To begin their homestand, the Mets welcome the Dodgers to Shea for the first time in 1999. This means a return of Valentine’s old nemesis Todd Hundley, who receives a hearty ovation from the crowd in his first at bat. (Asked if it would be odd to be on the same field as Hundley again, Valentine responds, “Why would I give a shit?”) Hundley gets even more cheers as he strikes out three times against Octavio Dotel, who bounces back nicely from an awful start in Chicago. The only run against him comes in the top of the third when he loses control and focus in the top of the third, allowing a two-out single to the opposing pitcher, Chan Ho Park, followed a hit batter, a walk, and a balk.

The Mets tie things up in the bottom half when Roger Cedeno singles, steals second and third, then scores on a sac fly. The next inning, Robin Ventura doubles, moves to third on a sac bunt, then scores on his own sac fly. It is all the offense the Mets need, though Armando Benitez makes things far too interesting by allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to reach base in the ninth with one out. He escapes danger with two Ks to cap the Mets’ 2-1 win over LA.

2000: The Mets fail to complete a sweep in Arizona, losing to the Diamondbacks 9-5 in a game that Bobby Valentine likens to “a long day in a dentist’s chair.” Glendon Rusch feels uncomfortable all game and was tagged for five runs in four innings of work, while the bullpen gave up two homers to put the game out of reach. Mike Piazza sat out the game, nursing his sprained knee. The Mets’ road trip will continue with four in Houston, marking their first visit to what is currently known as Enron Field.

2000: In the second of three in Arizona, Robin Ventura homers, Edgardo Alfonzo goes 3 for 5 with two RBIs, and Bobby Jones throws six solid innings in an tidy 6-2 win. However, the big news in this one is a knee injury suffered by Mike Piazza as he runs out a routine grounder and hits the first base bag awkwardly. The Mets hold their breath, since this is the same knee that knocked Piazza out at the beginning of the 1999 season. However, an MRI reveals it is simply a mild sprain, and a DL trip is not in his future.

2000: The Mets begin a seven-game Western swing with three in Arizona. The Diamondbacks are their closest pursuers in the NL wild card race, just three behind New York in the loss column, and they’ve just added another powerful arm by trading for Curt Schilling at the deadline. In the series opener, the Mets face their other ace, Randy Johnson, and Joe McEwing continues his baffling mastery over The Big Unit by getting two RBIs against him. The Mets score four times against him in the fourth, while Rick Reed stifles the Arizona offense, paving the way for a 6-1 win.

2000: The Mets have a travel day for a seven-game West Coast swing, beginning with a series in Arizona.

2000: In the last of three hosting the Reds, the Mets came out on top thanks to Robin Ventura, who broke a long homerless streak with a two-run shot in the first for all the runs they would need. Al Leiter struggled early but settled into a groove, retiring 18 of 19 batters at one point in the game. The 2-1 win brought to close an impressive 8-1 homestand.

2000: In the second of three against the Reds at Shea, Mike Hampton pitches a gem until the eighth inning, when things begin to fall apart. With the Mets up 3-0, he allows an RBI double to Barry Larkin, then gives way to Turk Wendell, who gives up an RBI triple to Dante Bichette, putting the tying run on third with one out. John Franco takes the mound and does yeoman’s work to strand him there, getting Sean Casey to ground out and striking out Benny Santiago. Armando Benitez has a much easier time of it, setting the Reds down in order in the ninth, capping a 3-2 victory.

While the Mets are getting pummeled, Steve Phillips makes a few deals to bolster their bench and overworked bullpen. First, he trades Brian McRae, Rigo Beltran, and minor leaguer Thomas Johnson to the Rockies for outfielder Darryl Hamilton and lefty reliever Chuck McElroy. Then, he sends frequent Norfolk shuttle rider Craig Paguette to the Cardinals for Shawon Dunston, the former shortstop who now mostly patrols the outfield (and is not too happy about the trade, having just bought a house in St. Louis).

Finally, Phillips acquires A’s closer Billy Taylor in exchange for Isringhausen. The thought is Taylor–owner of 100 saves over the past few seasons–provides an insurance policy against regression by Armando Benitez or if John Franco fails to recover from his finger injury. It is, however, a somewhat surprising move, considering all the work that was done to salvage Izzy’s star-crossed career.

2000: In the opener of their series at Shea against the Reds, both Barry Larkin and Ken Griffey Jr. hear it from the fans for rejecting trades to the Mets (Griffey over the winter, Larkin a few short days ago). But Cincinnati has the last laugh in this game, as they get to Glendon Rusch for five runs (four earned). Scott Williamson and the Reds’ bullpen blanks the Mets’ offense in this 6-0 loss.

Masato Yoshii wilts in the heat and suffers through his shortest outing of the year, lasting just 1 1/3 innings and allowing 7 runs. His nightmare afternoon includes a string of seven straight hits, back-to-back triples, and a 465-foot moonshot by Sammy Sosa. Pat Mahomes comes to the rescue by pitching 4 2/3 innings in relief, allowing just one run over that span, while his teammates mount a comeback against Chicago’s Steve Trachsel and take an 8-7 lead. The Cubs tie things up on a Jose Hernandez solo homer, but two more from Rickey Henderson and John Olerud give the Mets a 10-8 lead. Armando Benitez comes on for the save in the ninth, gets the first two batters, then allows a double and an RBI single. Another single puts the tying run at third, and the next batter hits a ball off Benitez’s leg. The closer has trouble finding it at first, but some desperate screams from Mike Piazza get his attention, and he is able to field it and throw to first in time for the final out, finally ending an exhausting 10-9 win.

Meanwhile, the Braves lose to Philadelphia, a loss that gives Mets sole possession of first place. The Mets have not led their division so late in a season since 1990.

2000: In the second of three against the Cardinals at Shea, Bubba Trammell follows Mike Bordick’s lead by homering in his first at-bat as a Met. Trammell improves on Bordick’s feat, however, by making his a three-run shot that proves the difference in the the Mets’ 4-2 win. Even more encouraging is that fact that Bobby Jones goes the distance, his first complete game since 1997. Jones strikes out nine batters (including Jim Edmonds three times) and allows just four hits.

2000: Mike Bordick makes his Mets debut in the second game against the Cardinals at Shea, and makes quite an impression, as he belts the first pitch he sees for a game-tying home run in the bottom of the second. The Mets and Cards trade leads for a good chunk of the day, but the home team ties the score at three on a Mike Piazza homer, then goes ahead for good on a pinch hit RBI single by Lenny Harris in the bottom of the eighth. The hit scores Robin Ventura, just back from the DL, and the Mets hold on in the ninth to win, 4-3.

2000: As the Cardinals arrive in New York for a three-game series, the Mets pull the trigger on a few deadline deals that pale in comparison to their scuttled trade for Barry Larkin (and which have not aged well). First, they acquire Mike Bordick from the Orioles to play shortstop, in exchange for a package of four players, the most prominent of which is Melvin Mora. Then, they make a deal with the Devil Rays, getting reliever Rick White and outfielder Bubba Trammell for former first-round pick Jason Tyner and Paul Wilson, the last member of Generation K to leave Queens. After Steve Phillips had so much noise about acquiring some big time players, or any big time players, these moves are greeted with a resounding “huh?” from the press. Especially since the Braves had fortified their lineup by trading for slugger B.J. Surhoff. However, when reporters wondered if the Mets couldn’t compete with Atlanta, this question was greeted by John Franco with a terse, “Fuck ‘em.”

As for the game against St. Louis, the Mets got three runs in the second against Pat Hentgen and held on for dear life. Al Leiter did a good job of keeping a powerful lineup off the board, but the Mets were mostly bailed out due to a pickoff move. After John Franco struggled in the eighth, Turk Wendell came on with the score 3-1, one out, and two men on. Wendell executed his patented fake-to-third-throw-to-first and managed to catch Jim Edmonds off of first base. A run later scored on an error, but the damage stopped there, and Armando Benitez earned the save in the 3-2 win.