BOUT WITH HISTORY IS PRESSURE-PACKED.

Byline: Kevin Modesti

The Atlanta Braves must have thought they were home free, leading 2-1 and 6-0. That's a wrap at Wimbledon, why not in the World Series?

Because nothing is that easy when a place in history is on the line, which it is for the Braves this week.

By virtue of appearing in four of the past five World Series - the first such sustained excellence since the 1960-64 New York Yankees went to five straight - the Braves are playing for more than a ring and a bonus check. They're playing for a spot among baseball's top 10 dynasties.

And that means they're up against more than the Yankees of Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera and Jeffrey Maier.

They're also playing the Yankees of Babe Ruth.

Huggins is walking to the mound. Will he call on Wilcy Moore to face Andruw Jones?

And the Yankees of Reggie Jackson.

A bouncer over third. Nettles backhands, the long throw, Grissom is out by a step . . .

And the Cincinnati Reds of Johnny Bench, the Baltimore Orioles of Jim Palmer, and the Oakland A's of Jose Canseco.

McGriff and the Braves down to their last strike. Eckersley delivers . . .

But it's deeper than that.

If they lose, they'll be in even more select company, joining the Brooklyn Dodgers of the '40s and '50s as the only team to dominate their league for so long a stretch but win so few World Series, one.

If they lose, they'll be underachievers.

With that much on the line, wouldn't you boot a short-hop grounder, hang a slider, or order one too many intentional walks?

During a Braves workout before they opened the playoffs by sweeping the Dodgers, general manager John Schuerholz, sitting in the visiting dugout at Dodger Stadium, was asked if his team was a dynasty.

``Noooo,'' Schuerholz said quietly.

Then, not wanting to rule it out entirely, he added, ``That's for others to decide.''

So let's.

First, let's define our terms. We're not talking about the best teams of all time, comparing the '96 Braves to, say, the '27 Yankees.

We're talking about teams that stayed on top for extended periods. Dynasties, after all, come in all sizes, shapes, lengths and intensities.

In major-league history, there have been 29 teams that produced periods of at least three consecutive seasons in which they (a.) won a pennant or led their league in victories at least every other year, and (b.) won at least one World Series.

If the Braves end up winning this World Series, where will they fit among those teams, based on some loose mathematics that take into account the lengths of their domination, their regular-season records, margins over the second-place clubs and postseason records?

I'll spare you the math and go right to my list of baseball's top 10 dynasties of the 20th century:

1. Yankees, '47-64: The entire roster turned over, and was integrated, in those 18 seasons, during which the Yankees never missed two World Series in a row, winning 10.

2. Yankees, '36-43: Lou Gehrig departed, Joe DiMaggio came on the scene, most of the team's stars went to war, and the Yankees won five consecutive World Series and six in eight years. Average pennant-winning margin: 15 games.

3. Brooklyn Dodgers, '46-56: They had (or tied for) the best record in the National League eight times but won only the '55 World Series. (See 1.)

4. Chicago Cubs, '06-10: Tinker to Evers to Chance to 116-, 107-, 99- and 104-victory seasons, leading the league by an average of 13 games.

5. Cincinnati Reds, '70-76: The Big Red Machine might have done better than two World Series titles, but it sputtered in early clashes with other demi-dynasties from Baltimore (see 7) and Oakland.

6. Philadelphia A's, '10-14: On our full, 29-team list, the A's of Philadelphia and Oakland are represented four times, more than anybody except, of course, the Yankees.

7. Baltimore Orioles, '69-74: Their 109- and 108-win seasons in '69 and '70 are the best back-to-back since those early Cubs.

8. Philadelphia A's, '29-31: The A's of Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, Lefty Grove and Al Simmons produced the brightest three-year stretch of any team anytime, and considering they interrupted the Ruth-Gehrig Yankees domination to do it, that's saying something.

9. Braves, '91-96: To put this in perspective: To match the Yankees' 18-year run, they'll have to keep going until Greg Maddux is 52, Chipper Jones is 36 and Andruw Jones is, well, 31. So maybe they're No. 9 with a bullet.

10. Oakland A's, '88-92: Five seasons, three dominating regular seasons, but only one World Series championship. Atlanta, this could be you.

Anybody conspicuously absent? Sure: The Yankees of '21-23 and '26-28 would be on the list if we overlooked the two-year slump. The '26-31 St. Louis Cardinals, the '21-24 New York Giants, and the Yankees and A's of the '70s have an argument.

But that's why it's tough to break into this Hall of Fame. When the Braves hit a ground ball to the hole, they don't know if it's Derek Jeter running after it, or Phil Rizzuto.

MEMO: Kevin Modesti's column appears in the Daily News four days a week.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) What advice do you give a pitcher who's trail ing 1-0 in a World Series game? That's what pitching coach Leo Mazzone, right, tried to do with Braves starter John Smoltz.

(2) Braves manager Bobby Cox is no stranger to World Series pressure, but he's not always smiling about it.

Associated Press