ESPN.com – MLB – Recap – Marlins at Braves – 09/21/2003

Greg Maddux got his fifteenth win of the season on his second try, beating Cy Young’s somewhat arbitrary record with sixteen years in a row of 15 or more wins. It’s still pretty impressive, if arbitrary: that’s 240 wins right there. Maddux was hit with a line drive on the ankle in the third and went only five innings, but they were impressive, allowing only one hit — and throwing just 43 pitches! There were a few atom balls, mostly handled by Furcal. Maddux might have stayed in if the game had been closer, but they broke it open in the bottom of the fifth with four runs. King, Holmes, Hernandez, and Mercker each pitched an inning to finish it off. It was Maddux’s 288th career win.

Chipper was 2-2 with a homer, four RBI, two runs scored, and a walk before sitting out the late innings. Javy had two hits, including a double, and Furcal walked twice and doubled, scoring twice. Team effort all around.

Vinny left the game after hurting himself on a sixth inning grounder. He’s day to day. Jesse Garcia wound up at third base because DeRosa had pinch-hit for Maddux the previous inning.

The Phillies lost and the Cubs won. Currently Florida is a half game up on Philly, 1 1/2 on Chicago, three up on the Dodgers who are about done. The Cubs are only a half game back in the Central behind the Astros; the Braves will play one of the two latter teams, of course.

Posts for the last two days are now up. There was a problem with the server, then with my computer which refused to recognize that site was back up. Unfortunately the brief post on the clinching seems to have disappeared. I may be able to rescue it tomorrow.