when González misplayed the hit. Martin reached second, but was cut down in a rundown. Ron Taylor pitched two shutout innings to close it out as the Mets won the first NLCS game in history. Game 2 For the second game, the Braves started 25 year old Ron Reed, making his postseason debut, while the Mets started Jerry Koosman, another young up and coming pitcher behind their ace Tom Seaver. The Mets scored early and often in this one, pounding six Braves pitchers for 13 hits and 11 runs. Ed Kranepool brought in the first run in the top of the first with a bases-loaded single. Tommie Agee's two-run home run after a walk next inning extended the Mets' lead to 3–0. Cleon Jones doubled with two outs and scored on Art Shamsky's single to knock Reed out of the game. Next inning off of Paul Doyle, Jerry Grote reached on an error before scoring on Bud Harrelson's double. After a two-out intentional walk, Wayne Garrett's RBI single made it 6–0 Mets. Ken Boswell's two-run home run off of Milt Pappas made it 8–0 Mets. The Braves got on the board in the bottom half off of Koosman when Rico Carty doubled with one out and scored on Orlando Cepeda's single. In the top of the fifth, Garrett doubled and scored on Jones's single. In the bottom half, Koosman got two outs before allowing a single and walk, then Hank Aaron's three-run home run cut the Mets' lead to 9–4. After a walk and double, Clete Boyer's two-run single brought the Braves within three. However, Ron Taylor, who earned the win, and Tug McGraw held them scoreless for the rest of the game while Jones's two-run home run in the seventh off of Cecil Upshaw extended the Mets' lead to 11–6. They took a 2–0 series lead heading to New York. Game 3 For the pivotal Game 3, Atlanta started Pat Jarvis, while New York started rookie Gary Gentry (on his 23rd birthday). In what would be his last postseason appearance, Hank Aaron put the Braves up 2–0 in the first inning with a two-run home run, his third of the series, off of Gentry, who only lasted 2 innings. Once again, the downfall of the Braves was their inability to stave off the hot Met hitters. Tommie Agee homered in the third, and Ken Boswell hit a two-run home