Maddux's Braves new world

Baseball

The Atlanta Braves outhit and outpitched the Cleveland Indians for a 5-2 victory to put them one win away from the World Series, with the best pitcher in baseball, Greg Maddux, throwing for them next.

"It's a pretty darn good feeling," said the Atlanta manager, Bobby Cox, after the Braves went 3-1 up in the best-of-seven series. "I like three- and-one, I like Maddux, and I like the way our guys swung the bat tonight."

"I've faced more pleasing prospects," said his Cleveland counterpart, Mike Hargrove, about facing Maddux, "but there are 26 other clubs sitting home wishing they had a chance to do what we're going to have a chance to do tomorrow."

The Braves had 11 hits to Cleveland's six, with David Justice's two-run single in the seventh the key blow. On the mound for the Braves, starter and winning pitcher Steve Avery went six innings yielding just three hits and a run, with three strikeouts and five walks.

"It was an exciting night for me: my first World Series win, and we're ahead 3-1 now," said Avery, who came in just 0-1 after five World Series starts.

"Avery left the game on a three-hitter. I thought he was really outstanding," said Cox.

The Braves are appearing in their third of the last four World Series played, but are without a championship since 1957, when the franchise was in Milwaukee. Thirty-three of the 39 teams to go 3-1 up in a World Series went on to win it. Among those failing to do so were the 1958 Milwaukee Braves.

Maddux said: "For me the main thing will be to control my emotions - it's going to be an exciting night."