left field line that scored Ron Gant, who walked and stole second, and took the lead off a weary Drabek. He had pitched a complete game, but was the loser after the Pirates could not get Gary Varsho home from third in the bottom of the ninth. The Braves had not scored a run since the first inning of Game 4, a futility streak that reached innings before Gant scored the winning run. Game 7 Thursday, October 17, 1991 (8:39pm EDT) at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh The Braves scored three runs in the first inning on Ron Gant's sacrifice fly with runners on first and third, followed by a Brian Hunter two-run home run, and never looked back. Twenty-game winner John Smiley made the start, fared poorly, was yanked after two-thirds of an inning and lost to John Smoltz, who shut out the Pirates. Although Bob Walk was masterful in middle relief, it was too little, too late, even though he pulled his groin trying to help his cause attempting to stretch a single into a double in the bottom of the seventh. Hunter's RBI double in the fifth with two on capped the scoring as the Braves won 4–0 and nabbed the pennant. After Atlanta had gone innings without scoring, the Pirates themselves went the final innings without scoring. That streak would reach 30 innings before José Lind snapped it with a home run in the eighth inning of Game 1 in the 1992 NLCS. Avery won the Series MVP award. Pitching 16 innings, the Braves starter did not allow a run, giving up nine hits and walking four while striking out 17. Avery said, "It's been the best time of my life." The Braves scored 14 runs in the games Smiley pitched (Games 3 and 7), including nine off Smiley, but only five runs in the other five games combined. Smiley had been the Pirates' biggest winner in 1991, notching 20 victories for the only time in his career. The Atlanta Braves' World Series appearance was their first since 1958, and their first since moving to Atlanta in 1966. The Braves lost a memorable and dramatic seven-game series to the Minnesota Twins. Composite box 1991 NLCS (4–3): Atlanta Braves over Pittsburgh Pirates References External links 1991 NLCS at Baseball Reference National League Championship Series National League Championship Series Atlanta Braves postseason Pittsburgh Pirates postseason National League Championship