World Series : Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves : NOTEBOOK

Atlanta’s John Smoltz took the National League strikeout title away from Cone at the end of the season. The two face each other tonight in Game 2.

Cone led Smoltz by 47 strikeouts when Cone was traded from the New York Mets to the Toronto Blue Jays. Smoltz caught and passed him on the two days before the regular season ended, finishing with 215 strikeouts to 214 for Cone.

“In one breath, I feel bad because I know I wouldn’t have come close if he’d stayed in the NL,” Smoltz said. “I knew I was 40-something behind, and I calculated how many I needed in each start to pass him. So in that sense, it was fun. But it’s not fun to face David Cone. I’ve learned not to think about it as pitching against David Cone and the Blue Jays because if you let it get to you, you create an atmosphere that you have to pitch a shutout to beat him. I’ll let my teammates face him.”

Smoltz will again pitch on three days’ rest, as he did twice in the Braves’ NL playoff victory over the Pirates. He started the first, fourth and seventh games and was 2-0 with a .266 earned-run average.

Cone was wobbly on three days’ rest in his last outing, when he gave up six hits and six runs (three earned) over four innings last Monday in a 6-2 loss to Oakland in Game 5 of the AL playoffs. Tonight, he will have five days’ rest--and familiarity with the Braves’ lineup from his years with the Mets.

But Cone said that could be a mixed blessing, because it means the Braves also know him.

“I’ve heard them say they feel more comfortable facing a guy like me, who they’ve seen, as opposed to facing a guy like Juan Guzman,” Cone said.