Smoltz Becomes Baseball’s First 10-Game Winner

John Smoltz said his 100th victory was due more to luck than skill.

“I feel like I did nothing,” he said Friday night after he won his 10th consecutive start and became the first 10-game winner in the majors.

Atlanta’s 5-3 victory over host Pittsburgh made Smoltz’s lifetime record 100-83.

“He’s been better a lot of times this year,” Brave Manager Bobby Cox said, “but he still had great stuff tonight.”

Smoltz (10-1) left for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, trailing, 2-0. But Atlanta rallied for three runs in the inning and won for the eighth time in 10 games.

“They did it. This is the guys’ win,” Smoltz said. “That’s a lucky win. Pitchers get the wins and losses, and sometimes you get losses you don’t deserve. You get wins you don’t deserve too. This is probably the bonus game, a big-time bonus.”

Smoltz gave up two runs and six hits in six innings, struck out three and walked three. Mark Wohlers pitched the ninth inning for his ninth save, giving up an RBI single to Carlos Garcia.

Smoltz, who lost his opening start to San Francisco on April 4, is three short of the Braves’ record for consecutive wins, last accomplished by Tom Glavine in 1992.

“I’m just going to ride this as long as I can,” Smoltz said. “The biggest thing to me is I’ve been keeping teams to three runs or less. If you do that, you give your team a chance to win and that’s my job every time I go out there.”

Cincinnati 11, Colorado 9--Eric Davis homered twice and drove in five runs for the Reds in a victory in Denver.

Davis had four hits, including a two-run double, and helped the Reds build a 9-0 lead by the fourth inning. Barry Larkin had three hits and had three runs batted in as Cincinnati won its third game in a row.

The Rockies scored twice in the ninth inning and had the bases loaded before Ellis Burks struck out to end the game.

St. Louis 4, Florida 2--Tom Pagnozzi singled in the sixth inning for the Cardinals’ first hit, sparking a comeback victory at Miami.

Mike Morgan (1-0), making his second start this year, gave up three hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings before leaving the game after being struck on the right calf by Terry Pendleton’s one-hopper.

San Diego 13, New York 1--Fernando Valenzuela took a shutout into the eighth inning and Brian Johnson hit his third grand slam as the Padres won at New York.

Valenzuela (3-2) gave up six hits in eight innings.

Valenzuela did not permit a runner past second base until Butch Huskey homered leading off the eighth inning. Huskey went three for three.

Houston 8, Chicago 7--The Astros overcame Ryne Sandberg’s first grand slam in four seasons, beating the Cubs at Houston on John Cangelosi’s run-scoring single with two outs in the 10th inning.

Chicago trailed, 4-0, before Sammy Sosa’s three-run homer in the sixth off Donne Wall--Sosa’s 16th homer--and Sandberg’s seventh-inning grand slam off Greg Swindell.

Philadelphia 5, San Francisco 1--Curt Schilling gave up three hits in seven innings in his third start since shoulder surgery as the Phillies won at San Francisco.

Schilling (2-0) has beaten the Giants twice in three starts this season. He had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder last August.

Schilling gave up one run, struck out nine and walked one. Schilling, who had two of the Phillies’ 10 hits, retired 14 consecutive batters before Glenallen Hill singled with two outs in the fifth.