After Avery’s masterpiece in Game 6, his second of the series, all of the momentum shifted to the Braves. Pirates fans must’ve sensed it, failing to fill Three Rivers Stadium. For a Game 7. Even Braves fans never did that.
The Braves had Smoltzie, who turned his season around after a miserable first half. The Pirates who countered with John Smiley, who didn’t make it out of the third inning in Atlanta’s 10-3 Game 3 victory. He wouldn’t make it out of the first in Game 7. He issued a lead-off walk to Lonnie Smith, followed by a Terry Pendleton single, advancing Lonnie to third.