Tuesday, October 7, 1997, at Turner Field in Atlanta The Marlins scored three unearned runs in the first inning off Greg Maddux when Fred McGriff's error on Jeff Conine's ground ball loaded the bases with two outs, then Moisés Alou hit a bases-clearing groundball double past Chipper Jones's glove (who made a weak attempt backhanding the ball).

Atlanta got a run back in the bottom of the inning off Florida starter Kevin Brown with Keith Lockhart doubled with one out and scored on McGriff's single, but in the third, an error by center fielder Kenny Lofton on Gary Sheffield's fly ball allowed him to reach third, then after a walk, Alou's groundout and Charles Johnson's doubled scored a run each to put the Marlins ahead 5–1.

Home runs by Chipper Jones in the third and Ryan Klesko in the sixth drew Atlanta to 5–3, but the Florida bullpen held the Braves hitless over the final three innings.

Wednesday, October 8, 1997, at Turner Field in Atlanta The Braves rallied from their sloppy Game 1 and routed pitcher Alex Fernandez, chasing him after 2+2⁄3 innings.

Starter Tom Glavine was excellent, giving up just one run (in the eighth when Charles Johnson walked with one out and scored on Devon White's double) in 7+2⁄3 innings.

It was learned after the game that Fernandez had been unknowingly pitching with a rotator cuff injury, and would be done for the series, which was tied 1–1 heading to Florida.

In the sixth, the Braves put runners on first and third with one out off of Saunders before Javy López hit a sacrifice fly off of Livan Hernandez, which scored Jeff Blauser.

However, the Marlins pulled away in the bottom half of the sixth, when they scored four runs to finish John Smoltz's night.

Jeff Blauser led off the fifth with a home run, then Chipper Jones singled and scored on Fred McGriff's double, putting the Braves on top 4–0.

The win evened the series at 2–2, and with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine scheduled to start Games 5 and 6 and the Florida pitching staff in apparent disarray, the advantage clearly fell with the Braves.

The Braves threatened immediately in the first inning, with Kenny Lofton hitting a triple and Keith Lockhart being walked, putting runners on the corners with no outs.

In the bottom of the seventh, Bobby Bonilla doubled and scored on a single by Jeff Conine to give the Marlins a 2–1 lead.

The Braves had a chance for a potential two-out rally in the eighth with Lofton reaching on a walk, but was thrown out trying to steal second base.

Hernández pitched a complete game, three-hit, 15 strikeout masterpiece to reclaim a series lead for the Marlins.

This particular game is remembered for the controversy surrounding an unusually wide strike zone given to Hernández, by umpire Eric Gregg.

After a Jeff Conine sacrifice bunt and Moises Alou intentional walk, Glavine beaned Charles Johnson, scoring Sheffield, making it 3–0.

The Braves struck back in the bottom half with Ryan Klesko singling home Keith Lockhart (baseball).

After Lofton stole second and moved to third on catcher Johnson's throwing error, Lockhart singled him home, making the score 4–3.

Richie Phillips, executive director of the umpires' union and a very close friend of Gregg's, felt that Major League Baseball might reconsider its stance in contract negotiations rather than doling out millions of dollars in severance pay.

Seven years later, this would be the path for the 2004 Boston Red Sox, defeating the 1st place Yankees, on their way to winning the World Series and breaking the Curse of the Bambino.