for Perez, and took the momentum back by stealing second base and going to third when Piazza's throw went into center field. Brian Hunter singled home the tying run. In the tenth inning, the Mets once again regained the lead, and again Mora was in the center of things. His one-out single off John Rocker put Agbayani in position to score on Todd Pratt's sacrifice fly, but, again, Atlanta rallied to tie in the last of the tenth, with Ozzie Guillén singling home Andruw Jones off Armando Benítez to re-knot the game at 9–9. Finally, in the 11th, the Mets' magic ran out. Kenny Rogers entered the game (although most had speculated that it would be rookie Octavio Dotel) and gave up a leadoff double to Gerald Williams. A Bret Boone sacrifice bunt moved Williams to third with one out. Following intentional walks to Chipper Jones and Brian Jordan to load the bases, Rogers walked Andruw Jones on a 3–2 pitch to score Williams and win the pennant for Atlanta on a walk-off walk. Composite line score 1999 NLCS (4–2): Atlanta Braves over New York Mets Aftermath Mets catcher Mike Piazza's struggles in the series were a major factor in the Braves victory. Piazza batted a mere .167, going 4-for-24 with one extra-base hit. The Braves took advantage of Piazza's limited defensive abilities, running relentlessly on the star backstop and stealing 14 bases in 18 attempts. By contrast, the Braves were led by backup catcher, Eddie Pérez, who was filling in for injured starting catcher, Javy López. Perez went 10-for-20 with 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 5 RBI. Each of Perez's homeruns was a game-winning hit. Perez also played a significant role in the crazy Game 6 win. He chased Al Leiter with a two-run single that capped Atlanta's five-run first inning. After the Mets took an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth, Perez singled in the bottom half and was replaced by pinch-runner Otis Nixon. Nixon scored on Brian Hunter's game-tying single. For his outstanding performance, Perez would be named the NLCS MVP. Moments after Game 6 went final, NBC color commentator Joe Morgan said, "We've finally reached the closing night on the best Mets show since [their championship season of] 1986." The Braves advanced to the World Series appearing in their fifth World Series of the 1990s. Physically and emotionally spent following this series, they didn't