CINCINNATI -- The Atlanta Braves, who have been to this dance four consecutive seasons, took a 2-1, 11-inning victory away from the Reds in the first game of the National League Championship Series at Riverfront Stadium.


"We could have won this game, we should have won this game, but we let the damn thing get away,'' Reds shortstop Barry Larkin said. "Maybe we didn't give it away, but they definitely took it away. We blew opportunity after opportunity, and now we're paying the price big time.''


The crowd of 36,762 -- the smallest postseason crowd outside Wrigley Field and Fenway Park since 1981 -- watched as Mike Devereaux drove in the game-winning run with a two-out single in the 11th inning off Mike Jackson.


The game ended with runners on first and third, and Reggie Sanders grounding into the Reds' record-setting fifth double play of the game.


"That's the last team you expect to hit into five double plays -- a league championship record,'' Atlanta second baseman Mark Lemke said. "But they kept hitting them right at us, and we kept turning them. Really, they killed themselves.''


Pete Schourek was cruising along with a five-hit shutout for eight innings, completely manhandling the Braves. The Braves not only didn't have an extra-base hit, but they had not even advanced a baserunner to second base.


But in the ninth, Chipper Jones led off with a single to center.


Schourek then jammed Fred McGriff with an inside fastball. When the ball came off his bat, McGriff moaned, believing he had hit into a double play.


Instead the ball took an odd bounce, over Morris' arm into right field, and the Braves had baserunners on first and third with no outs.


"Funny game, isn't it?'' McGriff said. "Maybe a foot over, and the Reds got a win. Now, we're the winners. Hey, we'll take it.''


Schourek, pitching what he called his greatest game, then watched in disbelief as his night's effort went to waste. David Justice merely hit a ground ball to Boone for a forceout, sending the game into extra innings. Mike Jackson made the fatal mistake of opening the 11th by walking McGriff. Luis Polonia sacrificed McGriff to second. And after Javier Lopez bounced out to third, Mike Devereaux drove a 2-and-1 pitch into center, scoring McGriff for the game winner.