes deep
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Chad Curtis walks us through the 10th inning walk-off HR.
avi: 749 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN
Can the Braves come back from being down 3-0?
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN
ESPN's Chris Berman, Peter Gammons and Harold Reynolds break down Game 3.
RealVideo: | 28.8
 Mike Remlinger talks about giving up the game-winning HR.
wav: 235 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Chuck Knoblauch discusses his eighth inning HR.
wav: 153 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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