The Associated Press

Defying medical convention by refusing surgery to repair the same type of injury that ended his father Mel’s illustrious pitching career, Stottlemyre threw 6 2-3 strong innings Wednesday night as the Diamondbacks beat the New York Mets 7-1 to tie the best-of-5 series 1-1.

Thursday, October 07, 1999

Defying medical convention by refusing surgery to repair the same type of injury that ended his father Mel’s illustrious pitching career, Stottlemyre threw 6 2-3 strong innings Wednesday night as the Diamondbacks beat the New York Mets 7-1 to tie the best-of-5 series 1-1.

”This,” Stottlemyre said, ”is a big one for me.”

Steve Finley, an .091 hitter in his two previous division series with San Diego, tied a division series record with five RBIs with a bases-loaded single, a two-run double and a bases-loaded walk. Both of the hits came with two outs. Matt Williams was 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored.

Yet the Diamondbacks pointed to Stottlemyre as the one who set the tone.

”I think everybody really looks up to him for what he had to go through this year, and to really not hang his head as he worked his rear end off to get back,” Finley said. ”I think he’s actually become a better pitcher from it. He’s throwing harder. He’s hitting his spots. He’s about as fierce a competitor as you’re going to see on the mound, and that rubs off.”

In other games, Atlanta beat Houston 5-1 to tie their NL series at 1, and Cleveland beat Boston 3-2 in the opener of their AL series. Tonight, the New York Yankees, leading 1-0, play host to the Texas Rangers.

Stottlemyre threw 124 pitches, the most he’s thrown all season and 21 more than he’d thrown since coming back from his injury.

”That’s the hardest I’ve seen him throw,” Arizona catcher Kelly Stinnett said. ”Last time he was throwing 91, 92 mph. Tonight he was throwing 93, 94. That’s tough to hit with a lot of sink on it.”

New York starter Kenny Rogers allowed four runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings.

”With the stuff I had,” Rogers said, ”pretty much from the first inning I knew I’d have a battle.”

Indians 3, Red Sox 2

Boston lost Pedro Martinez after the fourth inning and the game in the bottom of the ninth when Travis Fryman singled with the bases loaded for Cleveland.

The Indians had lost eight straight series-opening games, dating back to the first round against Boston in 1995.

Martinez, baseball’s most dominant pitcher this season, pulled a back muscle and had to leave the game after the fourth inning. He is listed as day-to-day.

Bartolo Colon struck out a season-high 11 in eight innings, and Paul Shuey picked up the win with a perfect ninth.

Jim Thome hit a game-tying, two-run homer off loser Derek Lowe in the sixth for Cleveland.

Braves 5, Astros 1

At Atlanta, Kevin Millwood threw the first postseason one-hitter by one pitcher in 32 years to even the Braves’ first-round series against Houston.

Millwood, who allowed a second-inning homer to Ken Caminiti, pitched the first complete-game one-hitter in the playoffs since Boston’s Jim Lonborg in Game 2 of the 1967 World Series.

The Braves broke open a 2-1 game with three runs in the seventh on Brian Jordan’s sacrifice fly and run-scoring singles by Ryan Klesko and Andruw Jones.