September 8, 2002
(Atlanta-AP) -- The Atlanta Braves missed a chance to clinch their eleventh straight division title, losing to Bartolo Colon and the Montreal Expos 7-to-nothing today.
Colon (8-3) pitched four-hit ball for seven innings to beat the Braves for the third time since being acquired by the Expos in a June 27th trade with Cleveland. Tom Glavine (16-10) lasted six innings, giving up eight hits and four runs as his losing streak stretched to a season-high four games.
The Braves could have clinched another N-L East championship with a victory over the Expos, coupled with a loss by Philadelphia. The Phillies, who began the day 20-and-a-half games behind the Braves, played the New York Mets. Even with the loss, the Braves are poised to secure a postseason berth earlier than any other team in Atlanta history. In 1995, the Braves wrapped up the NL East on September 13th with 15 games left in the strike-reduced season.
Atlanta has 21 games remaining this season. The Braves are the first team in the history of the four major U-S pro leagues to win even ten division titles in a row. The eleventh has been delayed, but could still happen in the next day or two. The Expos, maybe playing at Turner Field for the last time as a team from Montreal, put a quick end to Atlanta's streak of 29 straight scoreless innings, which included shutouts in the last three games.
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