Wednesday, April 5, 2000

San Diego Padres 4, New York Mets 0 at Shea Stadium

Bobby J. Jones (the right-handed Jones) makes his first start in 11 months on a chilly evening at Shea Stadium, temperatures in the low-40s and the threat of flurries in the air all night. The reception he receives from the small crowd on hand is even colder. Jones cedes a walk, back-to-back doubles, and a single to plate three runs in the top of the second, while a trio of singles and a bases-loaded walk to Bret Boone in the third drives in another. He is yanked from the mound with boos raining down from the stands. The bullpen holds San Diego in check the rest of the way, but Met batters are baffled by Padres starter Woody Williams and a pair of relievers as they strand 11 runners, seven of them in scoring position.

Friday, April 7, 2000

New York Mets 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1 at Shea Stadium

Suffering from a stiff neck he probably acquired during the Mets’ long trip home from Japan, Rick Reed applies heat packs to the injury and waits until the last minute to let the team know if he can make his start. Then he takes the mound and pitches nearly as well in his first North American start as he had in his Tokyo outing, retiring the first 11 batters he faces and 10 of the last 11. A Gary Sheffield solo shot in the top of the fourth is the extent of the damage against him. Dodger starter Darren Dreifort gives the Mets numerous opportunities to blow the game wide open by walking eight batters, but the home team fails to capitalize on most of them. They do, however, get all the runs they need in the bottom of the first on a Mike Piazza RBI double and a run-scoring groundout from Robin Ventura. When Reed issues a two-out walk in the top of the eighth, Armando Benítez is called on for a four-out save, which he converts with little trouble.

Saturday, April 8, 2000

Los Angeles Dodgers 6, New York Mets 5 (10 innings) at Shea Stadium

Making a spot start in the place of the ailing Al Leiter (who is dealing with a groin strain), longman Pat Mahomes fills in with 5 2/3 solid innings of one-run ball. His teammates inflict some damage on Dodger ace Kevin Brown with a Jay Payton solo shot in the bottom of the second and an Edgardo Alfonzo two-run blast in the third. Brown then does some damage to himself while breaking a pinkie on a bunt attempt, an injury that will knock him out of action for a few weeks. As Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook hold the Dodgers in check in the seventh and eighth, RBI hits from Melvin Mora and Rey Ordoñez in the bottom of the eighth seem to put the game out of reach. Mahomes watches the game on a clubhouse television, anticipating his first win as a starter in six years. With a non-save situation on his hands and Armando Benítez receiving a lot of work in the season’s opening week (including a four-out save the night before), Bobby Valentine hands the ninth inning to John Franco instead. Franco responds by allowing a leadoff solo shot to Eric Karros. He then issues a one-out walk and gives up a single to ex-Met Kevin Elster to bring the tying run to the plate. Franco manages to log the second out, but then gives up a game-tying three-run homer to Devon White, bringing a torrent of boos down on his head from an angry Shea crowd. When the game goes into extras, Valentine is forced to use Benítez anyway, and he gives up a 425-foot bomb to Karros in the top of the tenth that proves the margin of victory.

Monday, April 10, 2000

Philadelphia Phillies 9, New York Mets 7 at Veterans Stadium

In the opener of their first stateside roadtrip, the Met bats suddenly come alive in a four-run first inning that includes RBI doubles from Jon Nunnally, Mike Piazza, and Todd Zeile. But Bobby J. Jones gives back those runs and then some in a disastrous five-run second, with an error by Zeile on a sac bunt prolonging the mess. New York briefly retakes the lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run double by Edgardo Alfonzo and an RBI single by Piazza, but the Phillies storm right back with four in the bottom half against Jones and reliever Rich Rodriguez, the scoring capped by a two-run shot from Phils catcher Mike Lieberthal.

Wednesday, April 12, 2000

Philadelphia Phillies 8, New York Mets 5 at Veterans Stadium

Mike Hampton struggles through yet another brutal outing, allowing six runs in just three innings. He loads the bases on a single and a pair of walks in the bottom of the first, then watches Mike Lieberthal unload them with a three-run double. Three more runs score in the third, a Phils rally that includes a monstrous Scott Rolen home run (launched 437 feet) and an RBI double from opposing pitcher Robert Person, a former Mets farmhand who was once traded for John Olerud. Jay Payton crushes a titanic 441-foot blast against Person, but that is the extent of the damage the Mets inflict on him, while Philadelphia scores two more runs against Pat Mahomes and Rich Rodriguez. The Mets attempt a furious rally in the ninth by scoring three runs and even bring the go-ahead run to the plate in the person of Edgardo Alfonzo, but he lines out to right field to end the threat.

Thursday, April 13, 2000

New York Mets 2, Philadelphia Phillies 1 at Veterans Stadium

In the finale of an otherwise disastrous series in Philadelphia, Rick Reed turns in another stellar performance, tossing seven innings of one-run ball. Reed is also responsible for the lone run of support he receives when he hits an RBI sac fly against Phils lefty Randy Wolf in the top of the fourth. He holds the opposition scoreless until the bottom of the seventh, when Mike Lieberthal leads off the inning with a solo home run. The game remains tied until the top of the ninth, when Jay Payton reaches safely on a ball that caroms off the mound. After Mike Piazza belts a two-out double to left-center, Payton tears around the basepaths and barely beats a throw to the plate to score the go-ahead run. In the bottom half, Armando Benítez works around a leadoff walk and sac bunt by striking out the next two batters, allowing the Mets to escape Philadelphia with a win.

Friday, April 14, 2000

New York Mets 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 5 (12 innings) at Three Rivers Stadium

Al Leiter turns in another solid effort in the opener of a series in Pittsburgh, allowing just two runs (one earned) through the first six innings. With the score tied at 2, the Mets grab the lead with back-to-back homers from Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura in the top of the seventh. Leiter allows the Pirates to claw a bit closer by giving up a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth, but the Mets still hold a one-run leading going into the bottom of the ninth. Armando Benítez nearly preserves that lead by striking out the first two batters he faces, and even after he allows a two-out double to Jason Kendall, he backs Pat Meares into a two-strike count. But Meares belts a triple over Derek Bell’s head in right field to tie the game and send it into extras. The score remains tied until the top of the twelfth, when Ordoñez singles, Benny Agbayani doubles, and Melvin Mora bloops a hit just beyond the reach of the first baseman to score them both. Two outs later, Mike Piazza follows with a two-run blast that seems to put the game out of reach. Dennis Cook makes things a little too interesting in the bottom half by allowing a walk, a wild pitch, a single, and a double to plate a run, but he eventually records the final out to bring the game to a merciful conclusion. This marks the Mets’ first winning streak of any kind this season. The 20 hits they collect in the game is the most for the franchise since they hit 21 in a 17-1 bloodbath against the Astros on August 30, 1999. John Franco gets the W by working two scoreless innings, his first win in a string 112 appearances.

Sunday, April 16, 2000

New York Mets 12, Pittsburgh Pirates 9 at Three Rivers Stadium

A rash of injuries befall the Mets in the opening inning of their finale in Pittsburgh. Leadoff man Rickey Henderson is hit by a pitch and does not take the field in the bottom in the first. The Mets take an early lead on a three-run blast by Ventura in the top half, but two batters into his outing, Bobby J. Jones leaves the mound with a calf strain, an injury that will land him on the disabled list. The Pirates proceed to rally for four runs against longman Pat Mahomes, setting off a long and ugly slug fest. The Mets retake the lead on a two-run Jon Nunnally blast in the second and extend it on a Todd Zeile RBI in the top of the third before Pittsburgh goes back in front with three more runs in the bottom half. The Mets regain the lead with a trio of their own on run-scoring hits from Derek Bell, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Ventura in the fourth, then score two more in the sixth on a Jay Payton double and an RBI sac fly from Ventura. Pittsburgh throws a scare into the Mets with a pair of solo shots in the bottom half against Turk Wendell, but Ventura stretches their advantage yet again by hitting an RBI double in the eighth, giving him six RBIs on the day. The rest of the game is mercifully quiet, as Armando Benítez earns the save and the Mets earn their first series win of the season.

Wednesday, April 19, 2000

New York Mets 3, Milwaukee Brewers 1 at Shea Stadium

Rick Reed turns in yet another excellent performance, a start that proves even more impressive than his previous ones because he fights his way through pain to accomplish it. After taking a Marquis Grissom line drive off his glove hand, Reed waves off all help, making no concession to the injury apart from a vigorous wrapping of black athletic tape to keep down the swelling. He is in visible pain for the rest of the game, wincing when he fields comebackers and requiring assistance to put on his jacket in the chilly home dugout, and yet he throws seven innings of one-hit, one-run ball. The Mets scratch out their runs on a hit-and-run play in the first that leads to a Mike Piazza RBI groundout, plus a run-scoring single by Derek Bell and an Edgardo Alfonzo sac fly in the second. Though squabbling with the front office and struggling through a rough spring, Rickey Henderson jumpstarts the scoring in Hendersonian fashion by reaching base four times and scoring the first Mets run.

Thursday, April 20, 2000

New York Mets 5, Milwaukee Brewers 4 (10 innings) at Shea Stadium

Al Leiter struggles in the series finale against Milwaukee, allowing eight hits, including a pair of homers, in six innings of work. Leiter’s mind may be elsewhere, as he takes the mound knowing his wife would undergo induced labor the next day for the birth of their third child. The only run the home team scores in the first six innings comes via a titanic 438-foot solo shot by Mike Piazza that flies past the picnic area beyond the left field fence. Trailing 4-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Mets begin their comeback with a leadoff homer by Derek Bell and knot the score on a two-run Todd Zeile single. Zeile’s hit receives some assistance from Brewers right fielder Jeromy Burnitz, who fields the first baseman’s hit and tries to nail Robin Ventura at third base but throws the ball into the stands instead, thus allowing Ventura to score the tying run. Pat Mahomes, Dennis Cook, and Turk Wendell keep the score tied by combining for four innings of scoreless relief. With one out in the bottom of the tenth, Melvin Mora belts a 95 mph fastball from Curt Leskanic to straightaway center, banking it off Shea’s camera stanchion for a walkoff home run.

Saturday, April 22, 2000 (Game 1)

New York Mets 8, Chicago Cubs 3 at Shea Stadium

In the first half of a rain-necessitated doubleheader, the Mets’ offense starts out modestly, compiling an early 3-0 lead on two run-scoring groundouts and an RBI single from Matt Franco. The Cubs draw close in the top of the seventh with a pair of solo shots, but these are the only blows in an otherwise stellar outing by Glendon Rusch. The young lefty looks particularly impressive in the top of the fourth when, with a runner at third and one out, he strikes out two batters (one of whom is Sammy Sosa) to end the threat. New York salts the game with a five-run bottom of the eighth that begins with a Rey Ordoñez RBI single and includes two-run doubles from Benny Agbayani and Melvin Mora.

Saturday, April 22, 2000 (Game 2)

New York Mets 7, Chicago Cubs 6 at Shea Stadium

Thanks to Bobby J. Jones hitting the disabled list, veteran knuckleballer Dennis Springer gets a spot start in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Though Springer allows one run in the top of the fifth and a two-run double in the sixth, he is otherwise solid working in emergency duty. The Mets trail by a run in the bottom of the sixth when they execute their second five-run rally of the day, thanks to a Robin Ventura leadoff homer, a two-run Rey Ordoñez single, an RBI groundout, and a throwing error that plates another run. Chicago’s Henry Rodríguez singlehandedly tries to make things interesting with an RBI double in the top of the seventh and a two-run homer off of Armando Benítez in the ninth, but the Mets’ closer shuts the door nonetheless.

Sunday, April 23, 2000

New York Mets 15, Chicago Cubs 8 at Shea Stadium

Mike Hampton is not exactly overpowering in the finale against Chicago, allowing five runs (three earned), but his teammates more than make up for it with their biggest offensive outburst of the young season, a 15-run, 18-hit pummeling. It starts with back-to-back homers from Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza in the bottom of the first. The onslaught continues with a wild seven-run fourth inning that includes an RBI single from Hampton and some ineptitude on the part of the Cubs’ fielders. (The Mets’ tenth run scores when Chicago’s third baseman and shortstop collide while attempting to field a Robin Ventura pop-up.) A five spot in the fifth inning is icing on the cake. Derek Bell continues his hot hitting by going deep and driving in four runs. Chicago scores some garbage-time runs against Hampton and reliever Rich Rodriguez, but they prove of little consequence as the Mets complete their sweep of the Cubs.

Wednesday, April 26, 2000

Cincinnati Reds 12, New York Mets 1 at Shea Stadium

“It was one of those games that kind of started out on the wrong note, and then got worse,” says Bobby Valentine after this bloodletting. Starting in place of the still-injured Rick Reed, Dennis Springer allows a two-run homer to Dmitri Young in the opening frame and never recovers. If nothing else, Springer provides a modicum of relief to a taxed bullpen by pitching into the seventh inning, by which point the visitors lead by the decisive score of 7-0. Reliever Rich Rodriguez is likewise thrown to the wolves; asked to pitch the final three innings, he allows one inherited run to score and gives up four of his own. Thus ends the Mets' eight game winning streak.

Thursday, April 27, 2000

Cincinnati Reds 2, New York Mets 1 (12 innings) at Shea Stadium

In the last game of the Mets’ long homestand, Glendon Rusch and Red starter Steve Parris perform the baseball equivalent of trading fours. Rusch keeps Cincinnati quiet over 7 2/3 innings, the only mark against him a Ken Griffey Jr. solo shot, while Parris allows no more than a Robin Ventura longball in his own seven innings. The Mets give themselves a couple of chances to put the game away in the ninth inning and give all of them right back. A leadoff single by Todd Zeile is erased when pinch hitter Matt Franco bounces into a double play. (Bobby Valentine does not explain why he sent up Franco and not Mike Piazza, who sits out this afternoon tilt but is available to pinch hit.) They then load the bases on a double and a pair of walks but fail to score. The game staggers along until the top of the twelfth, when Armando Benítez lands himself in trouble by walking leadoff batter Sean Casey. After a sac bunt, Benítez issues an intentional walk to face Travis Dawkins, a rookie shortstop batting .125 at the moment. Dawkins defies the strategy by blooping a single into shallow left field that scores Casey from second. The Mets attempt a rally in the bottom of the inning by working two walks, but a pair of pop ups end their chances.

Friday, April 28, 2000

Colorado Rockies 12, New York Mets 5 at Coors Field

In the opener of a grueling 13-game cross-country road trip, Mike Hampton reverts to the ugly form that marked his first starts for the Mets, struggling with his control in a stadium that is deadly to pitchers who can’t find the plate. The decisive at bat comes in the bottom of the third, when Hampton battles Larry Walker for 11 tense pitches before the slugger lashes a two-run triple. Floodgates opened, the following four Rockies collect hits against Hampton. By the time the dust settles, Colorado scores six runs in the inning. Hampton is removed after five innings and seven runs on his ledger, at which point the home team abuses rookie reliever Eric Cammack for four more. To make matters worse, Mike Piazza injures his elbow and wrist in a play at the plate and is forced to leave the game.

Saturday, April 29, 2000

New York Mets 13, Colorado Rockies 6 at Coors Field

Mike Piazza sits out the second game in Colorado to nurse his injuries, but his teammates still explode for 13 runs and tie a franchise record for a nine-inning game by collecting 23 hits. (Despite the mile high air, none of these hits are home runs.) Most of the damage is inflicted on former Met Masato Yoshii, who is chased off the mound by a six-run explosion in the top of the fourth. Every member of the starting lineup collects at least two hits, save pitcher Rick Reed, who counts himself fortunate to escape with a decent-for-Coors Field line of six runs in seven innings.

Tuesday, May 2, 2000

San Franciso Giants 7, New York Mets 1 at Pacific Bell Park

Glendon Rusch had been enjoying a fine spring, coming into this game having given up all of five runs all year. He leaves it the prime culprit in an ugly six-run inning and another Met defeat. New York scores in the top of the first on a Robin Ventura double, but find themselves shaking their heads as the third baseman’s blast—which would have been a home run at Shea and many other parks—banks off the towering brick wall in right field. Rusch allows the Giants to break a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fourth by giving up a double and two singles to start the inning, but things don’t really unravel until he hits J.T. Snow with a pitch. Bobby Valentine argues Snow made no effort to get out of the way of Rusch’s pitch, with no success. A Rich Aurilia RBI single plates another Giants run, and is followed immediately by grand slam by Bobby Estalella that puts the game out of reach for New York.

Wednesday, May 3, 2000

San Francisco Giants 8, New York Mets 5 (11 innings) at Pacific Bell Park

Three times in this game, the Mets hand Mike Hampton a lead, and each time he allows the Giants to tie the score, mostly due to the wildness that has plagued him all season. Jon Nunnally belts a leadoff home run in the top of the first, and Jeff Kent hits a RBI single in the bottom half. Derek Bell knocks in a run in the top of the third, and Hampton gives it right back in bottom half after issuing a leadoff walk to opposing pitcher Russ Ortiz. Todd Pratt collects an RBI double in the top of the fourth, and Hampton undoes his good deed with a three-run bottom of the sixth, a frame that includes four walks, two of them with the bases loaded. The Mets fight back to tie the game on a two-run triple by Melvin Mora in the top of the seventh, but are denied chances to score further. A pinch hit double from Mike Piazza (making his first appearance since a home plate collision in Colorado) goes to waste when Todd Zeile strikes out looking on a pitch that appears outside to the naked eye. Zeile is on the wrong side of a bad call once again in the top of the eleventh when he is forced out at second, even though the throw appears to pull shortstop Rich Aurilia off the bag. The Mets’ bullpen is stellar until the bottom of that inning, when Turk Wendell (in his second inning of work) starts the frame with a single and a walk. Jeff Kent follows with a long home run to left field that brings to an end another long, frustrating day in San Francisco.

Thursday, May 4, 2000

San Francisco Giants 7, New York Mets 2 at Pacific Bell Park

Called on to put a halt to the Mets’ losing streak, Rick Reed does an excellent job of it for seven innings, allowing just one run over that stretch. Thanks to a two-run Mike Piazza blast in the top of the seventh, New York takes a lead into the bottom of the eighth, but Reed opens the door for the home team with a walk and a single to open the inning. One out later, a pinch hit single by Felipe Crespo ties the game. Dennis Cook is called on to restore order, but after he is called for a balk, the lefty loses his cool and plunks a batter, which prompts a bloodless bench clearing. Cook is removed in favor of Armando Benítez, but the Mets’ closer throws the game away by allowing a three-run triple and a two-run homer, thus ensuring the Mets are swept right out of San Francisco. It marks the Giants’ first four-game sweep of the Mets since 1962.

Friday, May 5, 2000

New York Mets 4, Florida Marlins 1 at Pro Player Stadium

Most of the Mets are forced to take a brutal cross-country flight from San Francisco the night before their first game in Miami. Al Leiter is given the option to fly ahead of his teammates, however, and wisely chooses to do so. Well rested, he baffles his former team for seven innings while striking out nine in the series opener against the Marlins. The exhausted batters cobble together their runs on an Edgardo Alfonzo sac fly in the top of the first, a Rey Ordoñez double in the second, a Mike Piazza solo shot to lead off the fourth, and a bases loaded walk from a wild Marlins bullpen in the eighth. Leiter’s lone brush with trouble comes in the bottom sixth when a bunt single by Luis Castillo (the Mets dispute the safe call at first, to no avail) and two walks load the bases with one out. Leiter fans Mike Lowell and Derek Lee to escape danger, and the Marlins don’t threaten the rest of the way. Subbing for an overworked Armando Benítez, John Franco earns the save.

Sunday, May 7, 2000

Florida Marlins 3, New York Mets 0 at Pro Player Stadium

Glendon Rusch pitches well in the series finale in Miami, holding the Marlins to one run over seven innings of work. However, as has often been the case in his starts this year, Rusch gets no support from his offense. He allows three consecutive singles to start the game and little else the rest of the way, but the one run produced by those singles is enough to beat him and the Mets. Their bats are rendered useless by Florida starter Ryan Dempster, who tosses a brilliant complete game one-hitter. The Marlins needlessly pad their lead with three consecutive doubles that produce two runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Tuesday, May 9, 2000

New York Mets 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 0 at Three Rivers Stadium

Mike Hampton tosses the first ace-like performance of his Mets career, pitching into the ninth inning, striking out eight batters, and—most remarkably, in light of his wildness to this point in the season—walking only one. He nearly goes the distance despite taking a grounder off his pitching wrist in the bottom of the fifth, a ball hit so hard it leaves stitch marks. Hampton has to be on top of his game, as Pirate hurler Kris Benson is almost as sharp over eight innings of work, holding the Mets to a pair of solo shots by Derek Bell and Edgardo Alfonzo. When Hampton begins to fade in the ninth inning, allowing a single and hit batsman to put the tying runs on base with one out, Armando Benítez is called on to shut the door. Benítez has made a few appearances of late and pitched terribly in them, but in this case he retires the next two Pirates to cap a much-needed win.

Wednesday, May 10, 2000

Pittsburgh Pirates 13, New York Mets 9 at Three Rivers Stadium

The Mets break an early 1-all tie with a five-run outburst in the top of the third that includes an Edgardo Alfonzo two RBI double, a two-run blast by Mike Piazza, and a Robin Ventura solo shot. That should have been enough for Rick Reed, the Mets’ most reliable starter so far this season, but Reed allows Pittsburgh to tie things up with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings and a three-run outburst in the sixth. New York retakes the lead on a Todd Zeile RBI double in the top of the seventh, but the bullpen implodes in the bottom half as Dennis Cook and Pat Mahomes allow five runs to cross the plate while failing to record a single out. The Pittsburgh rally is aided by Rickey Henderson, who pulls up short on a catchable hit and watches it bounce over his head for a two-run ground-rule double. John Franco allows two more runs in the eighth to remove any dreams of a comeback.

Thursday, May 11, 2000

New York Mets 3, Pittsburgh Pirates 2 at Three Rivers Stadium

So far, the Mets have won every game that Al Leiter has started in 2000, and that pattern continues in the conclusion of the Pittsburgh series (which also brings a brutal 13-game road trip to a merciful end). Though New York was shut out by rookie Pirates hurler Jimmy Anderson a few weeks ago, they score two quick runs against him in the first, thanks to an error by outfielder Brian Giles and a Todd Zeile RBI single. Zeile also belts a home run in the top of the fourth that proves the margin of victory. Leiter allows one run in the bottom of the second—a frame marked by a series of strange bloops and errant throws that, contrary to their recent luck, do not spiral out of control for the Mets—and a Dustin Hermansen solo shot in the fifth, but nothing else. Robin Ventura comes to his aid in the sixth when he fields a two-out bad hop grounder and, rather than risk an off-balance throw to first base, heaves the ball home and nails a runner at the plate instead to end the inning. It also constitutes the Pirates’ last threat, as Leiter goes the distance and keeps the home team at bay the rest of the way.

Saturday, May 13, 2000

Florida Marlins 7, New York Mets 6 at Shea Stadium

The Mets take an early 3-0 lead on a Derek Bell homer and a pair of runs that score thanks to some ugly throwing errors by the Marlins. Spot starter Pat Mahomes holds the Marlins to a Kevin Millar two-run homer in the first five innings and, immediately after allowing that shot, helps his own cause with a two-out RBI double. After Mahomes allows the Marlins to tie the game at 4 in the top of the sixth, the Mets briefly retake the lead on a Todd Zeile solo shot to start the bottom half. But the decisive blow of the game comes in the top of the seventh, when Dennis Cook allows a back-breaking three-run homer to Preston Wilson. Edgardo Alfonzo knocks in a run in the bottom of the ninth and moves as far as second base, representing the tying run, but that is as close as the Mets come to a comeback.

Wednesday, May 17, 2000

New York Mets 4, Colorado Rockies 2 at Shea Stadium

Continuing the fantastic start to his season, Al Leiter tosses eight brilliant innings, limiting the Rockies to five hits. His lone spot of trouble comes in the top of the third, when a walk and two hits lead to two runs, but the Mets steal a run back in the bottom half on a Joe McEwing RBI single, then grab the lead thanks to a two-run Robin Ventura double in the fifth. A Derek Bell RBI single in the eighth pads their advantage, while John Franco earns the save in place of an overworked Armando Benítez.

Monday, May 22, 2000

San Diego Padres 1, New York Mets 0 at Qualcomm Stadium In the first game of a zig-zagging nine-game road trip, Glendon Rusch tosses seven brilliant shutout innings against the Padres. Typical of his luck thus far this season, the lefty is matched and then some by San Diego rookie Matt Clement, who throws eight scoreless innings of his own. When John Franco enters the game in the bottom of the eighth, he allows a one-out single to Eric Owens, who then swipes second and comes around to score on a Ruben Rivera hit that sneaks through the infield, beating a throw to the plate from Joe McEwing by a hair. The Mets make a bid to even in the score in the ninth against closer Trevor Hoffman by leading off the inning with a pair of singles by Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza. After a sac bunt moves both runners into scoring position, Hoffman issues an intentional walk to Matt Franco (starting at first to give Todd Zeile a day off). Jay Payton strides to the plate needing only a long fly ball to tie the game, but he pops out feebly to second. Pinch hitter Mark Johnson (batting for Rey Ordoñez) flies out to end a frustrating shutout loss, already the third time this season the Mets have been blanked with Rusch on the mound.

Wednesday, May 24, 2000

San Diego Padres 5, New York Mets 4 at Qualcomm Stadium

Bobby Jones turns in another mediocre outing, putting his team in a deep hole with a four-run second inning that includes home runs by Ryan Klesko and Bret Boone and an RBI double off the bat of Ruben Rivera. Jones sticks around for five full innings and does a commendable job of pitching himself out of his own jams, stranding runners in scoring position in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Unfortunately, his teammates prove just as inefficient at maximizing their opportunities. A long hit by Robin Ventura in the fourth barely misses clearing the fence for a three-run homer and goes for a one-run double instead. The Mets load the bases with nobody out in the inning, but can score only one additional run. In the sixth, they load the bases again and once more score only one run, and that on a walk of pinch hitter Matt Franco. Edgardo Alfonzo hits a solo shot in the seventh to tie the game, but Boone unties it by hitting his own to start the bottom of the eighth against Pat Mahomes. Trevor Hoffman strikes out the side in the ninth to hang a loss on Mahomes’s ledger, his first in the majors since 1996.

Sunday, May 28, 2000

New York Mets 6, St, Louis Cardinals 2 at Busch Stadium

The Mets make up for lending Glendon Rusch little run support in his previous starts by belting three home runs on his behalf in the St. Louis finale. Todd Zeile gets things started with a solo shot in the top of the second off of Darryl Kile, who has a history of acting as kryptonite against Mets hitters. After the Cardinals tie the score on an RBI sac fly in the bottom half, Rusch singles to start off the third (his first hit in the majors) and comes around to score on an Edgardo Alfonzo blast. The Mets extend their lead when Todd Pratt goes deep against Kile in the fourth. Rusch allows an RBI double to Fernando Viña in the fifth, but the visitors tack via a Joe McEwing RBI double in the sixth and run-scoring single by Jay Payton in the ninth. Rusch turns in seven fine innings, neutralizing the dangerous Mark McGwire by freezing him on a called strike three to skirt trouble in the fourth. John Franco and Armando Benitez close things out in the eighth and ninth, with the Mets closer requiring only five pitches to cap the sweep in St. Louis.

Monday, May 29, 2000

Los Angeles Dodgers 4, New York Mets 1 at Dodger Stadium

The Mets drop the opener of a three-game set in Los Angeles, as Al Leiter allows a crushing grand slam to Dodger slugger Shawn Green in the sixth, while his teammates do very little against opposing pitcher Chan Ho Park. But the biggest loss of the day comes on the infield, as Rey Ordoñez is lost to a broken forearm when he makes a swipe tag that connects with a base stealer’s batting helmet in the first inning. The injury will cost the shortstop the rest of the season. The fateful sixth inning is set up when Leiter allows a leadoff single. One sac bunt later, he hits F.P. Santangelo. His next pitch nails Mark Grudzielanek to load the bases, and Green clears them with shot over the wall in right-center. The Mets string together some hits in the top of the ninth, including a Joe McEwing RBI double, to bring the tying run to the plate, but the effort proves too little too late as Edgardo Alfonzo grounds out to end a damaging defeat.

Tuesday, May 30, 2000

New York Mets 10, Los Angeles Dodgers 5 at Dodger Stadium

Forced to improvise by the Rey Ordoñez injury, Bobby Valentine starts Kurt Abbott at shortstop and inserts Melvin Mora (freshly reinstated from the disabled list) in center field and the leadoff spot, while batting Derek Bell second. Mora pays immediate dividends by hitting a leadoff single, stealing second, and scoring on an Edgardo Alfonzo single. The Dodgers pull ahead with three runs in the third off of Bobby Jones, who puts up another disappointing performance, but the Mets retake the lead on RBI singles from Mike Piazza in the top of the fifth and Alfonzo in the top of the sixth. L.A.’s counterpunch comes in the bottom half when Jones, Dennis Cook, and Pat Mahomes conspire to give two runs back. The Dodgers maintain a slim one-run lead until the top of the ninth, when a single and a walk to start the frame set up a game-tying RBI single from Todd Zeile. The Mets retake the lead when Mora works a bases-loaded walk, and then salt the game when pinch hitter Todd Pratt blasts a grand slam. At four hours and nine minutes, it proves the longest nine-inning game in franchise history, and the team’s first win this season when trailing a game in the eighth inning.

Wednesday, May 31, 2000

Los Angeles Dodgers 4, New York Mets 3 at Dodger Stadium

The Mets jump out to an early lead when Edgardo Alfonzo belts a first-inning solo shot off of Dodger ace Kevin Brown, but the home team draws even when Chad Kreuter takes Mike Hampton deep. Los Angeles jumps ahead after Mark Grudzielanek doubles to start the fourth, then comes home when a Shawn Green grounder—which should have been an inning-ending double play—slips under Kurt Abbott’s glove. The sixth inning brings injuries to superstars on both sides that cast a pall over the rest of the game. In the top half, an Alfonzo liner ricochets off of Brown’s leg, and though he finishes the inning, he can go no further. In the bottom half, while the Dodgers are padding their lead on a Eric Karros RBI single, Mike Piazza is forced to exit the game after he is hit in the head with a Gary Sheffield backswing, a blow that results in a mild concussion and a bloody gash on his forehead. The Mets rebound to tie the game in the top of the eighth when Kurt Abbott belts a leadoff home run (his first RBI of the season) and Alfonzo clubs a two-out run-scoring double. Fonzie’s double misses clearing the wall by mere inches, the Mets come to rue the missed opportunity. In the bottom of the ninth Turk Wendell is victimized by a walkoff home run off the bat of Kevin Elster (erstwhile member of New York’s 1986 championship squad), bringing the Mets’ brutal ping-pong road trip to an ugly end.

Friday, June 2, 2000

New York Mets 5, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3 at Shea Stadium

In the first game of a long-awaited homestand, Glendon Rusch turns in another solid performance on a damp night at Shea. The lefty’s flow is interrupted by an 82-minute rain delay in the third inning, however, and after a leadoff homer by Jay Payton in the bottom of the interrupted inning gives the Mets an early lead, Rusch allows a run-scoring single to Fred McGriff in the fourth to tie the game. Todd Pratt (filling in for Mike Piazza after his concussion in Los Angeles) belts a solo shot in the fifth to put the Mets back on top, Rusch allows the visitors to retake the lead in the top of the sixth on a two-run shot by McGriff, the veteran slugger’s 400th career home run. But the Mets storm back in the bottom half when Edgardo Alfonzo hits a one-out double, Robin Ventura walks, and Todd Zeile belts a three-run homer to left center. The Devil Rays mount a few threats in the following innings but cash in none of them as the Mets take the series opener.

Saturday, June 3, 2000

New York Mets 1, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 0 at Shea Stadium

Al Leiter recognizes early on in this game that he won’t be able to throw an effective slider, and so he relies on his curveball and changeup to power through the Devil Rays’ lineup. The result is 6 2/3 innings of scoreless ball in which he issues five walks and puts runners in scoring position in five different innings, but also fans eight batters and allows no runs. His teammates, meanwhile, are unable to do much against Tampa Bay starter Steve Trachsel but are given a gift in the bottom of the third. With Edgardo Alfonzo on second, Todd Zeile hits a high pop up down the left field line. The ball takes a strange trip midair, swayed by the swirling winds that prevail above Shea, and left fielder Greg Vaughn loses track of it. The ball scrapes the outfield wall and bounces on the warning track, allowing Alfonzo to score the only run of the game. After Leiter exits, Dennis Cook, John Franco, and Armando Benítez hold the Devil Rays off the board.

Sunday, June 4, 2000

Tampa Bay Devil Rays 15, New York Mets 5 at Shea Stadium

In a game so ugly the New York Times says it “may someday be viewed as the game that killed interleague play,” Bobby Jones puts up yet another miserable performance, allowing seven runs in five innings to the worst team in the league. It begins with three runs in the top of the second on consecutive homers given up to the bottom of the Tampa Bay order—including a dinger by opposing pitcher Estaban Yan, who takes Jones yard on the first pitch he ever sees at the major league level. The Mets briefly take the lead on a pair of two-run homers by Jay Payton in the second and Mike Piazza in the third, but the top of the sixth inning brings a slow-motion nightmare in which Jones and the New York infield gifts five runs to the visitors. The pitcher allows two singles and a pair of walks before exiting, while both Todd Zeile and Robin Ventura fail to begin double plays that might have stopped the bleeding. (Ventura’s misplay, a wild throw, is particularly strange as it comes after he is distracted by a shattered bat.) What little chance the Mets have for a comeback disappears in the top of the eighth when Rich Rodriguez hits two batters allows five more runs to score, capped by a three-run shot by Bubba Trammell. (A Kurt Abbott error at shortstop makes all runs but Trammell’s unearned.)

Monday, June 5, 2000

Baltimore Orioles 4, New York Mets 2 at Shea Stadium

For six innings on an unseasonably windy night at Shea, Mike Hampton stifles the Baltimore offense, limiting them to five hits and one run that scores on an Albert Belle RBI single in the top of the third. His teammates stake him to a lead on the strength of two run-scoring hits in the bottom of the second by Jason Tyner (first round draft pick making his major league debut) and Edgardo Alfonzo, a rally Hampton aids by singling and scoring on Alfonzo’s knock. But the Mets manage no more against Orioles hurler Mike Mussina, and Hampton’s night comes to an abrupt end in the seventh when Baltimore hangs three runs on his account. The first scores when slugger B.J. Surhoff blasts a pitch through the gusts and over the fence in left-center. The lefty then unravels as he allows a single to the following batter and, after a groundout, walks Rich Amaral on a close pitch. Unnerved by not getting the strike call (“Let’s just say they had 10 weapons tonight and used all of them,” the pitcher grumbles after the game ), Hampton gives up the go-ahead run on a single by Mike Bordick. He nearly escapes the inning and jamming the fearsome Belle on an inside pitch, but Belle lofts a single over Todd Zeile’s head to score another run. The Mets mount no comeback efforts as they go down in order in the seventh, eighth, and ninth.

Wednesday, June 7, 2000

New York Mets 11, Baltimore Orioles 3 at Shea Stadium

The Mets take an early lead on consecutive first inning solo shots by Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza, the catcher’s a parking lot blast that travels nearly 450 feet. Rick Reed, pitching for the first time in 11 days after an oblique strain, allows the Orioles to crawl out in front by giving up single runs in the second, fourth, and fifth innings; the fourth inning run scores after Jason Tyner drops a fly in left field, though the rookie redeems himself by nailing a runner at the plate shortly thereafter. Reed’s teammates respond with a wild bottom of the sixth that features two triples, two walks, two sac flies, and four runs crossing the plate. For good measure, the Mets pile on with five more runs in the seventh, knocking all of them in with two outs.

Thursday, June 8, 2000

New York Mets 8, Baltimore Orioles 7 (10 innings) at Shea Stadium

Thanks to a rainout necessitating a game on a scheduled offday, and a dearth of hotel rooms in the New York metro area, the Orioles were forced to fly home to Baltimore prior to this game before returning to Shea for the series finale. It’s the Mets who look tired for most of the game, however, as the home team falls behind early in front of a sparse crowd that fails to break five digits. For the first time this season, Glendon Rusch looks shaky as he stakes the visitors to a 4-0 lead after four innings. The Mets make their first comeback bid in the bottom of the fourth on a three-run blast by Todd Zeile, and after Rusch gives a pair of runs back to Baltimore in the top of the fifth, they rally for three more in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score. A Jay Payton solo shot gives the Mets a brief lead in the bottom of the eight, but John Franco loads the bases on a single and a pair of walks in the top of the ninth. Called on to relieve Franco, Armando Benítez can’t prevent the Orioles from tying the game on a sac fly, but allows no further damage. When the game goes to extras, the role of hero is played by the unlikely source of Kurt Abbott, light hitting shortstop who blasts a home run over the fence in right-center, handing the Mets a hard-fought walkoff win.

Wednesday, June 14, 2000

New York Mets 10, Chicago Cubs 8 at Wrigley Field

Mike Hampton is the scheduled starter for the last of the Mets’ two games in Chicago, but he only gets to throw one inning before rain delays the proceedings by almost two hours (after the first pitch was also delayed by rain for 35 minutes). The bullpens must duke it out for the majority of this contest—with another stoppage for rain thrown in before the fourth inning—and the results are not pretty. The Cubs mount three separate leads in the early going, but the Mets rebound to draw even each time. When Chicago scores in the bottom of the first, New York ties on a Robin Ventura solo shot in the top of the second. When the Cubs pull ahead on an Augie Ojeda homer in the bottom of the second, the advantage is erased by an RBI sac fly from Benny Agbayani in the top of the fourth. And when Glendon Rusch—pitching in relief due to a long wait between now and his next scheduled start—allows two runs in the bottom of the fourth, Mike Piazza saves the day with a two-run blast in the top of the fifth. The Mets go out in front in the sixth with a four-run outburst powered by four doubles against the Cubs’ shaky relief corps, then expand their lead when Agabayni goes deep to leadoff the top of the seventh. Things get dicey in the bottom half when the Cubs batter Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook for four runs of their own, but Agbayani gives them some breathing room with another homer in the top of the ninth, and the Mets hang on to take this ugly slugfest and earn a split in the Windy City.

Friday, June 16, 2000

New York Mets 7, Milwaukee Brewers 1 at County Stadium

Picking up where he left off in Chicago, unlikely leadoff man Benny Agbayani belts solo shot to start the Mets’ first game in Milwaukee, making him the first Met to hit a home run in three consecutive at bats since Gary Carter pulled off the feat in 1986. Agbayani knocks in two more runs with a single in the second inning, providing all the scoring necessary for Al Leiter, who throws eight brilliant innings while striking out seven batters and allowing just three hits. New York tacks on with a Melvin Mora RBI double in the third, a two-run homer from Mike Piazza in the sixth, and a run-scoring single from Robin Ventura in the eighth.

Tuesday, June 20, 2000

Philadelphia Phillies 3, New York Mets 2 (10 innings) at Shea Stadium

In the first game of a lengthy homestand, the Mets jump out to an early lead on a Mike Piazza two-run blast in the first. New York batters inflict no other damage against Phillie starter Paul Byrd or any of Philadelphia's relievers, but for most of the game these two runs appear sufficient to support Mike Hampton. Making his first start uninterrupted by rain in weeks, the lefty stifles the Phillies’ bats for six innings. In the top of the seventh, Philadelphia gets on the board with an RBI sac fly that cuts the Mets’ lead in half. Hampton shuts the door there and the Mets still appear to be primed to win this game when Armando Benítez comes on for the save in the top of the ninth, but the Met closer hangs a slider to rookie slugger Pat Burrell, who belts a game-tying homer. When the Mets fail to score in the bottom half, Benítez returns in the tenth and allows a leadoff double to Doug Glanville. After striking out the next two batters, he backs Mike Lieberthal into a two-strike count, but the Phillie catcher lines a single to center that scores the go-ahead run. The Mets go down in order in the bottom of the tenth to conclude a stinging defeat.

Wednesday, June 21, 2000

Philadelphia Phillies 10, New York Mets 5 at Shea Stadium

The Mets score three times against Phillie ace Curt Schilling on a 436-foot two-run homer by Mike Piazza in the first and an RBI groundout from Jason Tyner in the second. But Al Leiter has a rare bad outing, giving up three runs of his own in the third after a Robin Ventura throwing error prolongs the inning, then allows solo homers to Pat Burrell and Ron Gant in the sixth and seventh. The Mets attempt a comeback story in the bottom of the eighth, when Derek Bell and Edgardo Alfonzo single to start the inning, then Ventura atones for his earlier error by knocking both of them home to tie the game. But the game gets away from New York when John Franco enters in the top of the ninth, loads the bases, and issues a walk to force in the go-ahead run. Bobby Valentine had wanted to avoid using Armando Benítez in this game, as he threw 32 pitches the night before, but Franco’s ineffectiveness leaves him little choice. Benítez enters the game and promptly gives up a back-breaking grand slam to Burrell, putting a bow on another crushing defeat at the hands of the Phillies.

Thursday, June 22, 2000

New York Mets 5, Philadelphia Phillies 4 at Shea Stadium

Looking to salvage the finale of their series against Philadelphia, the Mets get off to a poor start when Glendon Rusch allows two runs in the first inning. The lefty settles in after that point, however, and his teammates rebound with the long ball. The Mets cut the lead in half with a Derek Bell solo shot in the first, draw even on another from Melvin Mora in the fifth, and pull ahead on a two-run blast by Jay Payton in the sixth. They scratch out another run on RBI single from Bell in the seventh, which proves crucial when the Phillies score a pair of runs off of Turk Wendell in the eighth. Though Wendell allows the tying run to reach second in the inning, he shuts the door there, while he and Dennis Cook provide some much needed rest to the back of the Mets’ bullpen by combining for a perfect ninth.

Friday, June 23, 2000

New York Mets 12, Pittsburgh Pirates 2 at Shea Stadium

Bobby Jones returns from a brief stay in the minors—where he’d been sent after his dreadful start at Yankee Stadium to work on his mechanics and general mental outlook—to make the start in the first of three games against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. He puts up a commendable performance, throwing eight innings of one-run ball while striking out eight batters. It helps that Jones has a large margin for error, as the Met hitters put the game away early with a nine-run bottom of the third, one run short of a franchise record for most runs scored in one inning. The rally starts with a three-run homer by Mike Piazza, includes a double by Melvin Mora that scores another three, and sees Derek Bell score twice. Benny Agbayani drives in two more runs in later innings to complete the rout.

Saturday, June 24, 2000

New York Mets 10, Pittsburgh Pirates 8 at Shea Stadium

Rick Reed has a rough day at the office, allowing hits to nine of the first 14 batters he faces, including two home runs. His day is done after three innings, with the home team down 4-1. Forced to play catch-up, the Mets mount their first comeback attempt with back-to-back RBI doubles by Derek Bell and Edgardo Alfonzo in the third. Pittsburgh widens its lead with two runs in the top of the fifth and, after Robin Ventura’s solo shot in the bottom of the sixth, expands the advantage to four runs by scoring twice more in the top of the seventh. But New York pushes back again, drawing within a run by scoring three times in the bottom of the inning. The Mets tie the score in the eighth on an Alfonzo double, then go ahead on a two-run knock from Todd Zeile. John Franco and Armando Benítez combine in the ninth to save the come-from-behind victory.

Sunday, June 25, 2000

New York Mets 9, Pittsburgh Pirates 0

Mike Hampton turns in his most dominating performance as a Met to date, allowing just five hits—only two of them past the second inning—in the course of a complete game shutout. His teammates scratch out a run against Pittsburgh ace Kris Benson in the second inning and two more in the sixth, then make the rest of the proceedings academic with a five-run outburst against Benson and the Pirates’ bullpen in the seventh. Melvin Mora caps the scoring with a solo shot in the eighth.

Tuesday, June 27, 2000

New York Mets 5, Florida Marlins 2 at Shea Stadium

Glendon Rusch turns in yet another solid performance, throwing 7 2/3 innings while shutting down the Marlins for most of the game. He allows a single and a double to start the top of the fourth, and though Rusch allows both to score on sacrifice flies, that is the extent of the damage against him. In the bottom half, the Mets score four times against Florida starter Jesús Sánchez, then add an insurance run in the seventh on an Edgardo Alfonzo RBI single in the seventh. When Rusch allows two baserunners on an error and a single in the top of the eighth. Bobby Valentine calls on John Franco to shut the door, and though he loads the bases on a bad-luck “single” that hits the first base bag, Franco strikes out ex-Met farmhand Preston Wilson to escape danger. Armando Benítez earns the save with little trouble in the ninth.

Wednesday, June 28, 2000

New York Mets 6, Florida Marlins 5 at Shea Stadium

In the series finale against the Marlins, Bobby Valentine opts to rest many of his regulars—including Todd Zeile, Robin Ventura, and Edgardo Alfonzo—but the Mets still manage a come-from-behind win. Bobby Jones is not nearly as sharp in his second start back from the minors as he was in his first, as the Marlins touch him up for two home runs and four runs. Down 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Mets mount a furious comeback, scoring five runs with two outs. The rally starts when Florida starter Brad Penny issues his third walk of the inning to force in a run. The first Florida reliever out of the gate issues his own bases-loaded walk to drive in another run, followed by a Mike Piazza grounder that Marlin shortstop Andy Fox can’t handle that brings in the tying run. Mark Johnson (subbing at first for Zeile) then unties the score with a two-run single. Dennis Cook allows Florida to crawl a little closer by giving up a run on two hits in the top of the seventh, but Pat Mahomes enters to shut the door. John Franco earns the save chance by virtue of Armando Benítez’s recent workload, and though he issues a single and a walk, he strands both runners to end the game and seal the sweep of the Marlins, the Mets’ seventh win in a row.

Thursday, June 29, 2000

Atlanta Braves 6, New York Mets 4 at Shea Stadium

The first meeting between Atlanta and New York in 2000 proceeds like most of their meetings in 1999—sloppy play on the Mets’ part and breaks that all go the way of the Braves. Atlanta draws first blood in the opening inning when a two-out hit by Andres Galarraga skips under Jay Payton’s glove for an RBI triple. They pile on with more two-out runs in the third, beginning with an Andruw Jones single that bounces off of Rick Reed’s left wrist. The pitcher tries to gut his way through the inning, but proceeds to give up another single to Chipper Jones and a three-run blast to Galarraga. Though the Mets catch one break when scheduled starter Greg Maddux misses the game due to illness, they do little against emergency starter John Burkett, and are also unable to take full advantage of a trio of Brave errors. They score two unearned runs against Burkett in the bottom of the third, but Robin Ventura strikes out to end the inning, extinguishing a chance to score more. Another error leads to another pair of runs in the sixth, but pinch hitter Lenny Harris lets the Braves off the hook by bouncing into a double play. John Rocker, public enemy number one for his offseason comments about New York City and the 7 train, enters the game to a chorus of boos but retires the Mets in order anyway. The home team goes quietly in the ninth to cap a frustrating but familiar defeat.

Saturday, July 1, 2000

New York Mets 9, Atlanta Braves 1 at Shea Stadium

The day after a thrilling, come-from-behind victory against their most hated rivals, the Mets pull off another shocking win against Atlanta by jumping all over Greg Maddux (finally back on the mound after a brief illness knocked him out of the first two games of the series). The home team scratches out a run in the first when a wild pitch results in a runner scoring from third, then explode for a furious six-run rally in the second, with all runs scoring with two outs. First, Benny Agbayani belts a solo shot to left field. Then the next two batters reach base, followed by a Derek Bell double to score them both, and an Edgardo Alfonzo single to drive in another. The outburst is capped by a long two-run blast by Mike Piazza. Al Leiter stifles the Mets for seven innings, scattering six hits and striking out 12 Atlanta batters.

Sunday, July 2, 2000

Atlanta Braves 10, New York Mets 2 at Shea Stadium

In the series finale between the two NL East rivals, it's the Braves’ turn to cobble together a two-out rally. In the top of the second, Derek Bell makes a dive for a fly ball but fails to hold onto it as he hits the ground, resulting in a double. After a sac fly drives in the first run of the inning, Glendon Rusch gives up a flurry of run-scoring hits in succession, the killer a two-run single by the light hitting Quilvio Veras. Rusch also gives up a solo shot to Javy Lopez in the third, followed by single runs in the fifth and sixth that put the game out of reach for the Mets, though the Braves strike for three more runs in late inning garbage time. Per usual, the home team can do nothing against Tom Glavine, save for back-to-back solo shots by Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura in the bottom of the seventh. Piazza’s blast extends the catcher’s streak of consecutive games with an RBI to 15.

Monday, July 3, 2000

Florida Marlins 2, New York Mets 0 at Pro Player Stadium

In the first game of quick three-game road trip in Miami, the Mets get an excellent outing from Bobby Jones, who limits the Marlins to four hits over six innings. He looks particularly impressive escaping a first-and-third, no-out situation in the bottom of the fifth by striking out three batters in succession. Unfortunately, Florida’s Jesús Sánchez (a one-time Mets prospect who was part of the deal that brought Al Leiter to New York) also limits the opposition to four hits, and does so over eight frustrating innings. The visitors end the day an agonizing 0-for-11 with men in scoring position. Mike Piazza comes to bat with a runner at second base twice and fails to cash him in on both occasions, a futility that ends his consecutive games with an RBI streak at 15. The game remains scoreless until the bottom of the ninth, when Turk Wendell hangs a slider that Derek Lee deposits over the center field fence, scoring the only runs of the game.

Tuesday, July 4, 2000

Florida Marlins 9, New York Mets at Pro Player Stadium

Bobby M. Jones is recalled from the minors for this game to make his first start of the season, an assignment that puts him in line to pitch a showcase Sunday night matchup against the Yankees the following weekend. Unfortunately, nothing the southpaw Jones does in this game inspires much confidence he will be given that chance. After scratching out single runs in the first and second innings, Derek Bell belts a three-run homer in the top of the fourth to give the Mets a seemingly commanding 5-0 lead. But in the bottom half, Jones walks two batters before surrendering a long three-run blast to Alex Gonzalez (who came into the game batting a whopping .174). Things completely unravel for Jones in the sixth when a leadoff walk and a single are followed by a game-tying double from Mark Kotsay. After another hit, Jones is removed for Pat Mahomes, who watches helplessly as the Marlins steal another run when Melvin Mora double-clutches after fielding an error pickoff throw, thus allowing Kotsay to steal home. Mora allows the disastrous inning to continue by botching a grounder at shortstop, leading to three more runs. The Mets attempt a comeback with a two-run homer by Todd Zeile in the sixth and a solo shot by Edgardo Alfonzo to lead off the ninth. They even push the tying run to second with one out, but Marlin closer Antonio Alfonseca strikes out Pratt and (of course) Mora to end the game.

Wednesday, July 5, 2000

New York Mets 11, Florida Marlins 2 at Pro Player Stadium

Salvaging the finale in Florida, the Mets jump all over Marlin pitching. Derek Bell leads the way with three hits, including a game-salting three-run blast in the sixth, continuing his hot hitting of late (4 homer, .468 average in his last 14 games). Starting pitcher Mike Hampton matches him with three hits of his own while pitching six solid innings. He is removed at that point having only thrown 79 pitches, in deference to back stiffness and the possibility of starting an upcoming game against the Yankees on short rest. The offensive explosion is such that even little-used reliever Eric Cammack contributes a hit and an RBI.

Friday, July 7, 2000

New York Yankees 2, New York Mets 1 at Shea Stadium

In the opener of the Queens leg of the Subway Series, the largest Shea crowd in 28 years watches Orlando “El Duque” Hernández outduel Al Leiter. The Mets’ ace gives up two runs in the first inning on four straight singles, but clamps down on the opposition the rest of the way. Unfortunately for the Mets, Hernandez is both stingier and luckier, and the few chances the home team enjoys are either thwarted or blunted. In the second inning, Robin Ventura follows a one-out Todd Zeile double by smashing a ball down the third base line, only to watch it sail right into the glove of Scott Brosius. In the third inning, with a man on second and one out, Melvin Mora attempts to bunt his way on but runs right into his own batted ball for the second out, killing a potential rally. In the bottom of the fifth, El Duque seems to falter when he walks the first two batters he faces, then gives up a screaming line drive to Benny Agbayani. But the pitcher spears the ball before flipping it to second to complete an impressive double play. In the bottom of the eighth, with a man on third and one out, Derek Bell belts one to deep right field, a hit that looks to all the world like a game-tying two-run homer, until the wind holds it up for a mere sac fly. This scores the Mets’ only run of the game, as they are retired easily by Mariano Rivera in the ninth.

Sunday, July 9, 2000

New York Mets 2, New York Yankees 0 at Shea Stadium

In the last game of this season’s Subway Series, and the last game before the All Star Break, Mike Hampton and Andy Pettitte face off, each pitching on short rest. Pettitte pitches better overall, but he also surrenders a solo shot to Todd Zeile to start the bottom of the fourth. The Mets get some insurance when Todd Pratt walks to start the seventh, moves to second on a Hampton sac bunt, hustles to third on a wild pitch by reliever Jeff Nelson, and scores on a sac fly. Hampton allows more baserunners than his Yankee counterpart, but takes advantage of pickoff moves and failed stolen base attempts to escape danger. He comes out to start the eighth inning, but a cramp that flares up during between innings warm-ups forces him from the mound and forces Armando Benítez to a two-inning save. Benítez allows baserunners in both innings but strands them all, ensuring the Mets a much needed win.

Saturday, July 15, 2000

Boston Red Sox 6, New York Mets 4 at Fenway Park

The finale of the Mets’ series in Boston becomes infamous around the league for a tantrum thrown by outfielder Carl Everett. Enraged by home plate umpire Ron Kulpa drawing a line in the first with his foot to indicate the batter’s box—a move he and his team credit to the Mets barking about him standing too close to the plate—Everett goes ballistic, bumping Kulpa and throwing his helmet in disgust. As for the game itself, the Mets take themselves to an early lead on a two-run first inning double by Todd Zeile. The Red Sox tie the score in the fifth, then march ahead on a three-run homer by Brian Daubach in the sixth and expand the lead with another run in the seventh. The Mets do some damage in the ninth, as Mike Piazza leads off the inning with a home run and Todd Pratt singles in another run. A Benny Agbayani single brings the winning run to the plate in the form of Melvin Mora, but closer Derek Lowe induces a comebacker to end the game.

Monday, July 17, 2000

New York Mets 7, Toronto Blue Jays 5 (11 innings) at SkyDome

Injuries to Robin Ventura and Edgardo Alfonzo force Bobby Valentine to field a b-squad lineup with Joe McEwing in left field and Lenny Harris at third and batting leadoff. Both players pay dividends as Harris belts a homer and scores two runs, and McEwing bangs a long two-run shot off the left field foul pole in the top of the second. The Mets are nearly undone by a middling performance from Rick Reed, fresh off the disabled list, who allows five runs over five innings, but the bullpen chips in with six innings of scoreless work. The offense slowly ties things up when Harris scores on a wild pitch in the fourth, McEwing contributes an RBI groundout in the fifth, and Derek Bell knots the score with a run-scoring single in the eighth. The score remains tied until the top of the eleventh, when Mike Piazza drives in a run on a bases-loaded groundout. A Todd Zeile RBI single expands their lead, and the Mets walk away with a much-needed win.

Tuesday, July 18, 2000

New York Mets 11, Toronto Blue Jays 7 at SkyDome

In the series finale in Toronto, the Mets and Blue Jays play HORSE in the early going. Lenny Harris leads off the game with a home run, but Bobby Jones allows an RBI double to Craig Grebeck in the bottom of the first. After Jones allows another RBI double to Shannon Stewart in the second, Edgardo Alfonzo ties things up with a run-scoring single in the top of the third. Tony Batista gives the Blue Jays the lead again in the bottom half with an RBI single, until Joe McEwing ties things up once more with a run-scoring groundout in the top of the fourth. Small ball goes by the wayside in the top of the fifth when the Mets open the frame with three consecutive walks, then Mike Piazza drives them all home with a mammoth 426-foot home run that strikes a clock above a restaurant beyond the left field fence. The ball appears to still be traveling upwards before it smashes into the wall. Though the Blue Jays club two more solo shots against Jones and make some hay against some of the bullpen’s least used relievers, the game is all Mets from this point. Edgardo Alfonzo and Harris each belt RBI doubles and Derek Bell adds a two-run homer to cap the scoring.

Wednesday, July 19, 2000

New York Mets 5, Montréal Expos 3 at Olympic Stadium

In the opener of a brief two-game set in Montréal, Expo starter Tony Armas Jr. is scratched due to a rotator cuff strain. The Expos ask several relievers to each pitch an inning or two, a la a spring training game, and the tactic nearly works, as Montréal’s bullpen limits the Mets to two runs over the first seven innings. Glendon Rusch allows two runs over six innings, but the Expos pull ahead in the seventh when Vladimir Guerrero doubles in a run. The inning would have proved worse for the Mets if not for Derek Bell gunning down another potential run at the plate. New York finally figures out the Montréal relief corps in the top of the eighth. After a pair of singles and a bunt to move the runners into scoring position, Joe McEwing knocks in both runners, with Benny Agbayani barely eluding the catcher’s tag to plate the go-ahead run. Bell singles in another run in the inning, and the Mets hold on to win.

Thursday, July 20, 2000

Montréal Expos 4, New York Mets 1 at Olympic Stadium

The Mets find themselves completely baffled by Dustin Hermanson, who limits them to seven mostly-harmless singles while nearly pitching a complete game. A potential big inning in the top of the second fizzles out when Jay Payton gets greedy on a Benny Agbayani RBI single and is nabbed in a rundown. Mike Hampton, who has not looked too sharp since pitching on short rest to close out the Subway Series, is defeated single-handedly by Expo catcher Chris Widger, who breaks a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth with a solo shot and salts the game with a two-run double in the seventh. The Mets attempt a comeback by loading the bases with one out in the eighth, but Hermanson recovers to strike out Derek Bell and Mark Johnson. The reason benchwarmer Johnson finds himself in this situation is because Edgardo Alfonzo is forced to leave the game due to a hip flexor injury.

Sunday, July 23, 2000

Atlanta Braves 1, New York Mets 0 at Turner Field

In the Turner Field finale, it’s the Mets’ turn to get shutout. Bobby Jones pitches well enough, but a Wally Joyner RBI double in the sixth scores all the runs the Braves will need. New York is utterly baffled by Andy Ashby, recently arrived in Atlanta from Philadelphia, as he limits the Mets to just four hits. The closest the Mets come to scoring is the fourth inning, when Jay Payton lashes a double to left field with a runner on first. Unfortunately, the ball caroms right into the glove of left fielder Bobby Bonilla, preventing the runner from scoring. Todd Zeile grounds into an inning-ending double play immediately thereafter. Payton reaches on an error and advances to second to start the ninth, but the next two batters record outs without so much as advancing Payton, then Benny Agbayani misses a game-tying double by a matter of feet before grounding out to end yet another frustrating afternoon in Atlanta.

Tuesday, July 25, 2000

New York Mets 5, Montréal Expos 0 at Shea Stadium

With the Mets finally back home after a grueling 11-game road trip, Glendon Rusch looks glad to be back in Queens as he limits the Expos to three hits over seven solid innings. He allows Montréal few chances, save a close call in the top of the fifth when he loads the bases on two walks and a bloop single to start the frame. A comebacker and a line-drive double play (the latter started by Melvin Mora, a rare moment of defensive wizardry following a month of struggles with the glove) end that threat with no runs scoring, and that is as close as the visitors come to scoring against him. His teammates lend him a hand on a pair of RBI singles from Mike Piazza, an RBI double from Melvin Mora, a run-scoring groundout by Lenny Harris, and a bases loaded walk.

Thursday, July 27, 2000 (Game 1)

New York Mets 9, Montréal Expos 8 at Shea Stadium

A rainout necessitates a doubleheader and also precipitates the call-up of Grant Roberts, the Mets’ most talented pitching prospect. Hopes that Roberts might inject the same life into the rotation that rookie Octavio Dotel did in 1999 die quickly. The freshman walks the first two batters he faces and allows three more hits to immediately put the Mets in a 4-0 hole. After Benny Agbayani knocks in a pair of runs with a double in the bottom of the first, Roberts continues to struggle, allowing three more runs in the second before exiting after only 1 1/3 innings of work. While Pat Mahomes contributes 4 2/3 vital innings of scoreless relief work, his teammates battle back to tie the game at 7 with two runs in the fourth, two more in the sixth, and another in the seventh. Agbayani is the star of the rally with another RBI double and two runs scored. Along the way, the Mets lose two players to injury: Derek Bell, when a ball cracks him in the chin while patrolling the outfield, and Melvin Mora, who takes a grounder off his right hand. The Expos crawl ahead with a run in the top of eighth, but the Mets come roaring back in the bottom half with a two-out rally that begins with a Joe McEwing double and a walk to Edgardo Alfonzo, back in action following his hip injury. Todd Zeile singles home the tying run and Matt Franco follows by singling home the go-ahead run. Armando Benítez earns the save, capping a wild first half of a doubleheader.

Friday, July 28, 2000

New York Mets 3, St. Louis Cardinals 2 at Shea Stadium

Al Leiter tosses a brilliant game in the opener of a three-game set against the high-flying Cardinals, allowing just three hits and one run over seven innings while striking out eight batters. The Mets strike early against veteran hurler Pat Hentgen, scoring three times in the second inning, then hang on for dear life, even though at times they seem to be working against themselves. Leiter negotiates a one-out bases-loaded situation in the seventh—exacerbated by an error from Kurt Abbott—by striking out the next batter, then inducing a pop-up. John Franco lands the Mets in more trouble in the eighth by giving up a pair of singles, but Turk Wendell limits the damage by picking off baserunner Jim Edmonds with his patented fake-to-third-throw-to-first move. An error by Lenny Harris—his fourth in two days—allows a run to score, but Wendell stops the bleeding there. Armando Benítez earns another save as the Mets hang on to win.

Monday, July 31, 2000

Cincinnati Reds 6, New York Mets 0 at Shea Stadium

The opener of a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds unfolds on a misty and unseasonably cool evening. The Mets’ bats never warm up, as they are shutout by Scott Williamson, last season’s rookie of the year, for six innings and by the Cincinnati bullpen the rest of the way. Glendon Rusch turns in an uncharacteristically shaky outing, ceding three runs in the first inning, which places the Mets in a hole they never climb out of. Hard hit balls die in a stiff wind blowing in from left field, and the Mets accumulate precious few chances against Williamson; only two runners reach third base, and both are turned away.

Wednesday, August 2, 2000

New York Mets 2, Cincinnati Reds 1 at Shea Stadium

In the final game of this homestand—a day game after a night game, waged in brutally humid conditions—Bobby Valentine rests many regulars such as Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza. He decides to leave in Robin Ventura, despite the third baseman struggling with the bat all year and in particular since suffering the shoulder injury that led to a stint on the disabled list. Ventura rewards the chance by belting a two-run first inning shot over the right field fence, almost in the exact same spot as his famous Grand Slam Single. The shot ends a long home run drought for the third baseman and proves all the support necessary for Al Leiter, who fans eight Reds in seven innings of work. Cincinnati cobbles together a run against him on a pair of singles and a sac fly in the second, but that is as close as they get. After ceding a one-out single in the third, Leiter retires the last 14 batters he faces. John Franco, Turk Wendell, and Armando Benítez work the final two innings with little trouble. The victory over Cincinnati closes out a triumphant 8-1 homestand.

Friday, August 4, 2000

New York Mets 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 1 at Bank One Ballpark

The start of a seven-game road trip brings the Mets to Phoenix to face off against Randy Johnson. The previous two times the Mets have faced the Big Unit, they have handled him capably, a history of success that includes game 1 of last year’s division series. That trend continues in this game, as the Mets once again knock around one of the best pitchers in the game. In a repeat of their last meeting, Joe McEwing keys much of the damage against the giant lefty. McEwing puts the Mets on the board first with an RBI double in the second inning and drives in another run with a sac fly in the fourth. Johnson unravels in the frame, unleashing a walk and a wild pitch and is unable to work around a costly error by shortstop Tony Womack. By inning’s end, Johnson is gone and four runs have scored, which is more than enough for Rick Reed, who pitches into the eighth and limits the Diamondbacks to one run on six hits.

Saturday, August 5, 2000

New York Mets 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 2 at Bank One Ballpark

The Mets jump out to a quick lead on RBI singles from Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza in the first, expand their lead on more run-scoring hits from Derek Bell and Alfonzo in the fourth, and cap it with a two-run shot by Robin Ventura in the seventh. Much of this damage is done against Diamondback starter Geraldo Guzman, a pitcher who blew out his shoulder in 1990 and spent the following seven years as a carpenter in his native Dominican Republic before taking a second stab at making the big leagues. Bobby Jones contributes six strong innings, allowing just two runs to a high-powered Arizona offense, and Rick White pitches the final three innings for an old-school save. The big news of the day for the Mets is negative, however, as Mike Piazza injures a knee running out a grounder and is forced to leave the game.

Monday, August 7, 2000

New York Mets 6, Houston Astros 5 (11 innings) at Enron Field

In the Mets’ first visit to Enron Field, Houston’s new stadium, Mike Hampton gets the start and struggles against his former team. The visitors build a 4-1 lead early on a Robin Ventura homer and two singles from Hampton himself that lead to three runs, but the lefty unravels on the mound in the fifth, giving up four runs in the inning, the last three on a bases-loaded double from light-hitting third baseman Chris Truby. Houston hangs on to a slim one-run lead until two outs in the ninth, when Derek Bell clubs a game-tying home run against Octavio Dotel, the man the Mets traded to acquire both Bell and Hampton from the Astros. After being victimized by a bad call in the top of the tenth (Todd Zeile appears to beat a tag at the plate but is called out anyway by rookie home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt), the Mets recover in the eleventh. Kurt Abbott—filling in at third base for Edgardo Alfonzo, who’s dealing with a groin strain—belts a home run to left field. Armando Benítez sets down the home team in the bottom half to seal a satisfying win.

Tuesday, August 8, 2000

Houston Astros 9, New York Mets 3 at Enron Field

With Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza sidelined by minor injuries, the Mets field a makeshift lineup that is not a match even for the struggling Astros. Al Leiter lets himself get unnerved by a bad call involving the first batter he faces—Todd Zeile makes the most of an offline throw and tags out runner Julio Lugo, but the first base umpire calls him safe anyway—and never recovers. Rattled, Leiter allows three runs in the first, digging a hole his teammates can’t climb out of. The lefty allows single runs in the second and fifth innings, while a disastrous three-run bottom of the sixth by Pat Mahomes and one more run against Rick White in the seventh dismiss any thoughts of a Mets comeback. Benny Agabayani accounts for the entire Mets offensive output with his sixth inning solo shot and a two-run single in the ninth. On the same play, the bear-sized White, who batted for himself and singled in the frame, is thrown out when unwisely trying to go first to third.

Wednesday, August 9, 2000

New York Mets 12, Houston Astros 5 at Enron Field

Rick Reed breaks a recent hot streak by allowing four runs to the Astros, but his teammates more than make up for it. With both Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo back in the lineup, the Mets pound Houston pitching early and often. Most of the damage is done against Jose Lima, the Houston starter they reach for seven runs in less than four innings. Mets batters hit three home runs, including a monster shot to straight-away center by Piazza, his 30th of the year, and another from pinch hitter Darryl Hamilton in his first at bat since early April. (A troublesome toe injury kept him on the shelf since then.)

Thursday, August 10, 2000

New York Mets 10, Houston Astros 3 at Enron Field

The Mets finish out their road trip with another pounding of Astros pitching, this time taking advantage of a young hurler making his major league debut. Mike Piazza is the star of this game, going 4-for-4 with 4 RBIs. The early proceedings are close, as the Mets scratch out runs in the first and third innings and watch Jeff Bagwell tie the score on solo shots each time. The Mets go ahead for good on a Piazza RBI single in the fifth, pad the lead the on a Jay Payton home run in the sixth, and then run wild with three runs in both the seventh and eighth innings. Bobby Jones contributes eight innings and, though he cedes 10 hits, allows only 2 runs. The Mets compile a 5-2 record on the roadtrip and crawl a little closer in the divisional race, now 2.5 games behind Atlanta in the National League East.

Friday, August 11, 2000

New York Mets 4, San Francisco Giants 1 at Shea Stadium

In the first of four games back home against the visiting Giants, Glendon Rusch is far from sharp, as he struggles to find the strike zone in five spotty innings. Walks and singles put San Francisco runners on base all evening, and yet Rusch is able to keep them from scoring, save for an Ellis Burks RBI hit in the top of the fifth. His counterpart, Mark Gardner, is far more sharp and efficient, but serves up a pitch that Mike Piazza sends over the left field bleachers in the fourth, a long two-run homer that inspires chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” Gardner cedes another two-run shot to Edgardo Alfonzo, and the bullpen in the persons of Rick White, John Franco, and Armando Benítez contribute four innings that are as stress-free as Rusch’s were difficult.

Wednesday, August 16, 2000

Colorado Rockies 7, New York Mets 5 at Shea Stadium

Glendon Rusch turns in another disappointing outing, pitching into the eighth inning but allowing six runs to the Rockies. The game is a low-scoring affair at first, with both Rusch and Colorado starter Brian Bohanon easily stifling batters. Then the Rockies bat around in the sixth and score three runs, all of them crossing the plate with two outs. Rusch leaves the game in the eighth after giving up a single and a double to the first two batters he faces, and reliever Rick White allows both runners and one of his own to score, the last coming home on a single by the pitcher Bohanon. Though the game appears to be out of reach, the Mets do their best to crawl back into things by scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth on a Kurt Abbott solo shot, a two-run homer by Edgardo Alfonzo, and a Todd Zeile RBI double. The rally ends abruptly when Robin Ventura strikes out looking on a pitch that appears to be on the inside part of the plate (all night, Met batters gripe about home plate umpire Brian Runge’s strike zone, which they see as being selectively generous), and this is as close as they come to a comeback.

Thursday, August 17, 2000

New York Mets 13, Colorado Rockies 2 at Shea Stadium

Facing off against old friend Masato Yoshii, the Mets strike early, building a 5-0 lead after three innings. Mike Hampton leaves the game one batter into the top of the fourth, however, after aggravating an old high school football injury. Called into action much earlier than usual, Turk Wendell contributes four solid innings, allowing just one hit and two runs over that stretch. It helps that the Mets offense refuses to take its foot off the gas, striking for four more runs in the fifth, one in the sixth, and three in the seventh. The Mets cruise to victory to finish off a 6-2 homestand, while Hampton insists he will make his next scheduled start.

Friday, August 18, 2000

New York Mets 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 3 at Dodger Stadium

In the first game of the Mets’ last west coast trip of the year, they manage to build a 3-0 advantage against Dodger ace Kevin Brown. Two singles and an error by former Met Kevin Elster lead to the first run in the top of the second, while the next two are supplied by yet another huge home run off the bat of Mike Piazza in the third. Al Leiter protects this lead until the bottom of the sixth, when he cedes a leadoff homer to Gary Sheffield. This is followed by a single, a double, a run-scoring single by Adrian Beltré, and a game-tying RBI sac fly from another old friend, Todd Hundley. But the Mets strike back immediately in the top of the seventh when Joe McEwing hits a leadoff single, advances all the way to third on a botched pickoff throw, and scores on an Edgardo Alfonzo single. In the ninth, the Mets pad their lead when Alfonzo doubles and scores on a Piazza hit. Armando Benítez works around a walk to preserve the win.

Saturday, August 19, 2000

Los Angeles Dodgers 4, New York Mets 1 at Dodger Stadium

Two batters into the game, Derek Bell clubs a solo shot off of Dodger starter Chan Ho Park. That is all the Mets can muster against Park, however, as he goes the distance and allows just three more hits the rest of the way, all singles. Following the Bell homer, no Met reaches second base until two outs in the top of the ninth. Met batters later attribute his dominance to “pitching backwards,” starting counts with breaking pitches before using fastballs rather than vice versa. (That Park was also pitching on seven days’ rest, due to a recent bout with the flu, may have also helped.) The Dodgers take the lead in the bottom of the third when Gary Sheffield jumps on a hanging curve from Rick Reed and knocks it into the left field bleachers for a two-run homer. Two batters later, Eric Karros takes Reed deep as well. Sheffield adds icing to the cake with another homer in the eighth off of Pat Mahomes—his 40th of the year, which ties a Dodger single-season home run record held by Mike Piazza.

Monday, August 21, 2000

San Diego Padres 5, New York Mets 4 (10 innings) at Qualcomm Stadium

Glendon Rusch struggles yet again in the series opener in San Diego, allowing four runs in the first three innings to an anemic Padres offense, though he gets some assistance from shaky Mets defense. (Lenny Harris, subbing at first base, botches a pickoff throw that leads to a run while Edgardo Alfonzo makes a late throw that leads to another.) Rusch's teammates can do nothing against Padre starter Woody Williams until the sixth inning, when a pair of singles set up a long three-run homer by Benny Agabayani. The Mets tie the score in the seventh when Mike Bordick reaches on an error, moves to third on a single by Harris, and barely beats a throw home on a chopper fielded by Williams. The Mets are turned aside in their attempts to take the lead in the top of the ninth, however, when Bell is called out for interfering with Padres catcher Wiki Gonzalez as he tries to cut down a stolen base attempt. Dennis Cook pitches the bottom half and escapes despite walking two batters, but he has no such luck in the tenth. The lefty issues two walks sandwiched around a single to load the bases with two outs, then walks pinch hitter (and ’86 Met) Dave Magadan to force in the winning run.

Tuesday, August 22, 2000

San Diego Padres 16, New York Mets 1 at Qualcomm Stadium

Drawing a spot start for the injured Mike Hampton, Pat Mahomes is even less prepared for this emergency outing than he was for his doubleheader start against the Rockies a week earlier. The offensively challenged Padres tattoo him for five runs each in the second inning and third innings. The disastrous second inning includes a bases-loaded walk of the opposing pitcher, followed immediately by a grand slam. In the third, he gives up two more longballs—each of them reaching the second deck of Qualcomm Stadium, a spot normally reserved for sluggers like Mark McGwire—and a pair of RBI doubles. Finding themselves on the wrong end of a blowout, the Mets give some rest to the their bullpen by inserting Derek Bell as a pitcher in the bottom of the eighth. Bell allows five runs of his own, though none of his pitches leave the yard, and one run is unearned due to a Todd Pratt error.

Friday, August 25, 2000

New York Mets 13, Arizona Diamondbacks 3 at Shea Stadium

In the opener of a six-game homestand, the Mets rough up Randy Johnson for the third time this season, and they save the worst pummeling for last. The floodgates begin to open in the bottom of the second with a Jay Payton RBI single and an error by the normally surehanded third baseman Matt Williams bobbles, which allows another run to score. After he permits another run in the inning, things get even worse for Johnson in the third when he fields a comebacker and, in an attempt to start a double play, whizzes a throw under the second baseman’s glove instead. Todd Zeile follows with a RBI single and Payton drives in two more runs with a double that sends The Big Unit to the showers. Rick Reed allows a three-run homer to Steve Finley in the sixth but turns in an otherwise fine performance, while his teammates batter the Arizona bullpen for seven additional runs. The game turns into a such a laugher that a flurry of late-inning double switches finds Robin Ventura manning first base.

Saturday, August 26, 2000

Arizona Diamondbacks 5, New York Mets 1 (10 innings) at Shea Stadium

The second game of the Arizona series features an unlikely pitcher’s duel as Bobby Jones and Brian Anderson (who the Mets faced off against in the clincher of last year’s division series) stubbornly refuse the opposition to score. Each pitcher allows baserunners aplenty but strands nearly all of them. The score stays knotted at 1 until the top of the tenth, when Rick White puts up his first troubling outing since his trade to the Mets. White allows consecutive one-out doubles by Jay Bell and Luis Gonzalez to give Arizona the lead, then proceeds to get smacked around to the tune of three more runs, putting the game out of reach.

Tuesday, August 29, 2000

Houston Astros 11, New York Mets 1 at Shea Stadium

Al Leiter strains a glute during his pregame warmups, but attempts to gut his way through the outing with “smoke and mirrors.” It doesn’t work. Trouble starts in the top of the third when Leiter issues a one out walk, then sees a Julio Lugo line drive clank off of the glove of Lenny Harris (subbing for Robin Ventura at third) and go for a double. A Jeff Bagwell single then knocks in two runs, and Leiter melts down completely after Moisés Alou fouls off pitch after pitch in an epic at bat. Two more runs score in the inning, which convinces Leiter that smoke and mirrors are not needed this evening. Called on for long relief, Pat Mahomes contributes another ineffective turn on the mound by giving up five runs in three innings of spotty work. If that doesn’t put the game out of reach, the pitching of Wade Miller does, as he goes the distance and allows little to the Mets save a harmless Edgardo Alfonzo solo shot.

Friday, September 1, 2000

St. Louis Cardinals 6, New York Mets 5 at Busch Stadium

The Mets' first of three games in St. Louis is a seesaw affair that ultimately swings against them. All game, the Cardinals run wild on Mike Piazza; he first three batters who reach base attempt steals, and an Édgar Rentería swipe of second sets up a Mike Matheny RBI double in the bottom of the second. The Mets counter in the top of the third with singles by Darryl Hamilton and starter Bobby Jones (his first hit of the season), followed by a two-out grounder from Lenny Harris that he barely beats out at first, allowing Hamilton to score. The visitors go ahead on a Jay Payton two-run shot in the top of the fourth, but fall behind in the bottom of the fifth when Jones allows a run-scoring single to Fernando Viña and a no-doubt two-run homer to J.D. Drew. The Mets knot the score again when Robin Ventura leads off the top of the sixth with a solo shot, then retake the lead on an RBI single from Matt Franco, fresh up from a brief trip to the minors. The advantage evaporates when Dennis Cook allows a two-out run-scoring hit to Jim Edmonds that knots the score at 5. In the top of the ninth, Timo Pérez makes his major league debut as a pinch hitter and laces a two-out single, then promptly gets picked off of first, thus igniting and killing a potential rally. In the end, it is Edmonds who has the last word as he belts a home run off of Pat Mahomes in the bottom of the ninth to make the Cards walkoff winners.

Saturday, September 2, 2000

St. Louis Cardinals 2, New York Mets 1 at Busch Stadium

Game two in St. Louis brings a fierce pitchers' duel between Mike Hampton and Darryl Kile. The Mets have traditionally been baffled by Kile, and this day is no exception. Edgardo Alfonzo doubles to start the top of the fourth and Robin Ventura singles him in, but from that point forward Kile is brilliant, setting down the following 18 Mets in order. Mike Hampton is nearly as good, allowing no more than an RBI single to ex-Met Craig Paquette in the bottom of the sixth. But he clearly is tiring by the time the ninth inning rolls around, and after he allows a long, near-miss foul ball to leadoff batter J.D. Drew, he watches Drew reach him for a double. Once the runner is bunted to third, Bobby Valentine turns to Armando Benítez to bail out Hamptom. Benítez comes very close to doing so by striking out Ray Lankford for the second out, but then Fernando Viña slaps a single past a diving Robin Ventura, handing the Cardinals their second straight walkoff win. The loss sends the Mets back into second place, a half game behind Atlanta.

Sunday, September 3, 2000

St. Louis Cardinals 4, New York Mets 3 (11 innings) at Busch Stadium

The series finale in St. Louis plays out like the game before, with a tense pitchers' duel between Glendon Rusch and rookie sensation Rick Ankiel. The young Cardinal lefty is brilliant, allowing just two hits over seven innings. His lone spot of trouble comes in the top of the fifth, when he issues a two-out walk to Jay Payton and fails to pick the runner off before he can steal second, then watches him score on a Bubba Trammell bloop single. Though Trammell is thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a double, it appears that one run will be enough to support Rusch. The Met lefty scatters four harmless hits over his own seven innings of work, walking none and permitting no opposing batters to move past first base. But once Rusch leaves, Turk Wendell opens the bottom of the eighth with a walk and a single, and Dennis Cook follows by giving up a three-run homer to pinch hitter Placido Polanco. With the Mets down to their last out in the top of the ninth, Trammell comes through again with a game-tying two-run shot. However, this dramatic shot merely delays the pain. The Mets eschew a chance to retake the lead in the top of the tenth when Mike Piazza grounds into an inning-ending double play. In the bottom of the eleventh, Jim Edmonds plays hero once again by lashing a Rick White fastball into the bullpen beyond the right field fence. His second walkoff homer of the series seals a crushing sweep of New York.

Tuesday, September 5, 2000

New York Mets 3, Cincinnati Reds 2 (10 innings) at Cinergy Field

Desperate for a win, the Mets scratch out a pair of runs on RBI singles from Benny Agabayani and Todd Zeile in the third and fourth innings, but manage little else against old friend Pete Harnisch. Rick Reed makes the two-run advantage stand for a while but allows an RBI single to Pokey Reese in the fifth that cuts the Mets’ lead in half. In the seventh, a leadoff single and sac bunt from Harnisch puts the tying run in scoring position, and reliever Rick White is unable to strand the runner, surrendering a two-out run scoring hit to Chris Stynes. The game remains knotted at 2 through regulation, although the Mets have a scare in the bottom of the ninth when Ken Griffey, Jr. comes within inches of belting a walkoff homer off of Turk Wendell, who tries to wave the ball foul from his perch on the mound. (“I dropped the Carlton Fisk on ‘em,” Turk says later.) It is not Junior who hits the heroic longball of the night, but Zeile, who belts a solo shot in the top of the tenth to give the Mets the lead. Armando Benítez sets down the side in order in the bottom half to seal a much needed Mets victory.

Wednesday, September 6, 2000

Cincinnati Reds 11, New York Mets 8 at Cinergy Field

The Mets’ six-game road trip ends with another contest that proves excruciating on all levels. It begins well for the visitors, as Matt Franco belts a three-run homer in the top of the first, but the Reds counter immediately with a two-run shot by Ken Griffey, Jr. The Mets get those runs back and then some in the second when Todd Pratt hits a solo shot and Lenny Harris contributes an RBI single, but the Reds respond again with an RBI double from Benito Santiago in the bottom of the second and a game-tying two-run homer from Sean Casey in the third. Bobby J. Jones (the righty) fails to record an out in that third inning and, following Casey’s longball, is replaced by his namesake, Bobby M. Jones (the lefty). The southpaw Jones contributes four scoreless innings while the Mets retake the lead in the top of the fourth, scoring twice thanks to some sloppy Cincinnati defense. When the Mets load the bases in the seventh on three walks yet score only one run in the frame, it seems mere window dressing. So too does their failure to bring home Harris after he hits a two-out triple in the top of the eighth. But once the lefty Jones departs, the Mets’ troubles begin anew. Turk Wendell gets assignment in the bottom of the eighth and surrenders a pair of one-out singles. When Bobby Valentine yanks Wendell in favor of John Franco, the lefty allows two RBI singles that shaves the Mets lead down to one slim run, then walks a man to load the bases. Valentine turns to Armando Benítez to shut the door, but the first pitch he throws is crushed by Santiago for a back-breaking grand slam. The Mets go quietly in the ninth to cap a brutal defeat.

Friday, September 8, 2000

Philadelphia Phillies 2, New York Mets 0 at Shea Stadium

The Mets collect eight hits against Phillies starter Bruce Chen, one of the players the Phillies acquired when they traded Andy Ashby to Atlanta. Unfortunately, all but one of these hits are singles, and very few come in succession. Mike Hampton is nothing short of brilliant for 7 2/3 innings, allowing just three hits over that stretch, but his excellent evening unravels when he attempts to finish the eighth inning. Hampton issues a walk to Doug Glanville, which brings Scott Rolen—one of the few offensive weapons in the anemic Phillies lineup—to the plate. Rolen works the count full before crushing a two-run homer. The Mets collect two walks and a single in the eighth and ninth innings yet convert none of them. At day’s end, New York leaves 11 men on base and collects yet another frustrating loss in September.

Saturday, September 9, 2000

Philadelphia Phillies 6, New York Mets 3 at Shea Stadium

Once again, the Met bats remain in hibernation at the worst possible time. The Phillies strike first when Doug Glanville singles to start the top of the sixth against Glendon Rusch, steals second, and scores on a Pat Burrell double. Edgardo Alfonzo helps the Mets counter in the bottom half with an RBI double of his own, but he also contributes to a total meltdown in the top of the seventh. Turk Wendell takes Rusch’s place in the frame and allows a single and double to the first two batters, the “double” a ball that bounces past Alfonzo’s glove, the kind of play the second baseman normally makes in his sleep. Wendell then allows a sac fly and an RBI single that put the Phillies on top. The Mets crawl a little closer in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a solo shot from Derek Bell, then go on to give the game away in the top of the ninth. When Pat Mahomes begins the inning with a leadoff double, Bobby Valentine brings in Armando Benítez, hoping his closer can keep the deficit close. Benítez proceeds to allow a walk and a three-run homer to Brian Hunter. A Benny Agbayani homer in the bottom half makes the score a little closer but offers no more encouragement to the Mets’ playoff hopes.

Sunday, September 10, 2000

New York Mets 3, Philadelphia Phillies 0 at Shea Stadium

The slumping Mets find little cures for their offensive woes in this game, scoring all their runs without benefit of a hit. The sum total of their scoring comes on an RBI groundout in the fourth, Benny Agabayani taking one for the team by getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth, and a sac fly in the seventh. It’s not much to work with, but Al Leiter makes these runs stand up by tossing a complete game shutout, allowing only five hits (all singles) while striking out nine batters.

Monday, September 11, 2000

Milwaukee Brewers 8, New York Mets 2 at Shea Stadium

The Mets are still looking to find any kind of rhythm in September, and they do not find it in the first game of three against Milwaukee at Shea. Rick Reed surrenders a leadoff homer in the top of the second, then watches Matt Franco tie the score on a solo shot of his own in the bottom half. Reed allows a Mark Loretta two-run double in the top of the third, but the Mets crawl closer on a Benny Agbayani homer in the bottom half. Their bats go into hibernation after Agbayani’s shot, however, as the Mets manage just five hits apart from their bases-empty homers, all of them singles. In keeping with their poor timing in the month of September, the offensive blackout occurs just as the Brewers begin to pad their lead. Reed allows two more runs in the sixth, while the bullpen gives up another pair in the seventh and one more in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

Tuesday, September 12, 2000

New York Mets 10, Milwaukee Brewers 2 at Shea Stadium

With the Mets once again in dire need of a win, Bobby Jones tosses eight innings of two-run ball. After allowing single runs in the first and third innings, Jones works efficiently the rest of the way. The pitcher also gets a rally started, after a fashion, with a sac bunt attempt in the bottom of the second. Brewers catcher Tyler Houston fields his bunt attempt but throws it away, allowing one runner to score. The next batter, Benny Agbayani, knocks in two more runs with a single. When Houston tries to nail Agbayani at second base, his second bad throw of the inning gifts Benny the fabled little league home run. With a big lead for the first time in many games, the Mets relax and proceed to pummel Milwaukee pitching to the tune of six more runs, a barrage that includes longballs from Agbayani and Edgardo Alfonzo.

Saturday, September 16, 2000

New York Mets 10, Montréal Expos 4 at Olympic Stadium

At first, the Mets’ third game in Montréal appears to be a frustrating repeat of game two. Edgardo Alfonzo knocks in a run in the first inning but that lone run is all New York can score in the frame, despite loading the bases with no outs. But the Mets make up for it in the fourth inning by driving home six runs, all of them scoring with two outs. After a Montréal error leads to one Met run, Expo starter Dustin Hermanson melts down completely, giving up an RBI single to Darryl Hamilton, a grand slam to Alfonzo, and a solo shot to Robin Ventura. The Mets reach double digits with two more runs in the seventh, including a homer from Todd Zeile. Reed contributes six solid innings, striking out eight, walking none, and allowing just two runs despite skipping his usual between-starts bullpen session. (“I just wasn’t into it,” is the only reason he forwards.) Things get a bit chippy later, as Met reliever Rick White plunks Vladimir Guerrero in the ribs in the seventh, and Expo reliever Jeremy Powell throws behind pinch hitter Matt Franco in seeming retaliation. This was it for late drama, however, as the Mets cruised to victory.

Sunday, September 17, 2000

Montreal Expos 5, New York Mets 0 at Olympic Stadium

In their last game in Montréal, the Met bats go silent once more, kept quiet by starter Tony Armas, Jr. and the Expo bullpen. New York manages a mere three hits against Armas and only one against reliever Guillermo Mota, all of them singles. After Met pitchers had kept superstar Vladimir Guerrero quiet for the first three games of this series, the slugger erupts for a pair of homers against Bobby Jones. More disconcerting is a two-run shot clubbed by light-hitting shortstop Orlando Cabrera, though with the offense in a near-total blackout, Cabrera’s longball proves mere window dressing on another frustrating defeat in a month full of them.

Monday, September 18, 2000

Atlanta Braves 6, New York Mets 3 at Turner Field

For the second year in a row, the Mets enter a late September series in Atlanta within striking distance of the Braves in the National League East. For the second year in a row, they open that series with a frustrating, error-filled defeat. Mike Hampton takes the mound and is undone by multiple mistakes by himself and his defense. He and Mike Bordick conspire to allow the first Atlanta run to score in the bottom of the second—Bordick by failing to throw to third as Andres Galarraga crosses in front of him on a grounder to shortstop, Hampton by throwing away a Walt Weiss squeeze bunt that brings Galarraga home. Hampton then opens the third by allowing a walk and three consecutive singles to drive home two more runs. Another run scores in the fifth on a Galarraga double, while Pat Mahomes allows a solo shot to Brian Jordan in the seventh. Six runs appears more than enough for Greg Maddux, who scatters five harmless singles in seven innings of efficient work that extends his scoreless inning streak to 29 1/3. The Mets show some signs of life against the Atlanta bullpen in the eighth, when Derek Bell hits a one-out solo shot against Kerry Ligtenberg. After Edgardo Alfonzo walks and Mike Piazza doubles, Robin Ventura drives both of them home with a single against Mike Remlinger. A walk to Todd Zeile brings the tying run to the plate, but it also brings John Rocker to the mound. Though the mouthy southpaw has struggled all season, he does not do so against the Mets. He retires pinch hitter Bubba Trammell on a pop-up to end the threat in the eighth, then throws a scoreless ninth to cap another frustrating Mets defeat.

Tuesday, September 19, 2000

Atlanta Braves 12, New York Mets 4 at Turner Field

Making the biggest start of his Mets career, Glendon Rusch pitches poorly, to say the least. He starts the bottom of the second with three consecutive extra base hits, looking particularly perturbed after the third, a Reggie Sanders double that follows several close-but-no-cigar pitches deemed balls by the home plate umpire. Two runs score during this troika of hits and another comes home when opposing pitcher Andy Ashby smashes a ball off of Robin Ventura’s leg. Rusch completely implodes after this misfortune, firing off a wild pitch, issuing a walk, and allowing an RBI single to Chipper Jones. The lefty is yanked at this point, but reliever Pat Mahomes provides no relief, as he gives up a pair of walks and a single that drive home three more runs. Seven Braves cross the plate before all is said and done, putting this game well out of reach of the visitors. The remainder of the contest is played almost as an exhibition, as little-used relievers and September callups take the place of regulars on both sides.

Wednesday, September 20, 2000

New York Mets 6, Atlanta Braves 3 at Turner Field

With the Mets desperate for a win, Al Leiter contributes a solid performance, giving his team both quality and length in deference to a bullpen overworked by the bludgeoning of the previous night. A two-out RBI single from Benny Agbayani in the top of the fifth and two solo homers from Edgardo Alfonzo and Todd Zeile in the sixth stake Leiter to a 3-0 lead. The lefty is perfect through 5 1/3 innings, until Robin Ventura charges a slow grounder, only to watch it zip past him. The error allows Walt Weiss to reach base, then score when Rafael Furcal singles him home. Leiter proceeds to load the bases on a walk and an infield single, but wriggles off the hook by inducing a harmless pop-up from Brian Jordan. Leiter finds trouble again with two outs in the seventh, when a pair of walks, a passed ball, and a single set up an RBI hit from Weiss, shaving the Mets’ lead down to one run. Timo Pérez prevents further damage by fielding Weiss’s single and nailing baserunner Reggie Sanders as he gets hung up between second and third. After allowing one more single, Leiter gives way to fellow lefty John Franco, who escapes further damage by the skin of his teeth. A Mike Piazza homer and a Jay Payton RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth expand the Mets’ lead by two runs, which comes in handy when Franco falters in the bottom half. After a leadoff homer by Chipper Jones, he allows a one-out single. Taking no chances, Bobby Valentine summons Armando Benítez, but the Met closer walks the first two batters he faces to load the bases. Benítez corrects himself with a pop fly and a grounder to end the inning, and after Todd Zeile collects an insurance run in the top of the ninth, he pitches a scoreless bottom half to secure a much needed win.

Thursday, September 21, 2000

Philadelphia Phillies 6, New York Mets 5 at Veterans Stadium

In the opener of a four-game series in Philadelphia, Rick Reed is less than sharp. After loading the bases and allowing a run in the second, Reed gives up solo shots to Bobby Abreu and Travis Lee in the third and fourth innings, respectively. The Mets grab a run back on a Jay Payton homer in the top of the fifth, but Reed hands two back to the Phils in a damaging bottom of the sixth. With one out and runners on the corners, Reed catches Tomás Pérez leaning off of first base but fires a wild pickoff throw that allows the runner at third to score. He follows this by giving up an RBI double that puts the Mets in a 5-1 hole, but his team begins to claw back in the top of the seventh, scoring twice on a bases loaded walk and a Mike Piazza RBI single. The comeback continues in the ninth when Todd Zeile bangs a home run off the left field foul pole, and Robin Ventura ties the game with a clutch two-out double. Unfortunately, Rick White begins the bottom of the ninth by giving up a single and double to bring the winning run 90 feet from home. With Scott Rolen due up next, the Mets walk the Phillies’ most dangerous hitter and pitch to Pat Burrell instead. They pay for it when the Phils' rookie hits a long “single” over the drawn-in infield to end the game.

Friday, September 22, 2000

New York Mets 9, Philadelphia Phillies 6 at Veterans Stadium

The Met offense breaks out by hanging seven runs on the ledger of Phillies starter Randy Wolf. The scoring starts early with an Edgardo Alfonzo RBI in the first, followed shortly by an error by left fielder (and budding Met Killer) Pat Burrell that allows another run to score. A Bubba Trammell single in the fourth plates the Mets’ third run. The Phils fight back with single runs in the first, fourth, and fifth against Bobby Jones to tie the score at 3, but the visitors do their best to blow the game wide open with a four-run top of the sixth that includes a Mike Piazza homer. Jones pitches through seven innings without further incident, but John Franco makes the proceedings far too interesting in the eighth by allowing a pair of homers to Scott Rolen and Burrell to bring the Phils back within a run. Dennis Cook restores order by securing the last two outs in the eighth, while Piazza gives the Mets breathing room in the top of the ninth with a laser beam two-run opposite field home run. Armando Benítez limits the drama with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.

Saturday, September 23, 2000

New York Mets 7, Philadelphia Phillies 3 at Veterans Stadium

Mike Hampton pitches 6 2/3 solid innings, fanning nine Phillies. His teammates scratch out single runs in the first (Timo Pérez doubling and scoring on an error), third (Edgardo Alfonzo solo shot), and sixth (Mike Piazza RBI double) before blowing the game wide open in the top of the seventh. Piazza and Robin Ventura collect RBI singles, and the Mets add two more runs on an embarrassing pair of bases loaded wild pitches. After waiting out this carnage, Hampton allows two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but that is as close as the home team gets.

Sunday, September 24, 2000

New York Mets 3, Philadelphia Phillies 2 at Veterans Stadium

Glendon Rusch recovers nicely from his rough outing in Atlanta by working eight excellent innings, fanning seven Phillies and scattering five hits. The only run against him comes in the seventh, after Timo Pérez misjudges a Pat Burrell fly ball into a double, allowing the outfielder to eventually score on a groundout. Otherwise, the Phils barely scratch against Rusch, and his teammates provide just enough offense to support him. The first Met run scores when the Phillies' center fielder slips while running in on a fly ball, allowing the speedy Pérez to leg out an inside-the-park home run. The lead expands on a two-run opposite field shot by Todd Zeile in the fourth, and though the Mets do little else against Phillie starter Bruce Chen, this proves sufficient. Things get dicey in the ninth when Armando Benítez allows a leadoff single, a one-out walk, and a two-out bloop RBI hit to Kevin Jordan. This cuts the Mets’ lead to one slim run and, when a cutoff throw sails home, also puts both the tying and winning runs in scoring position. Benítez shakes it off by striking out Marlon Anderson to earn the save, end the game, and shake off the demons of Philadelphia 1999.

Tuesday, September 26, 2000

Atlanta Braves 7, New York Mets 1 at Shea Stadium

The Braves and Mets match up for a three-game set, with Atlanta on the verge of claiming the division yet again and the Mets close to clinching the wild card. Al Leiter and Braves starter John Burkett trade zeroes until the top of the fifth, when Reggie Sanders doubles and scores on a single by Burkett himself. Though Leiter escapes the inning with no further damage, the Burkett hit seems to unnerve him. He allows a leadoff homer to Chipper Jones to start the sixth, then loads the bases on a one-out double and a pair of walks. When Walt Weiss hits a chopper to third base, Robin Ventura attempts to barehand the ball and throw it home all in one motion, but flings the throw wide instead. Two runs score on the error, and Leiter leaves shortly thereafter, having placed his team in a 4-0 hole. Edgardo Alfonzo leads off the bottom of the sixth with a solo shot, but the Braves put the game out of reach by knocking around Rick White and Turk Wendell for three runs in the top of the seventh. For extra humiliation, when the Mets mount a ghost of a threat in the eighth with consecutive two-out singles against Kerry Ligtenberg, John Rocker runs in from the bullpen to retire Robin Ventura on a harmless fly ball. The home team manages a pair of hits against Rocker in the ninth but nothing else, as the Braves once again claim their divisional crown.

Friday, September 29, 2000

New York Mets 11, Montréal Expos 2 at Shea Stadium

The Mets finish out the regular season with three games hosting the Montreal Expos. They erupt in the first inning of the opener, as the first five batters reach base and Jay Payton caps the scoring with a grand slam. Six runners race home in the inning, and four more follow in the second, this rally ending with a Robin Ventura two-run shot. Mike Hampton chips in five scoreless innings in a playoff tuneup start.

Saturday, September 30, 2000

New York Mets 3, Montréal Expos 2 at Shea Stadium

Making a bid to join the playoff rotation, Glendon Rusch pitches a solid five innings, giving up two runs. His teammates are stymied once again by Javier Vázquez, who limits the offense to a Matt Franco RBI single through the first seven innings. The home team finally gets to Vázquez in the bottom of the eighth when a walk, single, and sacrifice bunt put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Vázquez opts to walk Todd Pratt and face September callup Jorge Toca instead. The Expos pay for this decision when Toca (a Cuban defector who had previously faced Vázquez in international play) belts a bases-clearing double, a three-run outburst that proves the margin of error in the game.

Sunday, October 1, 2000

New York Met 3, Montréal Expos 2 (13 innings) at Shea Stadium

In the final game of the regular season, the Mets and Expos trade RBI singles in the second inning. The home team takes a lead on a run-scoring hit by Mike Bordick in the fourth and retains this advantage until the seventh, when Dennis Cook allows a game-tying solo shot to Fernando Seguignol. Once knotted, the score seems determined to stay tied. Twice in extras, the Expos load the bases with one out or fewer yet fail to drive a run in, while the Mets mount no threats at all until the bottom of the thirteenth. The inning opens with a walk of Benny Agbayani and Pat Mahomes (batting for himself, in anticipation of this game going on for a few more innings) hitting a single. The next batter, September callup Jorge Velandia, attempts to bunt both of them over, but when Expos infielder Geoff Blum throws away the ball trying to nail Agbayani at third. Benny races home with the winning run to give the Mets a walkoff victory, their 94th of the season.

Monday, April 5, 1999

Florida Marlins 6, New York Mets 2 at Pro Player Stadium

The Mets’ season starts off on a sour note in Miami as all facets of their game misfire. The offense can do nothing against Florida starter Alex Fernandez, who hadn’t thrown a pitch in anger since October of 1997 while recovering from rotator cuff surgery. The Mets load the bases against Fernandez in the opening inning but fail to score, setting the theme for a frustrating day at the dish. By day’s end, Mets batters strand 14 runners and go 0 for 9 with men in scoring position. The bottom of the first sees Robin Ventura (making his Mets debut) play a grounder tentatively, turning it into an infield hit, then bobble a potential inning-ending double play ball. These miscues and a passed ball by Mike Piazza lead to three first inning runs, a deficit the hapless hitters never surmount. Even without his defense failing him, Al Leiter struggles all afternoon, throwing 124 pitches to struggle through five innings of five-run ball.

Tuesday, April 6, 1999

New York Mets 12, Florida Marlins 3 at Pro Player Stadium

Recovering quickly from their embarrassing opening day loss, the Mets pummel Marlins pitching all day, putting a hurt on starter Livan Hernandez and every pitcher who dares take his place. After failing in literally every plate appearance with runners in scoring position the day before, the Mets collect hits in seven of their first eight opportunities in game number two. Each member of the starting lineup contributes at least one hit save pitcher Rick Reed, but he atones by both throwing both six solid innings and adding an RBI sac fly for good measure. Mike Piazza belts his first longball of the year, a second-deck two-run shot that knocks Hernandez out of the game in the top of the fifth. Rickey Henderson, who’d looked awful during spring training, raises eyebrows in the top of the second inning when he doubles in two runners, steals third, and races home on an errant throw from catcher Jorge Fabregas, thus creating three runs all by himself.

Wednesday, April 7, 1999

New York Mets 6, Florida Marlins 0 at Pro Player Stadium

Rickey Henderson steals the show for the second game in a row, going 4 for 4 with two homers and two doubles, the most extra-base hits the future Hall of Famer has ever collected in one game. On the day, Henderson racks up 12 total bases, one short of the all-time Mets record shared by Darryl Strawberry, Claudell Washington, and Jim Hickman. Bobby Jones throws seven shutout innings in his first start of the season while Edgardo Alfonzo and Robin Ventura hit doubles of their own to continue hitting streaks that began on opening day.

Thursday, April 8, 1999

Montréal Expos 5, New York Mets 1 at Olympic Stadium

Orel Hershiser, a late acquisition for the Mets in spring training, looked sharp during limited Grapefruit League action when he pitched 12 scoreless innings for New York. He looks decidedly less so in the series opener in Montréal, allowing five runs to a weak Expos lineup in only four innings of work. His cause is not helped by costly errors from the unlikely sources of Robin Ventura and Rey Ordoñez, and from the more likely source of Bobby Bonilla. Hershiser also hurts himself on the basepaths in the top of the third; after he and Rickey Henderson walk to start the inning, Hershiser gets picked off during a botched bunt attempt by Edgardo Alfonzo. Immediately after Hershiser’s gaffe, Henderson is caught stealing second. Alfonzo homers following Henderson’s dismissal, a solo shot that would have been a three-run homer if not for the baserunning blunders. Amid rumors the team might be sold, a surprisingly strong crowd of almost 44,000 cheers Miguel Batista to 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball for Les Expos' home opener.

Friday, April 9, 1999

New York Mets 10, Montréal Expos 3 at Olympic Stadium

Mike Piazza delivers the keynote when he turns on a hanging slider from Expo starter Mike Thurman in the top of the first, crushing it for a titanic 442-foot three-run homer over a bank of television cameras in dead center. Robin Ventura delivers a solo shot shortly thereafter to plate all the runs the Mets will need. Masato Yoshii, who had wretched spring training, is good enough in his first start of the year. He allows a two-run homer to Michael Barrett and a solo shot to Vladimir Guerrero to cut the Mets’ lead to 4-3, but the Mets tack on three runs in the top of the fifth with a two-run Piazza double and an RBI groundout from Ventura. From there, the Mets cruise to the finish. Unfortunately, in the top of the seventh, Piazza is picked off of second base and injures his knee in the process, an ailiment that will soon land him on the DL.

Saturday, April 10, 1999

New York Mets 4, Montréal Expos 3 (11 innings) at Olympic Stadium

Al Leiter rebounds from his ugly opening day start to hurl seven strong innings, while his teammates overcome deficits of 2-0 and 3-2, tying the game in the eighth inning on an Edgardo Alfonzo RBI single. Armando Benítez keeps the Expos at bay with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts. The Mets grab the lead for the first time in the top of the eleventh inning when Matt Franco scores all the way from first on a single by Todd Pratt, filling in for the ailing Mike Piazza. John Franco caps things off with his first save of the year.

Sunday, April 11, 1999

New York Mets 6, Montréal Expos 3 at Olympic Stadium

Rick Reed allows two early runs to the Expos before settling into a groove, and even ties up the game at 2 with an RBI single in the top of the fourth. Unfortunately, he tears a calf muscle while running the basepaths, an injury that will send him to the disabled list. Queens native Allen Watson gets the call in long relief and allows the Expos to retake the lead when he fails to cover first base on a grounder, but otherwise holds down the fort long enough for his teammates to rally. A two-run single from Luis López in the top of the fifth gives the Mets a lead they won’t relinquish, while Watson is followed by scoreless relief work from Turk Wendell, Dennis Cook, Armando Benítez, and John Franco, who earns his 399th career save.

Wednesday, April 21, 1999

Cincinnati Reds 7, New York Mets 4 at Cinergy Field

The Mets jump out to a 4-0 lead on homers by Bobby Bonilla and Todd Pratt and an RBI groundout from Robin Ventura. Unfortunately, Masato Yoshii gives this advantage back and then some in the bottom of the fourth. Unnerved by a Greg Vaughn two-run shot, Yoshii walks the next three batters, opening the door for a brutal six-run inning. A potential Met rally in the top of the seventh dies on the vine when Roger Cedeño takes a called strike three, the pitch coming at a location Bobby Valentine is convinced his own pitcher didn’t get. “Where’s the pitch to Cedeño?'' Valentine gripes after the game. “Yoshii threw 15 pitches that good. I’ll guarantee you that.”

Friday, April 23, 1999

New York Mets 6, Chicago Cubs 5 at Wrigley Field

On a typical April afternoon at Wrigley Field—game time temperature a balmy 44 degrees, accompanied by wind gusts measuring 36 mph—the Mets steal a victory in a game where the wind, sun, and turf conspire to wreak havoc. The Cubs break a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning when Jermaine Allensworth (playing right field in place of the ailing Bobby Bonilla) loses a ball off the bat of Benito Santiago in the sun. Allensworth raises his glove defensively, but the ball misses his leather entirely and almost hits him in the jaw. The next inning, Allensworth slips while trying to field a Lance Johnson hit, resulting in a triple and a 5-2 Chicago lead. The Mets tie the game on a Robin Ventura RBI double and a two-run single from Todd Pratt in the eighth inning, neither of which need help from Mother Nature. In the top of the ninth, the Mets take the lead on a pinch hit sac fly from Rey Ordoñez. The shortstop also contributes in the bottom of the inning with a great play on a Manny Alexander grounder, turning the potential tying run into just another groundout.

Saturday, April 24, 1999

Chicago Cubs 2, New York Mets 0 at Wrigley Field

The Mets are shutout for the first time this season as the timely hitting of the first game in Chicago abandons them. The visitors place runners in scoring position in every inning but one yet fail to cash in any of them, stranding 12 runners by day’s end. Starter Allen Watson—considered a good hitter for a pitcher—leaves six ducks on the pond all by himself. He also exits the game after only 71 pitches due to back spasms. With two men on in the eighth, Rey Ordoñez has a chance to play hero again when his long fly ball is initially lost in the troublesome Chicago sun by Sammy Sosa. However, Slammin’ Sammy recovers his sight and eventually tracks the ball down for an out, ending the Mets’ final flirtation with a rally.

Sunday, April 25, 1999

Chicago Cubs 8, New York Mets 4 at Wrigley Field

Mike Piazza returns from the disabled list for the Chicago series finale, though that is the extent of the good news for the visitors. The Mets accumulate an early 3-0 lead on solo homers from Edgardo Alfonzo, Robin Ventura, and Rickey Henderson, but the game unravels for Orel Hershiser in the bottom of the fifth. First, a bloop single, a walk, and a bunt up the third base line by opposing pitcher Rodney Myers that stubbornly stays fair despite Ventura casting a powerful glare in its direction. Then, ex-Met Lance Johnson hits a ball that John Olerud attempts to backhand, only to see it roll under his glove and into the Cubs’ bullpen for a two-run double. Immediately after that, Mickey Morandini is hit by a pitch, or so he says. “It nicked my helmet,” he tells the press later, to a chorus of knowing winks. Replays show Hershiser’s pitch didn’t hit his helmet, or anything else, but Morandini’s thespian skills sell the act to the home plate umpire. Turk Wendell is called on to face Sammy Sosa with the bases loaded, and he promptly unloads them with a three-run double into the left field corner that puts the game out of reach for the Amazins.

Tuesday, April 27, 1999

San Diego Padres 6, New York Mets 2 at Shea Stadium

Masato Yoshii turns in yet another poor start, ceding four runs and five free passes in just 4 2/3 innings of work. He is doomed by a sloppy fifth inning in which he walks Tony Gwynn and Wally Joyner, loads the bases on a single by ex-Met Dave Magadan, and allows a long two-run double to backup catcher Greg Myers, giving the Padres a lead they will never relinquish. Yoshii is booed off the mound when removed in the fifth inning, but most of the postgame criticism is directed at Mike Piazza, who symbolizes the Mets’ recent offensive futility by stranding seven men on base all by himself.

Friday, April 30, 1999

New York Mets 7, San Francisco Giants 2 at Shea Stadium

Giant starter Shawn Estes loses his cool when home plate umpire Bob Davidson—a notorious aficionado of phantom balk moves—calls a balk on the pitcher to bring Rickey Henderson home with the game’s first run in the bottom of the first. The pitcher exchanges words with Davidson and has to be restrained by his catcher, narrowly missing an ejection. Estes never recovers from the disruption, allowing an RBI double to Robin Ventura, a run-scoring groundout, and a wild pitch to plate another run. In stark contrast to his shaky first start in Queens, Allen Watson contributes five decent innings against one of his former teams while the bullpen holds down the fort thereafter.

Saturday, May 1, 1999

New York Mets 9, San Francisco Giants 4 at Shea Stadium

All afternoon, Orel Hershiser threatens to give the game away to the Giants, issuing four walks, firing a pickoff throw past John Olerud at first base, and loading the bases twice. But the Giants fail to take full advantage, collecting just one hit in 10 at bats with men in scoring position. Given this reprieve, Hershiser retires eight of the last nine batters he faces, and the New York bullpen once again shuts the door on any thoughts of a comeback. The big blow for the Mets comes on a seventh inning grand slam from Brian McRae.

Sunday, May 2, 1999

New York Mets 2, San Francisco Giants 0 at Shea Stadium

This game features an unlikely pitchers’ duel between Kirk Reuter, a back of the rotation starter for San Francisco, and Masato Yoshii, who has pitched terribly to this point in the season. Yoshii shockingly tosses six scoreless innings while Reuter throws a shocking seven of his own. The contest remains scoreless until two out in the bottom of the eighth. A pinch-hit Matt Franco single brings up Rickey Henderson, who hits a towering pop up on the infield. The ball is hit so high that Giant shortstop Ramon Martinez can’t keep track of it, and it glances off his glove while an alert Franco scores all the way from first. An RBI single from John Olerud puts the Mets up 2-0, a lead John Franco immediately places in jeopardy by loading the bases with one out in the top of the ninth. Franco recovers, however, inducing a groundball double play from Charlie Hayes to end the threat and conclude a three-game sweep of San Francisco.

Monday, May 3, 1999

New York Mets 5, Houston Astros 3 at Shea Stadium

In the opener of a three-game set against the Astros, Roger Cedeño subs for the ailing Rickey Henderson and turns in a Henderson-esque performance, swiping two bases, scoring two runs, and turning a single into a double when the Houston outfield is caught napping on his prodigious speed. The Mets strike for four runs in the first and never look back, while Rick Reed, fresh off the disabled list from the calf injury he suffered in Montréal during the first week of the season, tosses six solid innings. Reed finds himself unable to throw any of his pitches effectively except for his fastball yet still manages to keep the Astros off balance until a Richard Hidalgo two-run homer in the top of the sixth draws the visitors a bit too close. Turk Wendell contributes two key scoreless innings, while John Franco limits the drama by setting down the Astros in order for the save.

Tuesday, May 4, 1999

Houston Astros 6, New York Mets 1 at Shea Stadium

Al Leiter throws six excellent innings in this game. Unfortunately for the Mets, he continues to pitch after that. With the score tied at 1 in the top of the seventh, Leiter records two quick outs before facing the opposing pitcher, Mike Hampton, who hammers a 1-0 pitch over Brian McRae’s head in center field and legs out a triple. Flustered, Leiter then gives up an RBI double to Craig Biggio, followed immediately by a two-run homer from Derek Bell. And yet, the stubborn Leiter insists on finishing that inning and starting the next to his further detriment, allowing three straight hits to begin the top of the eighth before finally allowing himself to be lifted. Two of those runners eventually score, while Hampton and Houston reliever Scott Elarton hold the Mets at bay the rest of the way.

Wednesday, May 5, 1999

Houston Astros 5, New York Mets 4 at Shea Stadium

Bobby Jones does an admirable job of limiting the damage done by the Astros’ bats, and a Roger Cedeño RBI single gives the Mets a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh. Fortunes reverse when Armando Benítez enters the game in the top of the eighth and walks the leadoff hitter, the thoroughly benign Chris Spiers, to bring up the decidedly more dangerous heart of the Houston lineup. It appears he may survive this error when he retires Craig Biggio and Derek Bell, but another Killer B—Jeff Bagwell—crushes a two-run homer into the visiting bullpen, giving the Astros a lead. The Mets threaten to tie things up on a two-out a walk and hit batter in the bottom of the eighth, but this uprising is suppressed as soon as Houston closer Billy Wagner is called on for a four-out save. Mets batters are completely overmatched as Wagner dismisses all four batters he faces via strikeout.

Friday, May 7, 1999

Arizona Diamondbacks 14, New York Mets 7 at Bank One Ballpark

Orel Hershiser turns in a miserable outing, putting the Mets in a 5-1 hole in the early going. Though the Mets mount a furious rally to take a 6-5 lead, Bobby Valentine makes the curious decision to allow Hershiser to bat for himself during that rally, a decision that proves costly. After returning to the mound, Hershiser loads the bases with one out, than unloads them by giving up a bases-clearing double to Travis Lee. He allows one additional run before the plug is pulled, and the bullpen is torched for five more after that to put the game completely out of reach.

Saturday, May 8, 1999

New York Mets 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 2 at Bank One Ballpark

The Mets ride a second strong outing in a row from Masato Yoshii (six scoreless innings, though his outing is cut short by a cracked fingernail) and homers from Matt Franco and John Olerud to carry a 4-0 lead into the ninth. Bobby Valentine opts to bring in John Franco, despite the lack of a save situation, as the lefty hasn’t pitched in five days and is in some need of work. Franco treats the inning like he treats most save situations, ceding a leadoff single to Tony Womack and a bomb of a home run to Jay Bell. Luis Gonzalez then singles, and after a fielder’s choice, a walk to Steve Finley puts the tying runs on base. Valentine finally concedes defeat and removes Franco in favor of Armando Benítez, who manages to get two loud fly ball outs that finally end the game, thus notching his first save as a Met.

Monday, May 10, 1999

Colorado Rockies 10, New York Mets 3 at Coors Field

Despite a brief snowstorm prior to first pitch and temperatures that stand at a balmy 44 degrees, the Mets’ first game in Denver starts on time, much to the visitors’ chagrin. Al Leiter scatters four runs over his first six innings, which passes for an excellent start at mile high altitudes. But as in his last start against the Astros, the southpaw remains in the game long enough to undo all his good work, serving up a three-run shot to rookie catcher Henry Blanco that seals the Mets’ fate. Mike Piazza, owner of a lifetime .449 batting average at Coors Field when play begins, can only muster one lone hit against the Rockies’ starter Pedro Astacio, a former battery mate from his Dodger days. Adding to the Mets’ woes, Astacio plunks Bobby Bonilla on the same left knee that’s bothered him since spring training. After the game, the hobbled outfielder is finally forced to hit the disabled list.

Tuesday, May 11, 1999

Colorado Rockies 8, New York Mets 5 at Coors Field

This game mar the first time in 100 years that two pitchers with identical first and last names face each other: Bobby J. Jones of the Mets vs. Bobby M. Jones of the Rockies. After the game, New York’s Bobby Jones admits of Coors Field, “I just don’t like pitching here.” This sentiment is abundantly clear to anyone who watches the game. Young Colorado slugger Todd Helton clubs two homers as the Rockies tattoo Jones for eight runs in less than six innings. His namesake limits the Mets to two runs over his own five innings of work. Met batters can do little else against Colorado’s bullpen, save for the first major league home run for Benny Agbayani, called up from triple-A in the wake of Bobby Bonilla’s trip to the disabled list.

Wednesday, May 12, 1999

New York Mets 10, Colorado Rockies 5 at Coors Field

With Orel Hershiser away from the team getting an eye exam—one that the veteran hopes will improve his focus on the strike zone—Bobby Valentine asks Rick Reed to pitch on only two days’ rest following his brief, terrible outing in Phoenix. This time, he squeaks through five innings while giving up four runs, a decent line considering the thin air and even thinner time off since his last start. Reed is bolstered by an offense that scores early and often, gifting him a 6-0 lead after two innings and a 10-1 lead after five. All the Mets’ big bats pile on, with multiple RBIs from Mike Piazza, John Olerud, Robin Ventura, and Edgardo Alfonzo, while Roger Cedeño contributes four hits and three runs. The Mets hold their collective breath when Reed is nailed in the posterior by a line drive off the bat of Angel Echevarria in the bottom of the fifth, but the pitcher remains in the game. He does not blame that blow for giving up a homer to Dante Bichette shortly thereafter, telling reporters, “My ass didn’t throw that pitch; my arm did.”

Friday, May 14, 1999

New York Mets 7, Philadelphia Phillies 3 at Veterans Stadium

With many Mets fans filling the seats at Veterans Stadium, the Mets get the series in Philadelphia off to a flying start by hanging four runs on the ledger of Phillie starter Chad Ogea in the first inning, all on homers. John Olerud starts it off with a two-run moonshot, one of the very few home runs to be hit into the dizzying upper deck of the Phillies’ ballpark. Following a walk to Mike Piazza, Robin Ventura hits a two-run homer of his own. Edgardo Alfonzo adds a homer in the third, while Masato Yoshii limits the damage to three harmless solo shots. Roger Cedeño, filling in for the injured Rickey Henderson, puts on a show on the basepaths by swiping four bases and scoring three times.

Saturday, May 15, 1999

New York Mets 9, Philadelphia Phillies 7 at Veterans Stadium

Al Leiter schedules his meltdown earlier than usual, as the Mets find themselves down 6-0 after three innings. New York finds an unexpected savior in Pat Mahomes, lefty reliever just called up from triple-A who’d spent all of the previous season toiling for Japan’s Orix Blue Wave. Mahomes contributes 2 2/3 scoreless innings and even laces a double in his first major league at bat. His valiant effort gives the Mets enough daylight to mount a comeback. They notch five runs in the fourth inning (four of them scoring with two outs), tie the game with a solo homer from Brian McRae in the fifth, and grab the lead on an RBI single from Edgardo Alfonzo in the sixth. An attempt to tack on dies when Mike Piazza lines into a rally-killing triple play, but with the bullpen continuing to hold the Phillies at bay, the Mets make their lead John Franco-proof with two runs in the top of the ninth.

Sunday, May 16, 1999

Philadelphia Phillies 5, New York Mets 2 at Veterans Stadium

Orel Hershiser missed his last start when he sought out a new contact lens prescription, hoping improved vision would lead to improved performances on the mound. The new lenses seem to do the trick at first as he limits the Phillies to one run through the first five innings. Unfortunately, the home team touches him up for four runs in the sixth and hold on to hand him a loss. To be fair to Hershiser (and his readjusted prescription), three of the sixth-inning runs are the direct result of a ball misjudged by Matt Franco. Called on to play left field for only the third time in his career, Franco misjudges a potential fly out by Rob Ducey, allowing two runs to cross the plate and another to come home when Ducey scores on a groundout.

Monday, May 17, 1999

Milwaukee Brewers 7, New York Mets 6 at Shea Stadium

Bobby Jones struggles yet again, allowing seven runs in 5 2/3 innings despite pitching with an extra day of rest. The Mets attempt to inject some life into their offense late by inserting Roger Cedeño as a pinch runner, and the speedy outfielder swipes three bags in the final two innings. A two-run double by John Olerud brings the Mets within a run in the bottom of the eighth, but closer Bob Wickman fans Robin Ventura with the tying run on second base. Wickman also strikes out Jermaine Allensworth in the bottom of the ninth with the tying run on third, the called third strike coming on a borderline pitch that sends Bobby Valentine into a postgame rant against the “inconsistent” strike zone of home plate umpire Bob Hohn.

Tuesday, May 18, 1999

Milwaukee Brewers 4, New York Mets 2 at Shea Stadium

Rick Reed tosses his best game of the year, and one of the best starting performances of any New York pitcher this season, by limiting the Brewers to one run over seven innings. The Mets carry a slim 2-1 lead on the strength of a Mike Piazza solo homer and a John Olerud RBI single, but Reed’s efforts are wasted in the blink of an eye in the top of the eighth. First, Dennis Cook allows a bunt single to Brian Banks and a single up the middle to former Met Jeromy Burnitz. Bobby Valentine turns to Armando Benítez to shut the door, and he nearly does so by striking out Jeff Cirillo and Dave Nelson on six pitches. But then he falls behind Marquis Grissom before giving up a crushing three-run homer, handing the Brewers a lead they do not relinquish.

Thursday, May 20, 1999 (Game 1)

New York Mets 11, Milwaukee Brewers 10 at Shea Stadium

In the first game of a brutal doubleheader, Al Leiter turns in yet another puzzling performance. Robin Ventura gives the Mets an early lead with a first inning grand slam, but Leiter coughs up three runs in the top of the third, then literally hands the Brewers the tying run when he throws away a bunt from Jim Abbott, the opposing pitcher. Abbott makes the exact same mistake in the bottom half, mishandling a bunt from Leiter that gives the Mets a brief 5-4 lead, but Leiter returns the gift, allowing a two-run double to erstwhile Met prospect Alex Ochoa in the top of the fifth. The Mets rebound and then some, taking an 11-6 lead on a pair of homers from Benny Agbayani and another one from Mike Piazza. But reliever Allen Watson allows a three-run homer of his own to Jeff Cirillo in the top of the eighth. Brought on for the save in the top of the ninth, John Franco churns stomachs by ceding a leadoff double to Marquis Grissom and walking Ochoa with one out to put the tying runs on base. After a flyout, Sean Berry hits a popup into shallow right-center that just eludes Edgardo Alfonzo’s glove. Grissom scores, and Ochoa could also cross the plate with a modicum of effort, but the runner loses a shoe on the basepaths Alfonzo’s throw home beats the runner to the plate by a sizeable margin, and the shoeless Ochoa walks right into Piazza’s awaiting mitt for the game’s final, awkward out.

Friday, May 21, 1999

New York Mets 7, Philadelphia Phillies 5 at Shea Stadium

John Olerud knocks in three runs, finishing a triple short of the cycle, and Mike Piazza belts a home run for the fourth straight game. Orel Hershiser turns in his best outing as a Met to date, pitching 6 2/3 innings and limiting the Phillies to two runs. Things get a bit dicey in the top of the eighth when Turk Wendell allows a three-run homer to the unusual power source of Ron Gant, then sees Bobby Abreu lace a triple to bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out. Armando Benítez enters to make his first appearance since giving up a game-changing homer to Marquis Grissom during the Milwaukee series and ends further trouble with two impressive strikeouts and a groundout, hitting 99 mph on the radar gun as he does so. John Franco contributes a sweat-free ninth inning for his 13th save.

Saturday, May 22, 1999

Philadelphia Phillies 9, New York Mets 3 at Shea Stadium

The New York offense is completely stymied by former Met reliever Paul Byrd for 7 2/3 innings. Mike Piazza is particularly befuddled, as Byrd retires him three times with runners in scoring position. Bobby Jones is knocked out of the game in the third inning and later admits to pitching through shoulder pain and “dead arm.” The damaging third inning also sees Benny Agbayani suffer a knee injury after running into a retaining wall. He is carted off the field and listed as day-to-day.

Monday, May 24, 1999

Pittsburgh Pirates 7, New York Mets 5 at Three Rivers Stadium

Making his first major league start in 20 months, star-crossed righty Jason Isringhausen watches his first pitch belted for a double by Al Martin. Shortly thereafter, Jason Kendall reaches him for a three-run homer. Isringhausen also allows a solo shot to Warren Morris and leaves the game after five middling innings and five runs allowed. His teammates attempt a comeback and trim the Pirates’ lead to 5-4 on an RBI double from Brian McRae in the top of the eighth. In the bottom half, however, Turk Wendell gives up a two-run homer to Ed Sprague that puts the game out of reach.

Tuesday, May 25, 1999

New York Mets 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 3 at Three Rivers Stadium

Masato Yoshii allows a leadoff home run to Al Martin but little else over 6 2/3 innings. The Mets are quieted by rookie Pittsburgh starter Kris Benson until the fourth inning, when Mike Piazza clubs one of his pitches 443 feet into the third deck of Three Rivers Stadium. Unnerved, Benson allows a single to Robin Ventura, a walk to Edgardo Alfonzo, and long three-run homer to Brian McRae to give the Mets a lead they maintain the rest of the way.

Wednesday, May 26, 1999

New York Mets 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 2 at Three Rivers Stadium

Orel Hershiser keeps the Mets in the Pittsburgh finale with six solid innings, and also contributes an RBI double to his cause. Benny Agbayani starts the Mets’ scoring with a solo homer, already his fourth since being called up, while Robin Ventura snaps a 2-2 tie with an RBI double in the top of the sixth, and John Olerud expands the Mets’ lead with a two-run single in the ninth. John Franco earns the save, his 14th of the year.

Friday, May 28, 1999

Arizona Diamondbacks 2, New York Mets 1 at Shea Stadium

Rick Reed pitches well for seven innings, allowing just four hits. Unfortunately, one of those hits is a long fly ball off the bat of Andy Fox that Benny Agbayani misplays into a two-run triple that plates all the runs Arizona needs. Agbayani partially atones by blasting a solo homer in the seventh—his fifth longball in only 43 major league at bats—to cut the Diamondbacks’ lead in half. Agbayani is in the middle of things again in the bottom of the ninth, as the Mets attempt a comeback. With two on and one out, Benny hits a hard grounder to third that looks like it will result in a double play until second baseman Jay Bell fires a throw that sails past first base. The wild throw should allow Mike Piazza to score the tying run, except that the ball bounces off of a photographer’s box and right back to first baseman Travis Lee, forcing Piazza to retreat to third. After Matt Franco walks to load the bases, Luis López gets ahead in the count, 3-1. The next pitch comes in below the knees but is deemed a strike by the home plate umpire. López can’t recover from the call and watches another pitch for strike three, ending the threat and the game.

Saturday, May 29, 1999

Arizona Diamondbacks 8, New York Mets 7 at Shea Stadium

The Mets own a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning a when a Greg Colbrunn liner banks off of starting pitcher Allen Watson’s foot. Little else goes their way for the rest of the afternoon. A three-run rally against Pat Mahomes and Turk Wendell gives Arizona a 5-3 lead in the top of the fifth. The Mets tie things up on a two-run shot by John Olerud in the bottom half, but in the top of the sixth, reliever Rigo Beltrán allows a three-run shot to Jay Bell. A Benny Agbayani homer to lead off the sixth brings the Mets closer, as does a Rickey Henderson RBI double in the eighth. To protect their one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth against the heart of the order, Arizona calls on Byung-Hyun Kim, a 20-year-old rookie making his major league debut. Kim’s submarining delivery baffles the Mets’ best hitters, as Edgardo Alfonzo, John Olerud, and Mike Piazza are retired in order to end the game.

Sunday, May 30, 1999

Arizona Diamondbacks 10, New York Mets 1 at Shea Stadium

Masato Yoshii had been the Mets’ best starting pitcher in the weeks leading up to this game, but he is victimized by Arizona batters in this contest and is gone before the end of the third inning. Even Arizona fireballer Randy Johnson, a lifetime .114 hitter at the moment, reaches Yoshii for two singles. The Big Unit completely smothers Mets batters over eight innings while striking out 10, the only blemish on his record a harmless solo homer by Roger Cedeño, as Arizona completes an embarrassing sweep of the Mets.

Monday, May 31, 1999

Cincinnati Reds 5, New York Mets 3 at Shea Stadium

The Mets take an early 3-1 lead on a trio of solo homers (Edgardo Alfonzo in the first, Bobby Bonilla and Brian McRae back-to-back in the second) that hand an early exit to Cincinnati starter Brett Tomko. But the Reds’ bullpen holds Mets batters at bay for the rest of the game, allowing one walk and nothing else. Al Leiter, making his first start in seven days, fails to make the lead stand up, first allowing a game-tying two-run single to Sean Casey in the top of the third, then permitting a 442-foot bomb to Greg Vaughn in the fifth and another solo shot to Pokey Reese in the seventh.

Tuesday, June 1, 1999

Cincinnati Reds 4, New York Mets 0 at Shea Stadium

With Bobby Bonilla, Rickey Henderson, and Rey Ordoñez starting following recent injuries, this game marks the first time since mid-April that the Mets’ projected Opening Day lineup takes the field. It does the home team little good. Orel Hershiser struggles through five innings, allowing four runs and eight hits. This proves more than enough backup for Reds’ starter Pete Harnisch, who completely shuts down the Met offense for seven innings. The game is particularly ugly for Bonilla, who is treated rudely by the Shea Stadium crowd after he watches a pair of triples fly over his head in right field.

Friday, June 4, 1999

New York Yankees 4, New York Mets 3 at Yankee Stadium

The first of six Subway Series tilts in 1999 features four lead changes, a charged atmosphere in the Yankee Stadium stands, and—typical for the National League club of late—a series of breaks that all fail to go the Mets’ way. The visitors from Queens draw first blood on a solo shot by Brian McRae off of David Cone in the top of the second. The Yankees respond in the bottom half when Jorge Posada hits his own bases-empty homer off of Rick Reed. The Mets retake the lead as Rickey Henderson manufactures a run by singling, stealing second, taking third when Posada’s attempt to throw him out sails into the outfield, and scoring on a sac fly. The Yanks jump out on top in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run bomb that Derek Jeter deposits into the home bullpen beyond the left field fence. Cone falters in the top of the sixth, walking Robin Ventura and giving up a single to McRae. Rey Ordoñez follows by poking a hit just over the outstretched of Tino Martinez at first. Ventura scores to tie the game, but the Mets are denied the go-ahead run because of a fan who leans over the railing and interferes with the ball as it rolls down the right field line. Thanks to the interference, Ordoñez is “awarded” a ground-rule double, which means McRae must stop at third. The Mets fail to score any more runs against Cone and reliever Jason Grimsley in the sixth, and the Yankees take full advantage of the reprieve, thanks to some surprisingly shoddy play from the Met infield. In the bottom of the seventh, Tony Tarasco hits a ball to the right side that Edgardo Alfonzo is in prime position to field. For some reason, John Olerud lunges for the ball, and as it bounces off the first baseman’s glove, Tarasco finds himself the recipient of an infield “hit.” The next batter, Scott Brosius, belts a hit off the left field fence that Henderson misplays, allowing Tarasco to score all the way from first. That run proves the margin of victory, as Mariano Rivera enters the game in the eighth to record a four-out save. Rivera encounters a slight scare in the top of the ninth when he hits Henderson with a pitch, then permits a long fly ball to right field off the bat of Alfonzo. But Fonzie’s fly, like everything else the Mets do in this game, falls short.

Monday, June 7, 1999

New York Mets 8, Toronto Blue Jays 2 at Shea Stadium

Benny Agbayani is the offensive star in the opener of a three-game set against the Blue Jays, as he belts two homers while the Shea Stadium stands ring with cheers of “Ben-ny! Ben-ny!” Mike Piazza also goes deep, and the Mets score six runs and lash 11 hits total against rookie Toronto starter Roy Halladay. Orel Hershiser holds down the fort by limiting Toronto to two runs in his six innings of work.

Tuesday, June 8, 1999

New York Mets 11, Toronto Blue Jays 3 at Shea Stadium

When Jason Isringhausen takes the mound to start this game, he is still looking for his first major league win since September of 1997. That last victory came against the Toronto Blue Jays, when he was opposed by Pat Hentgen. In an odd bit symmetry, he faces the same team and the same opposing pitcher this evening, and the results are identical to those of two years ago. Isringhausen does his part by holding Toronto to two runs over 5 2/3 innings. Cognizant of Izzy’s injury history, Bobby Valentine removes the hurler once he's thrown exactly 100 pitches. The score is 4-1 in favor of the Mets when he exits the game, and though Dennis Cook gives him palpitations by allowing a two-run homer to the first batter he faces, the offense comes through to guarantee Isringhausen a win, plating three runs in the seventh inning and three more in the eighth. Edgardo Alfonzo hits a two-run shot, Roger Cedeño belts a three-run homer, and even Rey Ordoñez gets into the act with a career-high four hits.

Saturday, June 12, 1999

New York Mets 4, Boston Red Sox 2 at Shea Stadium

For his second start in a row, Al Leiter steps in to be the Mets’ stopper after an ugly loss, blanking Boston for six innings. Making his first start since sustaining a freak batting practice injury to his eye, Benny Agbayani initiates the Mets’ scoring by leading off the bottom of the third with a home run, his third in a week and ninth since his callup from triple-A. In the top of the seventh, Leiter allows a trio of two-out hits to plate two runs, but John Olerud expands the Mets’ advantage with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the eighth.

Sunday, June 13, 1999

New York Mets 5, Boston Red Sox 4 at Shea Stadium

Knowing that both John Franco and Armando Benítez are unavailable, Orel Hershiser does his best to give the bullpen a rest. He limits the Red Sox to two runs over six innings, while his teammates jump out to a 5-2 lead on yet another home run from Benny Agbayani, a longball from Brian McRae, and RBI singles from Rickey Henderson and Edgardo Alfonzo. Hershiser attempts to pitch the seventh inning but gives up a walk and allows a single to start the frame. Dennis Cook allows both runners to score but limits the damage there, while B-squad reliever Greg McMichael contributes a scoreless eighth. Closer-for-a-day Turk Wendell does his best John Franco imitation in the top of the ninth by giving up a leadoff double to Nomar Garciaparra, but strands him on second to preserve the win.

Monday, June 14, 1999

Cincinnati Reds 8, New York Mets 4 at Cinergy Field

With his team having won six of their previous seven games, Bobby Valentine gives a day of rest to Mike Piazza and John Olerud and a start to the unhappy Bobby Bonilla. The compromised offense only manages one hit against Red starter Ron Villone, plating all three of their runs against him on a bases-loaded walk, a sac fly, and an RBI groundout. On the day, Met batters strand 10 runners on base. Jason Isringhausen allows three runs over his five innings, but things don’t truly unravel until the bullpen takes over in the sixth. After Greg McMichael walks two batters, Turk Wendell enters the game to face Aaron Boone and allows the light-hitting third baseman take him deep for a three-run homer that salts the game for Cincinnati.

Wednesday, June 16, 1999

New York Mets 5, Cincinnati Reds 2 at Cinergy Field

With Bobby Valentine serving the first game of his two-game suspension for sneaking back into the dugout at Shea Stadium a week earlier, bench coach Bruce Benedict captains the Mets to an uneventful victory in the Cincinnati series finale. Masato Yoshii throws six innings of two-run ball while his teammates take advantage of the Cinergy Field Astroturf to smack six doubles. Mike Piazza goes 2 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to 19 games. John Franco pitches a perfect ninth inning for his 16th save of the year.

Thursday, June 17, 1999

New York Mets 4, St. Louis Cardinals 3 at Busch Stadium

In the Mets’ first game in St. Louis, Al Leiter turns in another great outing, fanning nine batters and allowing a single run over seven innings. After Armando Benítez dominates in the eighth, however, John Franco nearly allows a 4-1 lead to evaporate. The inning begins with Franco allowing a single to Joe McEwing and a double to Edgar Rentería. He then induces a comebacker from the dreaded Mark McGwire but inexplicably throws to third in an attempt to get the lead runner. McEwing beats the throw, and the next batter, Fernando Tatís, knocks in two runs, cutting the Mets’ lead to one. With the tying and winning runs on base, Dennis Cook relieves Franco and saves the day by retiring the next three batters in order. The win makes bench coach Bruce Benedict 2-0 for his short stint managing in Bobby Valentine’s absence.

Friday, June 18, 1999

New York Mets 6, St. Louis Cardinals 2 at Busch Stadium

With Bobby Valentine permitted back in the dugout, the Mets pull off another nailbiter. The Mets stake themselves to a 5-0 lead on the strength of an RBI double from Edgardo Alfonzo and run-scoring singles from Rickey Henderson and Rey Ordoñez. Orel Hershiser pitches five scoreless innings but is forced to leave with back spasms. Workhorse reliever Turk Wendell keeps the Cards off the board in the sixth and seventh innings but falters in the eighth, allowing a two-out, two-run homer to Thomas Howard. After Wendell allows a single to the following batter, Valentine turns to Armando Benítez, who issues a four-pitch walk. That brings up Mark McGwire in a potential game-tying situation for the second game in a row. Benítez and McGwire faced each other eight times when the pitcher played for Baltimore and the slugger toiled for Oakland, and each of those confrontations ended with either a walk or a strikeout. The former outcome looks more likely when Benítez’s first three pitches land outside the strike zone, but the Met righty recover to toss a pair of called strikes, then catches McGwire looking on a 96 mph fastball at the knees to end the inning. St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa, who barked at home plate umpire Greg Gibson over strike calls all night, believes the pitch was lower, runs out of the dugout to argue as much, and gets tossed from the game. Mike Piazza leads off the top of the ninth with a solo homer for some much needed insurance, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 21 games in the process. Wary of using Franco after the previous night’s near disaster, Valentine sticks with Benítez in the bottom half and is rewarded with a breeze of a save.

Saturday, June 19, 1999

St. Louis Cardinals 7, New York Mets 6 at Busch Stadium

After being stifled in the first two games of the series, Mark McGwire reaches Jason Isringhausen for a three-run homer in the first inning. Izzy departs after 2 2/3 innings with six runs on his ledger. Trailing 7-2 in the top of the fifth, the Mets crawl within striking distance against St. Louis starter Darren Oliver on a Mike Piazza two-run homer and a two-run single from Rickey Henderson. But with Henderson on first and Bobby Bonilla at third, the Cardinals get a break when reliever Manny Aybar pulls the rarely successful fake-to-third-throw-to-first move and actually catches Henderson leaning. As Henderson finds himself in a rundown, Bonilla breaks for the plate, and St. Louis second baseman Joe McEwing throws home. Though the throw beats Bonilla to the plate, the runner appears to slide under a tag from catcher Alberto Castillo. Home plate umpire Charlie Williams calls him out anyway. Williams makes no friends this evening; both benches grouse about his miniscule strike zone making unnecessary work for every pitcher who takes the mound. Oliver is particularly aggrieved, requiring 121 pitches to negotiate his way through a mere four innings. After their fifth inning scare, the Cardinals hold back New York the rest of the way. It proves to be the longest nine-inning game in Met history, requiring three hours and 56 minutes to complete.

Sunday, June 20, 1999

New York Mets 9, St. Louis Cardinals 6 at Busch Stadium

Rick Reed does not fare well in the St. Louis series finale, giving up two homers (including yet another Mark McGwire blast, his 21st of the year) and five runs. But his offense picks him up, paced by Rey Ordoñez, of all people. The lumber-allergic shortstop goes 3 for 4 and shows some hustle by scoring from second base on an infield single—twice. In the top of the third, Ordoñez watches Roger Cedeño ground out to first and notices, as he reaches third, that first baseman McGwire has his back to the plate and is paying him no mind. The shortstop breaks for the plate, and by the time McGwire realizes what’s transpiring behind him, there is no play to make. In the top of the sixth, Ordoñez hits a two-run single to knot the score at 6. Shortly thereafter, St. Louis reliever Rick Croushore runs to cover first on another Cedeño grounder in the hole, but the speedy outfielder beats him to the bag and the pitcher falls down in foul territory at the conclusion of the footrace. When Ordoñez notices Croushore is still in a sitting position in foul territory, he continues right on past third, dashing for home as soon as the pitcher’s attention is diverted. (Croushore later swears he heard an umpire call time.) In this odd fashion do the Mets take the lead, and proceed to hold onto it. In the middle of it all, Mike Piazza extends his hitting streak to 23 games, one shy of the team record set by Hubie Brooks in 1984.

Tuesday, June 22, 1999

New York Mets 8, Florida Marlins 2 at Shea Stadium

In the opener of a brief three-game homestand hosting the Marlins, Masato Yoshii pitches well, giving up just two runs in 6 1/3 innings. His teammates are baffled by the knuckleball of Florida starter Dennis Springer through the first six innings, save for a Robin Ventura solo home run, but break out against him and the Florida bullpen in the late going. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the Mets tie the score when a Roger Cedeño hit skips past outfielder Preston Wilson, allowing Ventura to score all the way from first. RBI singles follow from Rey Ordoñez and Edgardo Alfonzo to give the Mets the lead, and they pile on with a four-run eighth inning. Even Armando Benítez gets into the act, capitalizing on a rare at bat with an RBI groundout to round out the victory.

Wednesday, June 23, 1999

New York Mets 6, Florida Marlins 3 at Shea Stadium

Al Leiter recovers from a rough, two-run first inning to throw seven strong frames and even contributes with his bat. His chopper up the middle in the bottom of the third allows the speedy Roger Cedeño to beat a throw to the plate and score the first Met run. Cedeño swipes two more bases in the game to bring his league-leading total up to 41. Edgardo Alfonzo homers in the fourth inning to tie the game at 2, then puts the Mets ahead to stay with an RBI single in the fifth. Unfortunately, Mike Piazza’s franchise-record hitting streak ends at 24 games when he fails to get a hit in four at bats while also suffering a mild concussion when he’s hit by a batter’s backswing while catching in the top of the seventh inning.

Thursday, June 24, 1999

New York Mets 3, Florida Marlins 2 at Shea Stadium

In the conclusion of their brief homestand, the Mets complete a sweep of the Marlins and defeat Liván Hernández for the third time in less than half a season. Orel Hershiser pitches six solid innings of one-run ball, but Hernández matches him, then helps his own cause by hitting a leadoff double in the top of the seventh and coming around to score on a sac fly. With the score knotted at 2 in the bottom of the eighth, John Olerud lines a one-out double into the left field corner. Robin Ventura follows with a bloop single beyond the first baseman’s reach that drives in pinch runner Luis López from second with the go-ahead run. John Franco retires the Marlins in order in the ninth for his 19th save.

Friday, June 25, 1999

New York Mets 10, Atlanta Braves 2 at Turner Field

Despite Mike Piazza sitting out while he deals with the aftereffects of a concussion, and despite a 45-minute delay due to faulty lighting at Turner Field, the Mets come out swinging against Braves starter Odalis Pérez. A Benny Agbayani solo homer gives New York its first run, followed by RBI singles from Todd Pratt, Roger Cedeño, and Rick Reed in the sixth. The Mets pile on in the late innings against Atlanta’s bullpen, scoring once in the seventh, twice in the eighth, and three times in the ninth. Reed pitches into the seventh inning and allows just one run in the rout, the Mets’ first victory at Turner Field in almost two years.

Saturday, June 26, 1999

Atlanta Braves 7, New York Mets 2 at Turner Field

Called on to make his major league debut at Turner Field, a visibly nervous Octavio Dotel puts the Mets in an immediate hole by allowing a first inning three-run homer to Ryan Klesko. Dotel fails to make it out of the fifth inning, giving up three more runs in that frame on a Chipper Jones two-run double and a sac fly from Brian Jordan. Atlanta ace Tom Glavine has struggled through a down year to this point in the season, but he still shuts down the Mets’ offense, allowing just one run over seven innings.

Sunday, June 27, 1999

Atlanta Braves 1, New York Mets 0 at Turner Field

Masato Yoshii pitches a great ballgame in the Atlanta series finale. Unfortunately for the Mets, Greg Maddux pitches even better, allowing a mere two hits over eight innings of classically efficient Maddux-esque work. The only run of the game scores in the bottom of the third when Yoshii gives up a single to Brave backstop Eddie Pérez, Maddux bunts him to second, and veteran shortstop Ozzie Guillén belts a double deep enough to drive in the slow-footed catcher. The Mets mount a threat in the ninth when Edgardo Alfonzo hits a one-out single against Atlanta closer John Rocker, but after pinch runner Melvin Mora moves to second on a groundout, Rocker dispatches Robin Ventura with a strikeout to end the game and the series.

Monday, June 28, 1999

New York Mets 10, Florida Marlins 4 at Pro Player Stadium

In the opener of a four-game set in Miami, Robin Ventura rebounds nicely from a rough series in Atlanta (where he struck out an astounding seven times in 12 at-bats) by hitting a pair of three-run homers, the first of which helps the Mets overcome an early 2-0 deficit and brings his RBI total on the season to a team-best 59. On a typically muggy Miami night, Al Leiter struggles through a 42-pitch, two-run third inning. During this slog, rookie Álex González fouls off five pitches before hitting a run-scoring single, which nearly sends the excitable Leiter off the deep end. The lefty leaps this hurdle, however, pitching through seven innings while giving up only three runs on the day.

Tuesday, June 29, 1999

New York Mets 5, Florida Marlins 1 at Pro Player Stadium

Orel Hershiser throws his best game thus far as a Met: 8 1/3 innings, five hits, and just one run. The old pro uses a mere 68 pitches to navigate the first seven innings and keeps the ball on the ground for most of the night, which leads to an astounding 11 assists for shortstop Rey Ordoñez (only three shy of the all-time single-game record). Hershiser leaves the mound to a standing ovation, a reaction he attributes to large numbers of “the 40-and-over crowd” in Florida. (“I saw a few canes out there.”) “Crowd” may be an exaggeration, as just a hair over 11,000 fans (the third smallest attendance in Florida’s brief history) pay to watch the contest.

Wednesday, June 30, 1999

Florida Marlins 4, New York Mets 3 (10 innings) at Pro Player Stadium

Rick Reed allows a two-run homer to Kevin Millar in the bottom of the second, but the Mets tie the score in the top of the sixth on a run-scoring groundout from Robin Ventura and an RBI single from Brian McRae. Millar puts the Marlins ahead again in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single, only to see Edgardo Alfonzo tie the score once more with a run-scoring single of his own in the top of the seventh. The game proceeds into extras until Armando Benítez, in his second inning of work, allows a walkoff home run to Mark Kotsay in the bottom of the tenth. It is the first longball Benítez has allowed to anyone since May 18, and the first hit any Marlins batter has notched against him in 22 at bats.

Thursday, July 1, 1999

New York Mets 12, Florida Marlins 8 at Pro Player Stadium

Bobby Valentine chooses to rest many of his regulars on a drizzly Miami evening. (The fans decide to rest, too; the “crowd” that shows up supplants that of two nights previous as the third smallest gathering in Marlins’ history.) Despite the absence of big bats like Mike Piazza in the starting lineup and the lack of observers, the Met offense explodes. Six runs in the third inning—all scoring with two outs—chase Marlins starter Ryan Dempster from the game, and the Mets proceed to score a pair of runs each in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. However, Octavio Dotel lets nerves get the better of him in only his second major league start. Staked to an 8-0 lead, he cedes two runs to Florida in the bottom of the fourth, then allows three more in the fifth. There are numerous mitigating factors, such as the threat of rain that could rob him of his first big league victory, causing him to speed up his approach. It doesn’t help Dotel’s nerves when Florida reliever Brian Edmonson throws up and in to him, a pitch he later admits he never saw. Dotel is grazed in the back of his batting helmet and takes his base, but the brush with danger seems to unsettle him even more. He also does not react well to a lack of close strike calls in his favor, looking visibly perturbed on the mound and prompting a chastising visit from pitching coach Dave Wallace. Somehow, Dotel manages to work his way through five innings, qualifying him for the win.

Saturday, July 3, 1999

Atlanta Braves 3, New York Mets 0 at Shea Stadium

Al Leiter does his best to keep the Braves at bay on a sweltering afternoon, but Brian Jordan drives in the first runs of the game with a two-run shot in the top of the fifth. Atlanta plates another run in the sixth, which proves more than enough for rookie starter Kevin Millwood, who stifles Met bats for eight innings. He starts the ninth in an attempt to go the distance, but issues a leadoff walk to Brian McRae, then gives way to John Rocker. The closer’s outing gets off to rough start when he unleashes a wild pitch and allows a single to Todd Pratt to put runners on the corners with nobody out. The Mets cannot capitalize, however, as Rocker induces two shallow fly outs from Edgardo Alfonzo and John Olerud, then strikes out Mike Piazza to end the game.

Sunday, July 11, 1999

New York Yankees 6, New York Mets 3 at Shea Stadium

The Mets have hopes of recording the first sweep in Subway Series history, but are turned aside by the oft-maligned Japanese pitcher, Hideki Irabu. He labors through the first few innings and allows the Mets to mount a two-out rally in the bottom of the third, as an Edgardo Alfonzo single and John Olerud walk are followed by RBI hits from Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura that give the Mets a 2-0 lead. But Orel Hershiser mirrors Irabu’s struggles by allowing doubles to Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius to start the top of the fourth, then gives up a three-run homer to Ricky Ledée to put the Yankees on top. The Mets tie the score in the bottom half when Roger Cedeño singles, steals second, and scores on a Rey Ordoñez double. Hershiser then reaches on a sac bunt attempt, sending runners to the corners with no outs and putting the Mets in a great position to retake the lead. Irabu knuckles down from that point forward, however. Rickey Henderson works a full count but strikes out on a fastball that “tricked” him. Edgardo Alfonzo “just missed” on a pitch he lofts into right, too shallow for Ordoñez to tag up from third. Olerud sends a long fly to left that Ledée runs down with a one-handed catch to end the inning. Given a reprieve, the Yankees score three times in the top of the fifth on run-scoring hits from Scott Brosius and Chad Curtis, then hold on for the rest of the way. Mariano Rivera recovers from the previous day’s blown save to set down the Mets in order in the ninth, recording his 23rd save of the year and this third against the Mets this season.

Thursday, July 15, 1999

New York Mets 8, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7 (10 innings) at Tropicana Field

In their first game after the All Star Break, the Mets rally against an early 3-0 deficit, thanks to a preponderance of walks and errors on Tampa Bay’s part and the quick wheels of Roger Cedeño, who belts a double and swipes two bags. Going into the bottom of the eighth, the Mets hold a healthy 7-3 lead, but for once the bullpen is not up to the task. Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook conspire to allow a run in the bottom of the eight, and in the ninth Armando Benítez struggles for the first time since taking over the closer’s role from the injured John Franco. He allows a two-out, two-run single to Fred McGriff and a bloop hit to Bubba Trammel that Cedeño loses in the lights and catwalks of domed Tropicana Field, which leads to the tying run crossing the plate. The visitors rebound in the tenth, as Benny Agbayani doubles and Cedeño singles to drive in the go-ahead run. Benítez pleads with Bobby Valentine for a chance to atone for his sins in the bottom half (begging him “Don’t take me out” as his teammates rally ). When the manager assents, Benítez rewards his faith by setting down the side in order on two K’s to preserve the win.

Tuesday, July 20, 1999

Baltimore Orioles 4, New York Mets 1 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

In the Baltimore farewell, Al Leiter has a surprisingly ineffective outing, failing to pitch six innings for the first time in two months. The lefty loads the bases in a rough first inning and plunks Will Clark with a pitch to force in the first Orioles run. The Mets tie the score on an Edgardo Alfonzo RBI single in the top of the third, but that is all the scoring they can manage against Baltimore’s starter, the large, hard-throwing Aruban righty Sidney Ponson, who scatters six hits and goes the distance for a complete game victory. The Orioles score three times in the fourth, the big blow an Albert Belle two-run shot. The Mets’ sole run on the day is scored by Rickey Henderson, a score that ties him for fifth on the all-time runs scored list with Willie Mays.

Thursday, July 22, 1999

New York Mets 7, Montréal Expos 4 at Olympic Stadium

The Mets’ eight-game road trip concludes with Orel Hershiser throwing seven innings of two-run ball, good enough for his 200th career win. Hershiser even contributes with his bat and his legs, hitting two singles and stealing third on the front end of a double steal in the top of the seventh. The Mets break the game open early, scoring six runs and hitting six doubles in the top of the second, one shy of the major league record for two-baggers hit in one inning. Jason Isringhausen and Dennis Cook throw an inning apiece to close out the victory. The team’s hot play has coincided with a rare losing streak by the Braves—five games, Atlanta’s longest slide in three seasons. And so the Mets will return to Queens just two games out of first place.

Friday, July 30, 1999

New York Mets 10, Chicago Cubs 9 at Wrigley Field

With Chicago in the midst of a punishing heat wave, Masato Yoshii takes the mound at Wrigley Field and turns in the shortest performance of his stateside career. He serves up a 465-foot bomb of a homer to Sammy Sosa in the first, then is knocked out of the game by a brutal second inning in which he allows six consecutive hits (including a single by opposing starter Steve Trachsel and back-to-back triples by Mickey Morandini and Sosa). Longman Pat Mahomes stops the bleeding by holding the Cubs to two hits and one run in 4 2/3 innings, giving the Mets the chance to come back. He also helps spark that comeback with an RBI double that sends Trachsel to the showers in the fourth. The Mets slowly chip away and take the lead with two-run rallies in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. A solo shot from José Hernández in the bottom of the fifth ties the score at 8, but Rickey Henderson responds with a homer of his own in the top of the sixth, and John Olerud hits another leading off the ninth to expand the Mets’ lead. Brought in for the save in the bottom of the ninth, Armando Benítez records two quick outs, only to give up a double to Morandini and an RBI single to Sosa, cutting the Mets’ lead to one run. After Mark Grace follows with a single that moves the tying run to third, pinch hitter Tyler Houston hits a shot off of Benítez’s right leg. At first, the pitcher is unable to locate the ball, but after a few helpful screams from Mike Piazza (who catches the entire game through the insane heat, though he does change his uniform three times), Benítez locates the ball at the foot of the mound and throws Houston out at first, just barely, to bring the game to a dramatic end. “I play goal now,” the closer quips. The hard-fought win, combined with another Atlanta loss, launches the Mets into unfamiliar territory: First place, at the latest point in a Mets season since 1990.

Sunday, August 1, 1999

New York Mets 5, Chicago Cubs 4 (13 innings) at Wrigley Field

Al Leiter attempts to provide some relief to a battered bullpen by giving one of his best performances of the year, pitching seven innings and striking out 15 Cubs, the most Ks by a Mets starter since David Cone fanned 19 in the last game of the 1991 season. In the top of the sixth, a two-run double by John Olerud and an RBI single from Darryl Hamilton (acquired the day before in a trade with Colorado) combine to give the Mets a 3-2 lead, but Armando Benítez’s first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning is clubbed for a game-tying homer by Henry Rodríguez. Thus begins another parade of relievers on another blazing hot Chicago afternoon. The Mets retake the lead in the top of the tenth when Rickey Henderson walks, steals second, advances to third on a throwing error, and scores on an Edgardo Alfonzo sac fly. But Benítez walks the first two batters he faces in the bottom half and is yanked in favor of ex-A’s closer Billy Taylor (snagged at the trade deadline from Oakland for Jason Isringhausen), who can only induce a groundout that moves the lead runners up a base. After an intentional walk to load the bases, Dennis Cook induces a grounder to first that has the potential to be a game-ending double play or a play at the plate. Instead, the ball clanks off of Olerud’s usually unimpeachable glove, allowing a run to score. The next batter hits into that elusive double play, and the game drags on into more extra innings. A few futile frames follow until Roger Cedeño leads off the top of the thirteenth with a double. After Todd Pratt and Rey Ordoñez fail to advance him, the Cubs elect to walk Benny Agbayani intentionally, figuring the Mets’ depleted bench and bullpen will force pitcher Pat Mahomes—who came on to pitch in the bottom of the twelfth and is the last line of defense for an exhausted bullpen—to bat for himself. Mahomes confounds the Cubs’ strategy by blooping a single into center field that barely eludes the glove of Chicago’s shortstop, bringing home Cedeño with the go-ahead run. Mahomes records the first two outs in the bottom of the thirteenth with little trouble before the Cubs try the Mets’ trick of allowing a relief pitcher, Scott Sanders, to bat for himself. (Also like the Mets, the Cubs are completely out of position players and have no other choice.) Sanders responds with a long double off the ivy in left field, igniting the Wrigley Field crowd and terrifying everyone on the field into thinking that this game may never end. The Mets try to appeal Sanders’ trot to second, saying he missed first base, but the umpires overrule them. Fortunately for New York, Mahomes recovers to strike out catcher Jeff Reed and bring the exhausting game (all four hours and 25 minutes of it), and series, to a conclusion with the Mets on top.

Friday, August 6, 1999

New York Mets 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1 at Shea Stadium

Octavio Dotel recovers from his rough outing in Chicago, pitching seven excellent innings and striking out 10 Dodgers. Playing his first game at Shea Stadium since his trade to Los Angeles, Todd Hundley receives a standing ovation from the New York crowd before going down on strikes three times, baffled by Dotel’s assortment of pitches despite the fact that he caught the rookie during a rehab stint at triple-A in 1998. “He kept climbing the ladder on me and I kept going with him like an idiot,” he says later. Dotel limits the Dodger damage to a lone run, which only scores in the top of the third after he cedes a two-out single to opposing pitcher Chan Ho Park, loads the bases on a walk and hit batter, and balks Park home. Roger Cedeño, who could never break into the starting lineup in four seasons with the Dodgers, exacts revenge in the bottom half of that inning by hitting a one-out single, stealing second and third base, and scoring on an Edgardo Alfonzo sac fly, barely beating a strong throw to the plate from Raúl Mondesí. The Mets take the lead on another sac fly in the bottom of the fourth, this one from Benny Agbayani, then hang on for dear life. The bullpen provides some agita, particularly when Armando Benítez allows a one-out single to Eric Karros and walks Hundley to put the go-ahead runs on base in the top of the ninth. The closer escapes danger by striking out Mondesí and Adrián Beltré to preserve the win.

Saturday, August 7, 1999

Los Angeles Dodgers 7, New York Mets 6 at Shea Stadium

The Mets take a 4-0 lead after two innings on RBI hits from Edgardo Alfonzo, Matt Franco, and Mike Piazza. The Dodgers score three of their own off of Al Leiter as he struggles his way through the fourth and fifth innings, but the lefty weathers the storm to pitch into the eighth, while the Mets receive a gift run on a wild pitch that brings Roger Cedeño scampering home in the bottom of the sixth. After Los Angeles pulls closer on a Paul Lo Duca solo shot in the top of the eighth, Leiter and Dennis Cook cap the scoring there, and the Mets still command a 5-4 lead going into the ninth inning. Armando Benítez threw 26 pitches the night before in preserving the Mets’ win, so Bobby Valentine decides to give him some rest and use Billy Taylor—who was acquired at the deadline for the express purpose of reducing Benítez’s workload—in his stead. Taylor falls behind the first batter he faces, Garry Sheffield, then throws a meatball right over the plate that the slugger clubs for a game-tying home run. One out later, Taylor walks Raúl Mondesí and allows him to steal second. After an intentional walk, Valentine removes Taylor for another deadline acquisition, southpaw Chuck McElroy, who gives up a two-run double to Craig Counsell, current owner of a .198 batting average. The Mets get a golden opportunity to tie the game in the bottom half, as Cedeño hits a leadoff single, steals second, moves to third when Alfonzo reaches on an error, and scores on a John Olerud hit. But with runners at the corners and nobody out, Mike Piazza grounds into a double play. Though Alfonzo could have darted home to score the winning run on that twin killing, he stays anchored to the bag. He remains there when the next batter, Agbayani, grounds out harmlessly to conclude a deflating defeat.

Sunday, August 8, 1999

Los Angeles Dodgers 14, New York Mets 3 at Shea Stadium

Rick Reed only throws 26 pitches before straining his middle finger, an injury that will send him to the disabled list. The Dodgers proceed to abuse every Mets pitcher who dares take his place on the mound. Called on for long relief, Masato Yoshii watches his first pitch sail 408 feet to straightaway center. The fearsome slugger who clubs this moonshot is Dan Dreifort, the opposing pitcher. Los Angeles scores five runs off of Yoshii, three off of Pat Mahomes, and two more off of Chuck McElroy. For the second time this season, Bobby Valentine is forced to use utility man Matt Franco as a reliever in the ninth inning to preserve what’s left of his relief corps. (McElroy takes Franco’s post in left field and manages a fine running catch at his new position.) Franco allows one hit, three walks and one run while striking out a batter, thus earning him the best line of any Mets pitcher on the day.

Tuesday, August 10, 1999

New York Mets 4, San Diego Padres 3 at Shea Stadium

Tony Gwynn, who recently collected his 3000th career hit, draws a standing ovation from the Shea Stadium crowd. Kenny Rogers is treated more rudely, drawing a loud chorus of boos when he allows three runs in the top of the fourth to a weak Padres lineup, an onslaught that includes an RBI double by opposing pitcher Andy Ashby. Rogers redeems himself by hitting his way on in the fifth, running first to third when outfielder Reggie Sanders slips on the grass, and scoring on John Olerud’s game-tying two-run single. The Mets take the lead in the seventh when Rickey Henderson (who’d sat out all three of the losses to the Dodgers, nursing a sore hip flexor) singles and scores on John Olerud’s second RBI hit of the evening. Henderson’s acolyte, Roger Cedeño, swipes his 58th base of the year in the eighth inning, tying the club record for stolen bases in a season held by Mookie Wilson.

Friday, August 13, 1999

San Francisco Giants 3, New York Mets 2 at 3Com Park

Forced back into the rotation by Rick Reed’s finger injury, Masato Yoshii pitches well, but a costly error by Luis López (subbing at second base for Edgardo Alfonzo, who is back in Venezuela for a family funeral) and solo homers by Rich Aurilia and Marvin Benard doom the Mets’ hopes. New York batters do little against Russ Ortiz, a young lefty putting up ace-like numbers in 1999. Matt Franco and Rickey Henderson provide a brief glimmer of hope when they rap out two-out singles in the top of the ninth against San Francisco’s fearsome closer Robb Nen, but he induces a groundout from Benny Agbayani for the final out.

Tuesday, August 17, 1999

San Diego Padres 3, New York Mets 2 at Qualcomm Stadium

Al Leiter has an uncharacteristically wild outing, walking eight batters, including four straight to start the second inning and force in a run. The fourth walk is issued to Leiter’s old Toronto teammate Woody Williams, who also belts an RBI double off of the Met lefty, a small bit of revenge for the three-run double Leiter hit against Williams at Shea a week earlier. Williams pitches into the eighth inning and limits the Mets to four hits.

Sunday, August 22, 1999 (Game 2)

St. Louis Cardinals 7, New York Mets 5 at Shea Stadium

In the nightcap of a rain-necessitated doubleheader, Garrett Stephenson limits the Mets to two runs over seven innings, while Orel Hershiser gives up three to the Cardinals over the same span. With Octavio Dotel having exited early in the first game of the double header, Bobby Valentine is all but forced to rest his more reliable bullpen arms. He pays for it when Billy Taylor and Chuck McElroy combine to allow four runs, the last three scoring on a bases-loaded line drive off the bat of Adam Kennedy that Matt Franco misjudges into a costly double. The home team attempts their second comeback of the afternoon in the bottom of the ninth, beginning when Benny Agbayani is hit by a pitch and comes around to score on a Rey Ordoñez single. After sitting out most of the second game, Mike Piazza contributes a pinch hit, two-out, two-run single (making this his tenth straight game with at least one RBI) that trims the Cardinals’ lead to two runs. Piazza’s blow brings Edgardo Alfonzo to the plate as the tying run, giving him a chance to play hero for the second time on the day, but he grounds out to end the ballgame.

Monday, August 23, 1999

New York Mets 3, Houston Astros 2 at Shea Stadium

Al Leiter caps the Astros’ offense at a pair of solo homers, though the second is a game-tying 400-foot bomb from ex-Met Carl Everett in the top of the seventh. Houston starter Scott Elarton allows his own homer to Edgardo Alfonzo in the first and an RBI sac fly to Roger Cedeño in the fourth, but otherwise keeps the Mets quiet for eight innings. However, Astros manager Larry Dierker is forced to pinch hit for Elarton in the top of the ninth in a vain attempt to push home the go-ahead run. His sub, Daryle Ward, singles against Turk Wendell, as does the following batter, Craig Biggio, but Armando Benítez enters the game to strike out the dangerous Jeff Bagwell and keep the score tied. In the bottom half, Darryl Hamilton hits a one out double and moves to third on a deep flyball off the bat of Cedeño. The Astros give Rey Ordoñez a free pass in order to force Bobby Valentine to bat for Benítez, who is due up next up. Valentine takes the bait and sends up Matt Franco, self-proclaimed goat of the second half of the Cardinals doubleheader on Sunday. Franco redeems himself with a parachute single down the left field line, just out of the reach of all three fielders who frantically run after it, earning the Mets a walkoff win.

Tuesday, August 24, 1999

Houston Astros 5, New York Mets 1 (10 innings) at Shea Stadium

Much as he had earlier this season against Greg Maddux, Masato Yoshii again finds himself on the unlikely end of a fierce pitcher’s duel when he faces off against Mike Hampton, Houston lefty in the midst of a Cy Young-caliber season. Yoshii gives up a monstrous home run to Carl Everett (459 feet off the scoreboard in right-center) to start the second inning, but is otherwise untouchable for 7 1/3 innings. It looks like that one run might be enough for the Astros as Hampton makes mincemeat of the Met lineup, setting down the first nine batters in order, inducing some timely double plays to erase the few baserunners he does allow, and even contributing a few hits to his own cause. Then, Mike Piazza leads off the seventh with his own moon shot (445 feet to the picnic area in left field) to tie the game at 1. Both bullpens hold down the fort until the top of the tenth, when Dennis Cook enters the game for the Mets. Though worked often this season, Cook has not made an appearance in eight days and he looks more than a bit rusty in this outing. He allows a leadoff bloop hit to Tony Eusebio that the batter legs out for a double. (“The bloops got even tonight,” Valentine notes after the game, referring to Franco’s game-winning hit the night before.) After Eusebio tags up and moves to third on an outfield fly, Cook intentionally walks Craig Biggio, hoping for a double play, but gives up a go-ahead RBI single to Ricky Gutierrez instead. The Astros cushion their lead when Jeff Bagwell blasts a three-run homer just over the leaping glove of Roger Cedeño in right field. The Mets go quietly in the bottom half to end a disappointing loss.

Wednesday, August 25, 1999

New York Mets 4, Houston Astros 0 at Shea Stadium

Kenny Rogers left his last start against the Cardinals with back spams and had sought out a chiropractor afterwards to deal with his injury. It thus comes as a shock when The Gambler pitches into the ninth inning of the Astros series finale and keeps Houston off the board the whole way. Rogers uses his sinker to great advantage, recording 18 of his 25 outs on the ground. Mets batters are similarly stifled by Houston starter Shane Reynolds until the bottom of the sixth, when Rickey Henderson singles, Mike Piazza doubles, and Robin Ventura drives them both in with a two-out hit. Shortly thereafter, Ventura shows some uncharacteristic speed by scoring from second on a Darryl Hamilton single, sliding just around the catcher’s tag for the third run of the inning and inspiring chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” from the Shea crowd. Rogers doesn’t quite make the finish line, but Dennis Cook recovers from his rough outing the night before to record the last two outs of the game.

Saturday, August 28, 1999

Arizona Diamondbacks 5, New York Mets 3 at Bank One Ballpark

Orel Hershiser and Arizona’s starter, ex-Met Armando Reynoso, engage in a battle of baseball HORSE. Each time the latter gives the Mets a lead, the former allows the Diamondbacks to tie things up. A Roger Cedeño RBI single in the top of the fourth is countered by a Jay Bell RBI single in the bottom half. When Reynoso permits two runs to score in the top of the sixth on a Robin Ventura double and another Cedeño single, Hershiser and Dennis Cook mirror him by allowing run-scoring hits to Erubiel Durazo and Steve Finley. (Finley’s hit comes on what should have been a comebacker, but Cook finds himself distracted by the hitter’s broken bat helicoptering through the infield.) Arizona wins the battle of attrition with two outs in the seventh, when Cook allows a well-struck ball toward left field off the bat of Bell. Rickey Henderson makes a feint stab at the hit with his glove, only to watch the ball fly past him. Speedster Tony Womack scores all the way from first to give the Diamondbacks their first lead of the day, which they then pad with a solo homer by Matt Williams off of Pat Mahomes in the eighth. The Mets are retired in order in the ninth by Arizona’s new closer, Matt Mantei, a deadline acquisition from the payroll-hemorrhaging Marlins.

Sunday, August 29, 1999

Arizona Diamondbacks 8, New York Mets 4 at Bank One Ballpark

Al Leiter struggles through a difficult first inning, with his wildness and defensive miscues behind him leading to four runs. After walking the first two batters he faces and ceding an RBI double, Leiter allows a looping ball to left-center. Rickey Henderson and Darryl Hamilton each converge on the ball, nearly colliding before both back off. Neither fielder catches the ball, and two more runs score on the play. Leiter then contributes to the mess by throwing away a Gregg Colbrunn comebacker, allowing a runner to advance to third and later score on a sac fly. The Mets put together a three-run rally in the top of the second on RBI singles from Rey Ordoñez, Henderson, and Edgardo Alfonzo, while a Roger Cedeño hit plates another run in the third. But Luis Gonzalez reaches Leiter for an RBI double in the bottom of the second and a long solo shot in the seventh, while his teammates score twice more in the eighth against the ineffective duo of Chuck McElroy and Billy Taylor to put the game out of reach.

Tuesday, August 31, 1999

Houston Astros 6, New York Mets 2 at the Astrodome

José Lima, colorful Houston starter enjoying surprisingly strong season, keeps the visitors off the board for seven innings. The Mets assist him by making some costly outs at third base. Particularly ugly is the indecision of Rickey Henderson in the top of the sixth, as he hesitates before trying to advance from second on a pitch bobbled by the catcher and is thrown out by a mile. The Mets finally reach Lima in the top of the eighth after Ken Caminiti commits a two-out error that permits Edgardo Alfonzo to reach safely, a miscue followed immediately by John Olerud launching the first pitch he sees for a game-tying homer. Bobby Valentine then turns to Turk Wendell, who he hasn’t used in six days in deference to his accumulated workload this season, to keep the game tied in the eighth. Wendell issues a one-out walk to Craig Biggio and gives up a booming double off of the out-of-town scoreboard in right field to Matt Mieske. Only a heads-up play of the carom by Roger Cedeño keeps a run from scoring, but the reprieve is temporary. Wendell walks Jeff Bagwell intentionally to set up a force at any base, but Caminiti atones for his costly error by blasting Wendell’s 1-1 pitch for an opposite field grand slam. Houston closer Billy Wagner sets the Mets down easily in the top of the ninth, handing them a deflating defeat. Meanwhile, a Brave win expands Atlanta’s lead in the National League East to 3.5 games.

Wednesday, September 1, 1999

New York Mets 9, Houston Astros 5 at the Astrodome

On the field, the Mets pick up where they left off in the series opener, touching up Houston pitching for 18 hits. Robin Ventura leads the way with four RBIs (bringing his total to a career-high 108) and a homer (his 200th career longball). Mike Piazza and John Olerud each hit two doubles, and Roger Cedeño tallies three hits and drives in two runs. Continuing his on-again off-again trend, Octavio Dotel pitches five so-so innings and leaves a bases loaded jam for Pat Mahomes to clean up in the sixth, but the longman allows just one inherited runner to score as he, Dennis Cook, and Armando Benítez combine to limit the Astros to one run the rest of the way.

Friday, September 3, 1999

Colorado Rockies 5, New York Mets 2 (10 innings) at Shea Stadium

In the wake of the Rey Ordoñez-Luis López dustup, the Met lineup finds itself unable to scrape together more than two runs against Colorado starter Jamey Wright. Orel Hershiser limits the Rockies to two runs over his own six innings, and Pat Mahomes, Dennis Cook, and Armando Benítez combine for three scoreless frames, but the game gets away from the bullpen in the tenth. Turk Wendell starts the trouble with a one-out walk of Todd Walker, followed by a single from Dante Bichette to put runners on the corners. With lefty slugger Vinny Castilla due up, Bobby Valentine calls on southpaw Chuck McElroy, against whom Castilla is 0-for-7 in his career. Despite this record, McElroy walks the slugger to bring up journeyman switch-hitter Jeff Barry, who made his first brief major league appearance with the Mets back in 1995 and has mostly languished in the minors ever since. Barry is supposedly better hitting right-handed than left, and he shows it by batting righty against McElroy and clubbing his first pitch for a booming drive beyond Roger Cedeño’s reach in right field. All three runners come around to score on the double. Valentine later scribbles the mild euphemism “darn” in his desk calendar to denote a loss that, combined with a Braves win, pushes the Mets 4.5 games out of first, their largest deficit since July. A Cincinnati loss maintains New York’s four-game lead in the wild card standings.

Saturday, September 4, 1999

New York Mets 4, Colorado Rockies 2 at Shea Stadium

Al Leiter guts out his performance in this game, as he allows 11 Colorado hits but only two runs, dancing out of danger when he needs to and staying on the mound into the ninth inning. The lefty is aided by his teammates’ bats as well as their defense, particularly on one play that proves equal parts hilarious and horrifying to watch. Opposing pitcher and ex-Met Brian Bohanon knocks a double off of Leiter to lead off the third, then gets ambitious after Kurt Abbott hits a two-out single to center. Bohanon—who, according to the Daily News, “weighs considerably more than the 240 pounds at which he is listed” —lumbers toward third on Abbott’s single, then around it, as Shawon Dunston fields the ball and fires it to the plate so hard he flops to the ground as he throws. Piazza catches the ball on one hop and blocks, steeling himself for a brutal collision with the bulky pitcher. Bohanon avoids this by running home standing, allowing himself to be tagged out without protest. The Mets trail 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Rickey Henderson works a one-out walk, allowing Edgardo Alfonzo to blast a two-run homer into the left field bleachers. Robin Ventura adds an insurance run on a solo shot in the eighth, his 30th of the year. Leiter attempts to go the distance but gets into some two-out trouble in the ninth and requires the services of Armando Benitez, who strikes out Terry Shumpert for the final out. A rare Brave loss pulls the Mets back to 3.5 games out of first place in the National League East.

Tuesday, September 7, 1999

San Francisco Giants 7, New York Mets 4 at Shea Stadium

Making his first start after a lengthy, frustrating stint on the disabled list, Rick Reed says his arm and middle finger feel fine, though the results do not reflect it. He begins the top of the third by giving up a leadoff double to rookie pitcher Joe Nathan, then proceeds to load the bases and surrender a three-run double to Jeff Kent, and requires 44 pitches to negotiate his way through the inning. He departs after four frames with another middling performance on his ledger in a season full of them. Reed’s teammates rally with a Todd Pratt RBI double in the fifth and run-scoring hits by John Olerud, Darryl Hamilton, and Rey Ordoñez in the sixth to take a lead. The Met bullpen holds the fort until the top of the eighth, when Turk Wendell, John Franco, and a rare Ordoñez miscue conspire to give the lead back to San Francisco. Franco, Jeff Tam, and Chuck McElroy help the Giants pad that lead with two more runs in the ninth. The Mets use eight pitchers in total, a new franchise record for a nine-inning game, in a frustrating defeat that pushes them back to 3.5 behind the Braves in the National League East.

Thursday, September 9, 1999

New York Mets 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 1 at Dodger Stadium

When the Mets make their only trip of the season to Chavez Ravine, they add insult to injury for their hapless hosts by using ex-Dodgers to inflict most of their damage. Orel Hershiser, hero of L.A.’s improbable 1988 championship, stifles his former team for eight innings, a solo shot by Gary Sheffield in the bottom of the first the only hit recorded against him. It looks as if Sheffield’s blast might stand up, as Dodger ace Kevin Brown keeps the Mets off the board with little trouble through the fifth inning, but in the top of the sixth, shortstop Mark Grudzielanek commits a head-scratchingly awful error, running right past an easily catchable John Olerud grounder. This sets the stage for another ex-Dodger, Mike Piazza, to blast a screamer into the left field stands that leaves the park in an instant. Sheffield makes a bid to tie the score in the seventh when he hits a ball to deep right field, but yet another former Dodger continues the pain as Roger Cedeño leaps to snag the ball just before it clears the fence. September callup Jay Payton contributes a pinch hit RBI single to pad the Mets’ lead in the top of the ninth, and Armando Benítez converts his 19th save, despite walking two batters. The victory helps the Mets gain a half-game on the idle Braves while maintaining a 3.5-game lead in the wild card standings.

Friday, September 10, 1999

Los Angeles Dodgers 3, New York Mets 1 at Dodger Stadium

Dodger starter Darren Dreifort nearly goes the distance and holds the meat of the Met batting order—Edgardo Alfonzo, Mike Piazza, John Olerud, and Robin Ventura—to 0-for-15 with just a single walk to their credit. Al Leiter pitches well for the Mets, with just a pair of RBI sac flies in six innings of work on his ledger. This is all L.A. needs, however, though the Dodgers scratch out an insurance run in the seventh when Billy Taylor takes the mound for yet another ineffective outing. Bobby Valentine chooses to praise Dreifort rather than damn his hitters after the game. “That guy has as good stuff as anyone, maybe the best in the league,” he says. “I don’t know what he does that gets him in trouble, but he sure doesn’t do it against us.” The loss, combined with a Cincinnati win, shaves the Mets’ wild card lead down to 2.5 games.

Saturday, September 11, 1999

New York Mets 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 2 at Dodger Stadium

On the same day that the local L.A. papers print spurious rumors the Dodgers attempted to reacquire Mike Piazza twice in the last year, the catcher exacts his revenge at the plate, where he goes 4 for 4 and belts his second homer of the series. That longball puts the Mets up 2-0, and though the Dodgers tie things up on a homer of their own by old pal Todd Hundley in the bottom of the fourth, Piazza’s leadoff single in the top of the sixth sparks a four-run rally. Masato Yoshii holds down the fort from there, pitching seven fine innings and continuing a streak of great starting outings that have all followed Bobby Valentine’s implementation of a much-mocked six-man rotation. The win helps the Mets gain a game in the National League East on the Braves, who lost this evening, and maintain a wild-card lead over with the Reds, who won. A sour note is sounded when Darryl Hamilton leaves the game after the first inning as a result of slamming his knee into the outfield wall.

Monday, September 13, 1999

New York Mets 6, Colorado Rockies 5 at Coors Field

Rick Reed allows a respectable-for-Coors-Field four runs in six innings in the series opener at Coors Field. The Mets take the lead in the top of the seventh inning on a two-run homer by Rickey Henderson, but watch the Rockies tie things up again in the bottom half when Pat Mahomes cedes a leadoff solo shot to Terry Shumpert. Todd Walker follows this with a double, prompting Bobby Valentine to turn to Turk Wendell for the first time since the righty injured his knuckle in frustration after a bad outing a week earlier. Wendell wriggles out of the jam to keep the score tied, impressing Valentine enough to let him bat for himself in the top of the eighth. (Wendell walks against Colorado reliever Jerry DiPoto and even runs the bases without benefit of a jacket in the chilly Denver climate.) Turk repays Valentine’s confidence by working a scoreless bottom half, striking out two. His teammates scratch out the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth when Mike Piazza scores on a wild pitch by Rockie reliever Dave Veres. On for the save in the bottom of the ninth, Armando Benítez gives up a leadoff single to Walker but induces a groundball double play from Dante Bichette and a flyout from Todd Helton to preserve the win. It marks the Mets’ 89th victory of the year, their highest win total since 1990. Even better, a 3-0 Padres win over the Braves places the Mets only one game out of first place.

Tuesday, September 14, 1999

Colorado Rockies 7, New York Mets 2 at Coors Field

Octavio Dotel sounds almost cocky before his first start at Coors Field, calling the stadium known for destroying pitchers “pretty” but “far from intimidating.” He refuses to believe the thin Denver air will have much effect on his pitching, but is punished for his hubris when the Rockies hang six runs on him in only three innings of work. He finds himself in trouble from the very start as he gives up a leadoff triple to Neifi Pérez and a two-run double to Dante Bichette shortly thereafter. The Rockies add a run in the bottom of the second, then homer Dotel out of the game in the bottom of the third when Vinnie Castilla clubs a 428-foot, two-run bomb to straight-away center, followed by a solo homer by Edgard Clemente (Hall of Famer Roberto’s nephew). Bobby Jones—fresh off the disabled list and making his first appearance since May—takes Dotel’s place, giving up one run in three innings of work in his first ever relief appearance. Colorado starter Jamey Wright stymies the Mets for the second time this season, limiting them to five hits and one run. The loss, combined with a Brave win, drop the Mets back to two games out of first place, but the Reds also lose, thus maintaining the Mets’ 2.5 game lead in the wild card race.

Friday, September 17, 1999

Philadelphia Phillies 8, New York Mets 5 at Shea Stadium

Despite entering this series on a miserable 11-game losing streak, the Phils touch up Al Leiter for three first-inning runs, tack on two more in the fourth, and cruise the rest of the way. Philly does some inadvertent damage to the Mets’ most dangerous weapon when Mike Piazza takes a blow off his throwing hand from a Ron Gant foul tip and is forced to leave the game. Todd Pratt takes his place and hits a two-run single in the ninth to make the contest look closer than it deserves. Rookie lefty Randy Wolf baffles the Mets, striking out 11 batters in six innings of work. “The Randy on the hill mowing down batters last night at Shea Stadium was named Wolf, not Johnson,” Frank Isola writes in the Daily News. “The Mets were never quite able to make that distinction.” Also among the wounded is Shawon Dunston, who makes a great diving catch in the fifth, but comes down hard and exits the game. Down in Atlanta, Chipper Jones hits a walkoff homer in the bottom of the tenth to give the Braves a win over the Expos and expand their lead in the National League East to two games. The Reds lose in Pittsburgh to stay three behind the Mets in the wild card race.

Saturday, September 18, 1999

New York Mets 11, Philadelphia Phillies 1 at Shea Stadium

Masato Yoshii throws seven great innings, prompting chants of “Yoshii! Yoshii!” from the Shea crowd. Mike Piazza is forced to the bench thanks to the injury sustained to his throwing hand in the previous game, but in his absence the bats lulled to sleep the night before wake up against opposing starter Mike Grace and the Phillies’ bullpen. The game even features Rey Ordoñez’s annual longball—a grand slam, no less. Darryl Hamilton hits a solo homer, scores three runs, and makes a great diving catch to keep the Phils off the board. In Atlanta, three Braves errors lead to four unearned runs for the Expos, making a hard luck loser out of Greg Maddux. Thus, the Mets find themselves once again within a game of first place. The Reds win to keep pace in the wild card hunt.

Sunday, September 19, 1999

New York Mets 8, Philadelphia Phillies 6 at Shea Stadium

The Mets stake themselves to a 4-0 lead in the third, thanks to a three-run homer by John Olerud (Edgardo Alfonzo touches home on Olerud’s homer to score his 117th run of the year, tying a club record set by Lance Johnson in 1996), followed immediately by a solo shot from Mike Piazza, back in action following his hand injury in the first game of this series. Kenny Rogers keeps the Phillies out of the hit column for the first four innings, but the wheels come off after he tweaks his troublesome hamstring in the fifth inning. He gives up a two-run homer to ex-Met Rico Brogna in that frame, follows it up with a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, and caps the inning by allowing a two-out single by Bobby Abreu that scores two more. Rogers gets the hook in favor of Octavio Dotel, temporarily demoted to the bullpen ahead of the upcoming series in Atlanta, who immediately balks to bring a runner home from third. Dotel recovers, hwoever, logging the final out of the inning and pitching a scoreless sixth. The Mets begin to claw back when Roger Cedeño leads off the bottom of fifth with an infield single, steals second, and scores on a one-out Olerud double. After a walk to Piazza, Robin Ventura hits his own infield single while Olerud scores the tying run all the way from second. Then, with two out, Benny Agbayani reaches on an error, which also allows Piazza to score the go-ahead run. Cedeño adds a solo home run in the sixth to pad the Mets’ lead, and the bullpen works around a few scares to maintain it. As for the Braves, despite missing slugger Brian Jordan (battling wrist injuries and rumored to be in danger of missing the postseason altogether), the Braves beat the Expos with little fuss. Thus, the Mets will begin their next series in Atlanta one game back in the National League East standings.

Tuesday, September 21, 1999

Atlanta Braves 2, New York Mets 1 at Turner Field

The Mets arrive in Atlanta one game out of first place and their sights set on dethroning the Braves, but their first game at Turner Field brings with it a harsh dose of reality. Rick Reed pitches spectacularly for seven innings, the only mark against him a solo homer by Chipper Jones in the bottom of the first, but his teammates can manage no more than an Edgardo Alfonzo RBI single in the top of the third against John Smoltz, who has retooled his delivery to throw sidearm since the Mets last faced him. A potential rally is snuffed in the top of the seventh when pinch hitter Bobby Bonilla belts a two-out double that might allow the speedy Roger Cedeño to score, if not for a fortuitous bounce of the ball into the waiting arms of right fielder Gerald Williams. Cedeño is forced to hold at third and is stranded there when Rickey Henderson strikes out to end the inning. With the score tied at 1 in the bottom of the eighth, Bobby Valentine calls on lefty Dennis Cook to face Chipper Jones, forcing him to bat from his historically weaker right side. Chipper defies his lifetime stats, as he has all season, by taking Cook deep. John Rocker strikes out Robin Ventura, Shawon Dunston, and Benny Agbayani in the top of the ninth on just 11 pitches to confirm this deflating defeat.

Thursday, September 23, 1999

Atlanta Braves 6, New York Mets 3 at Turner Field

After playing crisp (if losing) baseball in their first two games at Turner Field, the Mets stumble badly in the Atlanta finale, committing a ton of awful errors that speed their demise. They manage to score first in this game after Rickey Henderson hits a leadoff double against Greg Maddux and eventually scores on a John Olerud groundout in the top of the first. But in the bottom half, Al Leiter allows his own leadoff double to Gerald Williams, who moves to third on a sac bunt. Wary of pitching to Chipper Jones, Leiter walks him, only to see Andruw Jones knock in Williams with a single. In the top of the second, the Mets load the bases with no outs and score a run on a Rey Ordoñez single, but that lone run is all they can manage as Maddux wriggles off the hook with a strikeout, a force out at home, and a pop up. In the fifth, the Mets waste another opportunity when Henderson inexplicably tries to score from first on a double to left field that he mistakenly believed was bobbled. After Henderson is thrown out by a mile at home, the Mets throw themselves out of the game in the bottom half. It begins when Leiter fires a pickoff throw to first and catches Gerald Williams in a steal attempt, but John Olerud can’t get the ball out of his glove. The runner reaches second safely and moves to third on a bloop single by Bret Boone. Chipper steps up next, and the Mets choose to not walk him to load the bases. They pay for it when he crushes a three-run homer to right, his fourth longball against the Mets in three days. A visibly upset Leiter allows singles to the next two batters, and when Andruw Jones tries to tag up from second on a foul out behind first, Olerud fires a wild throw to third. With no one backing up the play, Jones trots home with the fourth run of the inning. The Mets get one run back in the top of the sixth on a Mike Piazza home run, only to give it back in the bottom of the seventh when Turk Wendell fields a comebacker and, hoping to start a double play at second, flings it into the outfield instead. A thoroughly unnecessary insurance run scores on the play. Though John Rocker issues two walks and a wild pitch in the top of the ninth, he still earns the save, completing an ugly sweep that obliterates any dreams of the Mets had winning the National League East.

Saturday, September 25, 1999

Philadelphia Phillies 4, New York Mets 2 at Veterans Stadium

Kenny Rogers insists his troublesome hamstring is feeling just fine, but that’s little comfort to the Mets when his wild performance hands them an early deficit in this game. The lefty allows back-to-back solo shots to Mike Lieberthal and Rico Brogna to start the bottom of the second, then loses all control in the third. After Rogers issues four walks, two of them coming with the bases loaded, he is finally given the hook. The Met bullpen holds off the Phillies after this point, but the damage is already done, as New York’s bats are completely baffled by the anonymous arm of Robert Person. They show signs of life in the top of the eighth when John Olerud hits a two-run homer, followed by walks from Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura to put the tying runs on base with nobody out. This opportunity goes by the wayside when Darryl Hamilton bunts into a force out at third and Benny Agbayani lines into a double play. They mount no such threats in the ninth and go down in defeat for the fifth game in a row. The loss, combined with a Cincinnati win, means they are now tied with the Reds for the National League wild card slot.

Sunday, September 26, 1999

Philadelphia Phillies 3, New York Mets 2 at Veterans Stadium

Desperate to find any formula that works, Bobby Valentine shuffles his lineup, dropping the slumping Edgardo Alfonzo to sixth in the batting order and inserting Roger Cedeño in Alfonzo’s usual two-slot. The results are largely the same, as the Mets can do nothing against soft-tosser Paul Byrd. New York had roughed up Byrd in a game at Shea a week earlier, but on this afternoon they can only cobble together five hits off of the lefty in seven innings of work. Rick Reed pitches well enough over six innings, but a two-run homer by Rico Brogna in the bottom of the fourth and an RBI single by Doug Glanville in the fifth are enough to hang an L on his ledger. The Mets finally get to Byrd in the top of the seventh when Mike Piazza singles, Darryl Hamilton walks, and Rey Ordoñez drives them both in with a two-out double. A wild pitch moves Ordoñez 90 feet away from tying the game, but after pinch hitter Matt Franco walks, Rickey Henderson strikes out to end the threat. Other chances are eschewed in similar fashion. In the top of the eighth, Mike Piazza hits a two-out double, but Robin Ventura can’t cash him in. The ninth is even more excruciating, as reliever Wayne Gomes walks the bases loaded with one out, giving Henderson another chance to tie up the game. Instead, Henderson bounces into a double play, ending the game and drawing the curtain on an unsightly sweep at the hands of the lowly Phillies. The Mets’ sixth consecutive loss places them one game out of the National League wild card standings.

Tuesday, September 28, 1999

Atlanta Braves 9, New York Mets 3 at Shea Stadium

Orel Hershiser begins the game by hitting Gerald Williams with a pitch, and his evening continues downward from there. Bret Boone hits a lazy single to right field, Chipper Jones collects one of his own to score Williams, and Ryan Klesko pokes a hit between third and short to score Boone. When Hershiser finally records his first out, it’s a Brian Jordan sac fly that drives in another run. Two more singles load the bases and end Hershiser’s night. Octavio Dotel’s first pitch in relief is wild, scoring yet another run, while a Jordan homer to start the third inning puts the Braves up by five runs. The game is completely put out of reach when Pat Mahomes coughs up four runs in the top of the ninth, while the Mets’ beleaguered offense can manage no more than a trio of RBI groundouts against Tom Glavine and the Atlanta bullpen. The loss leaves them 1.5 games out of the wild card lead behind the Astros, who lose to Cincinnati the same night, relinquishing their own lead in the National League Central to the surging Reds.

Wednesday, September 29, 1999

New York Mets 9, Atlanta Braves 2 at Shea Stadium

The Mets score first in this contest when Edgardo Alfonzo reaches on an error in the bottom of the first and eventually scores on a single by Mike Piazza. Al Leiter does his best to make the slim 1-0 lead stand up, but trouble finds in the top of the third when Brian Jordan lines a single past Rey Ordoñez to drive in two runs. The Mets respond with a stunning rally against Greg Maddux in the bottom of the fourth, reaching him for eight consecutive hits, including an RBI single from Leiter, of all people, and a grand slam by John Olerud. Seven runs score in the frame, and Leiter ensures this effort is not made in vain by contributing seven strong innings, finally bringing an end to the Mets’ disastrous seven-game losing streak. A Red defeat at the hands of the Astros means the Mets remain 1.5 games out of the wild card standings.

Thursday, September 30, 1999

Atlanta Braves 4, New York Mets 3 (11 innings) at Shea Stadium

Masato Yoshii and Kevin Millwood battle to a stalemate for seven innings in the series finale. The Mets find themselves in a 2-0 hole thanks to an RBI single by Andruw Jones in the top of the fourth and a Gerald Williams solo homer in the fifth, but the home team strikes back with one run in the bottom of the fifth and ties the score on a Darryl Hamilton run-scoring single in the seventh. Atlanta retakes the lead in the top of the eighth on a Chipper Jones RBI single, but in the bottom half, Edgardo Alfonzo hits a two-out game-tying homer into the Braves’ bullpen that sends the Shea crowd into a frenzy. However, the dramatic longball only sets up a crushing disappointment in the top of the eleventh. Shawon Dunston misplays a Brian Jordan flyball into a leadoff triple in that frame, allowing Jordan to score on an Ozzie Guillén sac fly. The Mets go quietly in their half. With both the Astros and Reds idle, the Mets are now two full games out of the wild card spot with three games to play.