Mcgriff's Homer Was A Death Knell At The Beginning The First Baseman Hit Atlanta's First Home Run Of The Night In The First Inning. The Phils Never Overcame It.

Highlights, lowlights, and assorted shell-shocked observations from last night's blowout at the Vet, where the Braves beat up every pitcher the Phillies threw at them and hit more long balls in one day than John Daly whacks in a week.

The tone of the game was set in the very first inning when Fred McGriff stepped to the plate with a man on and slit the Phillies' throat with one swing of the bat.

Phils starter Tommy Greene, who had been undefeated at the Vet until last night, never seemed to recover from McGriff's home run. From then on he was tentative and jittery, like a puppy caught in a thunderstorm. By the eighth inning, the Vet was nearly empty and the crowd was cheering Wednesday's heroes sarcastically when they caught routine ground balls.

For the Braves, it was a chance to strut their stuff. They made the Phillies staff look like batting-practice pitchers. Fun game to watch. If you're a Chopper.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT. Fred McGriff's first-inning, upper-deck home run to right field. That sudden power surge shocked the Phillies and the crowd and

neither ever recovered.

DEFENSIVE PLAY OF THE GAME. In the second inning, Damon Berryhill hit a sharp ground ball down the right-field line and John Kruk dived for it like a pelican going for a fish. He made a nifty grab and tagged the first-base bag for the out, all the while lying on his famous stomach.

DEFENSIVE GOAT. Tommy Greene. Jittery start never gave his teammates a chance to get in the game.

OFFENSIVE HERO. The Braves' Terry Pendleton continued the late-season power surge he began last week. Last night he had three hits, including a back- breaking two-run single in the six-run third inning and a solo homer in the fifth.

OFFENSIVE GOAT. Phillies starting lineup. Once Greg Maddux slipped a slight, two-out threat by the Phillies in the first inning, he was nearly unhittable. The way Maddux pitched last night, the Phillies' postgame buffet could have consisted entirely of grass.

BEST AT-BAT. Pendleton. Fouled off two pitches with two strikes in the third inning before stroking a two-run single to the opposite field.

WORST AT-BAT. Darren Daulton came up in the first inning with two men on base and two outs to face Maddux. Daulton did not take his bat off his shoulder even once as Maddux struck him out on six pitches.

GENIUS ALERT. Jim Fregosi's decision to start Curt Schilling in Game 1 ahead of Tommy Greene.

BONEHEAD ALERT. Jim Fregosi's decision to start Tommy Greene instead of Schilling in Game 2.