As was often the case late in games at this time, Braves manager Bobby Cox elected to pinch run for the slow-footed Bream with Brian Hunter, his backup and a legitimate threat to steal a base (although he only had one steal during the regular season). With Jeff Blauser batting and the count at 2-2, Hunter took off from first. Blauser had thought about swinging, but attempted to stop himself as catcher Pat Borders threw down to second to beat the sliding Hunter to the bag. After he put the tag on Hunter, shortstop Manuel Lee jumped up and told Borders to appeal to first base umpire Dan Morrison, who ruled that Blauser had not checked his swing in time and was also out. Cox, who said he had been frustrated with home plate umpire Joe West's strike calls the entire night, picked up a batting helmet and threw it down with enough force that it bounced out of the Braves' dugout and rolled out onto the field. West, seeing this, immediately ejected Cox from the game immediately after the incident (Cox would later get ejected in the 1996 World Series). Shortly thereafter Ward struck out Damon Berryhill to end the inning. Avery started the bottom of the ninth for the Braves and gave up a single to Roberto Alomar. Acting manager Jimy Williams (usually the team's third base coach) pulled Avery from the game and brought in hard-throwing Mark Wohlers to face Carter, a right-handed batter. CBS announcer Tim McCarver questioned the strategy, as Alomar was a threat to steal a base and Avery, as a left-handed pitcher, had a quicker pickoff move than the right-handed Wohlers. The Blue Jays took advantage of this as Alomar stole second on a 2-0 pitch. With first base now open and Carter ahead 3–0, Wohlers put him on intentionally to keep a double play possibility alive. The next batter was Dave Winfield, who had been told by manager Cito Gaston that if Alomar and Carter reached in front of him, he wanted to move them into scoring position. Winfield did as Gaston asked and laid down a sacrifice bunt, which was successful and put the winning run at third base with one out. With the left-handed Olerud due up, Williams took the ball from Wohlers and called in left-handed specialist Mike Stanton. Gaston called Olerud back to the dugout after the change and sent Game 2 hero Ed Sprague, a right-hander, to pinch hit for a better matchup against Stanton.