ATLANTA'S Greg Maddux is widely considered to be one of the best right-handed pitchers ever to play baseball. On Monday night the New York Yankees found out why.

The Braves pitcher bamboozled the New York Yankees for eight innings to lead his team to a 4-0 victory and a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven World Series.

So thoroughly did Maddux dominate the game that the Yankees managed to hit just one ball into the so-called outfield, the area beyond the bases, while he was on the mound.

With the Series moving to Atlanta yesterday, New York faced the daunting task of having to win two out of three games in the Braves' ball park simply to return to Yankee Stadium.

Only two teams who have lost the first two home games of a World Series have gone on to win the championship.

Braves slugger Fred McGriff drove in three of Atlanta's four runs before a muted crowd of 56,000 but his return to form was eclipsed by Maddux's textbook pitching display.

"He has his way with you," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "You don't see pitching like this every day. Unfortunately we are seeing it every day." It is a measure of the Braves' pitching strength that Maddux, after a less than stellar season, is considered to be the team's second best pitcher.

Even Atlanta's third ranked pitcher, Tome Glavine, who was scheduled to start last night's game, was voted Most Valuable Player in last year's World Series.