1999–2000: Day by Day
When I first began working on Yells For Ourselves years ago, I originally conceived of it as an interactive ebook-type thing, and one of the interactive features I wanted to include was a day-by-day log of the 1999 & 2000 Mets regular seasons that a reader could pull up and refer to at any point in the text. That interactive version never came to pass, but since I have all the content for the day-by-day chronicle, I present it here for curious obsessives such as myself.
Click any date to load the recap of that game, and use the arrows next to the dates to scroll through the calendar for any month.
Florida Marlins 6, New York Mets 2
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. 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.
Record: 0-1, –1G NL East
New York Mets 12, Florida Marlins 3
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. Recovering quickly from their embarrassing opening day loss, the Mets pummel Marlins pitching all day, putting a hurt on starter Liván Hernández 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 such opportunities in game number two. Each member of the starting lineup contributes at least one hit save pitcher Rick Reed, but he atones both by throwing both six solid innings and contributing an RBI sac fly. Mike Piazza belts his first longball of the year, a second-deck two-run shot that knocks Hernández out of the game in the top of the fifth. Forty-year-old Rickey Henderson, who’d looked very much his age 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.
Record: 1-1, 0G NL East
New York Mets 6, Florida Marlins 0
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. 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.
Record: 2-1, +1G NL East
Montréal Expos 5, New York Mets 1
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. 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 Ordóñez, 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.
Record: 2-2, –1G NL East
New York Mets 10, Montréal Expos 3
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. 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 pitched wretchedly 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.
Record: 3-2, +0.5G NL East (3-way tie with Montréal and Atlanta)
New York Mets 4, Montréal Expos 3 (11 innings)
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. 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.
Record: 4-2, +1G NL East
New York Mets 6, Montréal Expos 3
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. 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.
Record: 5-2, +1G NL East
New York Mets 8, Florida Marlins 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In front of a lively crowd of 52,052, the Mets take their home opener in convincing fashion. For the second time in a week, their bats knock Liván Hernández out of the game with a big fifth inning. This time, the scoring is sparked by starting pitcher Bobby Jones, who breaks a 1-1 tie by belting a solo homer just over Shea’s left field fence. Robin Ventura busts the game open with a two-run double later in the inning, then flashes the leather with a pair of fine plays on bunt attempts by Marlin speedster Luis Castillo. With Mike Piazza on the disabled list, Bobby Bonilla hits cleanup and is roundly booed until three hits and an RBI turn the jeers into hearty cheers of “Bob-by! Bob-by!” Jones makes sure his longball stands up with seven dominating innings.
Record: 6-2, +1G NL East
New York Mets 4, Florida Marlins 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In his first home start as a Met, Orel Hershiser takes advantage of the Marlins’ anxious young lineup, expending only 10 pitches to negotiate the first two innings. He exits the game in the sixth to an appreciative standing ovation from a small but forgiving Shea crowd braving the elements on a chilly night. His teammates build a lead on RBI doubles from Todd Pratt and Edgardo Alfonzo, a Robin Ventura homer, and a bases-loaded walk. John Franco records his 400th career save in style by striking out the side.
Record: 7-2, +1G NL East
Florida Marlins 11, New York Mets 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The Marlins series ends on a sour note as starter Masato Yoshii allows four runs in five innings, while the bullpen is torched for seven more in the persons of Josias Manzanillo and Rigo Beltrán. The fans who dared cheer Bobby Bonilla on opening day have already turned on him, exhaling loud boos when he fails to make a sliding catch in right field in the top of the seventh, an error that leads to one run and is immediately followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Bruce Aven. “That was a light day from what I’m usually used to,” Bonilla says.
Record: 7-3, +0.5G NL East
Montréal Expos 6, New York Mets 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Following a rain delay of an hour, Al Leiter is undone by a series of bad hops and bad breaks in top of the fourth inning. After Leiter allows a solo homer to Rondell White that stays just on the wrong side of the left field foul pole and walks Vladimir Guerrero, a Michael Barrett “single” hugs the third base line as Robin Ventura stares at it, incredulous the ball refuses to roll foul. Montréal takes advantage of their good fortune with an RBI single from Chris Widger and a two-run triple from Wilton Guerrero, while Leiter’s teammates are stifled by Expo starter Dustin Hermanson. A two-run homer by Todd Pratt brings the Mets close in the bottom of the ninth, but Montréal’s closer Ugueth Urbina enters to game to strike out two batters and shut the door on any thoughts of a rally. Adding to the dour feeling of the evening, Rickey Henderson leaves the game after singling in a pinch-hit appearance, felled by a hamstring problem that’s plagued him since spring training.
Record: 7-4, +1.5G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 3, Montréal Expos 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Pitching on the 35th anniversary of the first game ever played at Shea Stadium, Bobby Jones throws seven strong innings to collect his third victory of the young season. Jones allows two runs in the top of the second but shuts down Montréal from there, while Matt Franco—drawing a rare start at third base—ties the game with a two-run double off of Expo starter Carl Pavano in the bottom of the third. The Mets play small ball to take the lead in the fifth when Roger Cedeño doubles, moves to third on a grounder, and scores on a Bobby Bonilla fielder’s choice. Hitless relief by Armando Benítez and John Franco makes the margin stand up. The win can’t fight off the injury bug, however, as centerfielder Brian McRae collides with Pavano in a play at first base and will miss a few days of action as a result.
Record: 8-4, +1G NL East
Montréal Expos 4, New York Mets 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Allen Watson, one-time star pitcher for Christ the King High School in Middle Village, gets the nod in the conclusion of the Mets’ first homestand, subbing for the injured Rick Reed. He proves efficient: his first pitch is turned into a single by Orlando Cabrera, his second is crushed for a 418-foot home run to dead center by José Vidro, and his eighth is clubbed by Rondell White for a solo shot. Watson settles in thereafter, throwing seven decent innings, but three runs form too large a deficit for the injury depleted Met lineup to overcome. Expo starter Javier Vázquez limits New York’s offensive output to two bases-empty homers by John Olerud.
Record: 8-5, +0.5G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 3, Cincinnati Reds 2
Cinergy Field, Cincinnati OH. Orel Hershiser and Pete Harnisch lock up in a pitcher’s duel until Bobby Bonilla breaks a 1-1 tie with a solo homer in the top of the seventh. The Mets then expand their lead on a two-out Robin Ventura RBI single in the eighth. John Franco is asked to preserve the lead in the ninth and makes things difficult on himself by allowing back-to-back singles to Dmitri Young and Aaron Boone. After a sac bunt moves the two runners into scoring position, Pokey Reese laces a ball up the middle that could spell doom for the Mets, but Edgardo Alfonzo reaches the ball in time and keeps it on the infield, ensuring that the tying run stays on third. Franco induces more palpitations by walking the bases loaded, but manages to strike out Mike Cameron and induce a pop out from Barry Larkin to end the game. “I got away with one tonight,” the closer sighs after the game.
Record: 9-5, +0.5G NL East
Cincinnati Reds 7, New York Mets 4
Cinergy Field, Cincinnati OH. 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.”
Record: 9-6, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 4, Cincinnati Reds 1
Cinergy Field, Cincinnati OH. Pitching, in the words of Bobby Valentine, “like a man possessed,” Al Leiter earns his first win of the year by scattering five hits over 6 1/3 innings. He receives support in the form of RBIs from Robin Ventura and Bobby Bonilla, while Todd Pratt belts his second homer in as many games. The game also marks the first appearance of the full complement of the Mets’ projected opening day outfield, as Rickey Henderson comes off the disabled list to join Bonilla and Brian McRae (also recently healed from an injury). The reunion lasts all of one inning as Bonilla is forced to leave the game after top of the second, still ailing from a knee injury he suffered during spring training.
Record: 10-6, +2.5G (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 6, Chicago Cubs 5
Wrigley Field, Chicago IL. 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 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 Ordóñez. 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.
Record: 11-6, +1G NL East
Chicago Cubs 2, New York Mets 0
Wrigley Field, Chicago IL. The Mets are shutout for the first time in 1999 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 Ordóñez 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.
Record: 11-7, +1.5G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
Chicago Cubs 8, New York Mets 4
Wrigley Field, Chicago IL. 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.
Record: 11-8, –1G NL East
San Diego Padres 6, New York Mets 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 11-9, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 4, San Diego Padres 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Al Leiter throws seven brilliant innings, while a John Olerud solo shot and Edgardo Alfonzo RBI double give the Mets a 2-1 lead they cling to as they head into the eighth inning. This is when Armando Benítez chooses a poor time to allow his first runs as a Met. After walking leadoff man Quilvio Veras, Benítez allows back-to-back run-scoring doubles to Tony Gwynn and Phil Nevin that hand the Padres a 3-2 lead. San Diego has not given up a lead they held after the eighth inning in almost three years (181 games’ worth), but all streaks must end some time. In the bottom of the ninth, John Olerud reaches base when Padre shortstop Damien Jackson misplays his grounder (ruled a hit, though Jackson’s backhand attempt to catch it is misguided at best). Mike Piazza takes advantage, turning on Trevor Hoffman’s first pitch, a fat, 86 mph fastball, and sending it over the right field fence for a walkoff home run, capping the most dramatic win of the Mets’ young season.
Record: 12-9, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 8, San Diego Padres 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. On a chilly, blustery afternoon, Bobby Jones struggles with his curveball and shows little of the form he’s displayed thus far this season. He is bailed out when his teammates rally from early deficits of 4-0 and 5-2, mostly by taking advantage of the wildness of the San Diego pitchers. Met batters collect nine walks on the day, and five of those free passes come around to score. An RBI bloop single from Rey Ordóñez and a Robin Ventura sacrifice fly give the Mets their first lead in the sixth, and they hold on the rest of the way. Dennis Cook contributes a scoreless inning and earns his fourth relief win of the season.
Record: 13-9, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, San Francisco Giants 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 14-9, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 9, San Francisco Giants 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 15-9, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 2, San Francisco Giants 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 shutout innings while Reuter throws a scoreless 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.
Record: 16-9, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Houston Astros 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 17-9, –1.5G NL East
Houston Astros 6, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Al Leiter throws six excellent innings in this game. Unfortunately for the Mets, he continues to pitch after that point. 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.
Record: 17-10, –1.5G NL East
Houston Astros 5, New York Mets 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 17-11, –2.5G NL East
Arizona Diamondbacks 14, New York Mets 7
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix AZ. 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 runs after that to put the game completely out of reach.
Record: 17-12, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 2
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix AZ. 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 in that inning, 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 to end the game, thus notching his first save as a Met.
Record: 18-12, –2.5G NL East
Arizona Diamondbacks 11, New York Mets 6
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix AZ. Rick Reed attempts to set a record for negative efficiency, allowing eight runs while expending only 38 pitches in 1 1/3 innings of work. Late home runs by Mike Piazza and Mike Kinkade make the final score seem far more respectable than it should be, as Reed’s poor start denies the Mets any chance of reasserting themselves into the game.
Record: 18-13, –2.5G NL East
Colorado Rockies 10, New York Mets 3
Coors Field, Denver CO. 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 forced to hit the disabled list.
Record: 18-14, –2.5G NL East
Colorado Rockies 8, New York Mets 5
Coors Field, Denver CO. This game marls 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 him on the mound this evening. 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.
Record: 18-15, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 10, Colorado Rockies 5
Coors Field, Denver CO. 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.”
Record: 19-15, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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.
Record: 20-15, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 9, Philadelphia Phillies 7
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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.
Record: 21-15, –0.5G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 5, New York Mets 2
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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.
Record: 21-16, –1.5G NL East
Milwaukee Brewers 4, New York Mets 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 build 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.
Record: 21-18, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 11, Milwaukee Brewers 10 (Game 1)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 22-18, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 10, Milwaukee Brewers 1 (Game 2)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the nightcap of a doubleheader, the home team jumps all over Milwaukee starter Steve Woodard and the Brewers’ bullpen. The Mets are already ahead 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth when Robin Ventura belts his second bases-loaded roundtripper of the day, making him the first player in major league history to hit a grand slam in both halves of a doubleheader. Unlike the first game of the day, no Milwaukee counterpunch is forthcoming this time as Masato Yoshii turns in another fine outing, allowing just one run in seven innings.
Record: 23-18, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Philadelphia Phillies 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 24-18, –1.5G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 9, New York Mets 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing, NY. 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.
Record: 24-19, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Philadelphia Phillies 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. After waiting out a two-hour rain delay, the Mets’ bats are dampened further by the Phillies' ace, Curt Schilling, who keeps the offense quiet with eight fantastic innings. Schilling carries a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth with an eye toward finishing what he started. Technically, he does. Mike Piazza leads off the inning with a single, followed by a two-run homer from Robin Ventura. One out later, Matt Franco singles and Luis López is hit by a pitch. After Jermaine Allensworth singles home Franco, Roger Cedeño just beats out a relay throw to prevent a game-ending double play, then steals second, putting the winning run in scoring position. Schilling nearly strikes out Edgardo Alfonzo before hitting the batter on the arm to load the bases. The very next pitch Schilling throws is hit for a single by John Olerud. López scores and Cedeño beats a throw to the plate by a hair, giving the Mets a thrilling come-from-behind win against one of the best pitchers in the game.
Record: 25-19, –1.5G NL East
Pittsburgh Pirates 7, New York Mets 5
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh PA. 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.
Record: 25-20, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 3
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh PA. 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.
Record: 26-20, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Three River Stadium, Pittsburgh PA. 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.
Record: 27-20, –1.5G NL East
Arizona Diamondbacks 2, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 27-21, –3G NL East
Arizona Diamondbacks 8, New York Mets 7
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 bottom of 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.
Record: 27-22, –3G NL East
Arizona Diamondbacks 10, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 27-23, –3G NL East
Cincinnati Reds 5, New York Mets 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 27-24, –4G NL East
Milwaukee Brewers 7, New York Mets 6
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 21-17, –2.5G NL East
Cincinnati Reds 4, New York Mets 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 27-25, –5G NL East
Cincinnati Reds 8, New York Mets 7
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Once again, the Mets play another back-and-forth affair that does not break their way. They score twice against Red starter Sean Avery in the bottom of the first, but Cincinnati immediately responds against Jason Isringhausen in the top of the second with a two-run triple from Mike Cameron and an Aaron Boone RBI single. The Mets tie the game on a Bobby Bonilla solo shot in the bottom of the fourth, only to fall behind again in the top of the sixth when Dennis Cook hits a batter with the bases loaded to force in a run. A two-run homer by Greg Vaughn in the top of the seventh extends the Reds’ lead to 6-3, but the Mets rally for four runs in bottom half with RBIs from Brian McRae, Matt Franco, and John Olerud. Tasked with holding a 7-6 lead, John Franco records the first two outs easily in the top of the ninth, only to walk to Vaughn and allow an infield single to Barry Larkin. The runners then execute a double steal to place the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Franco nearly escapes this trap by backing the next batter, Mike Cameron, into an 0-2 count, bringing the Mets within one strike of a much needed victory. Then Cameron watches two pitches out of the zone before bouncing a single up the middle to drive in two runs and put the Reds back on top. Stunned, the Met bats go quietly in the bottom half for their sixth straight loss. The loss completes a miserable 0-6 homestand, marking the first time the Mets have been swept in consecutive three-game series at home since the historically hapless team of 1962.
Record: 27-26, –5G NL East
New York Yankees 4, New York Mets 3
Yankee Stadium II, Bronx NY. 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 Ordóñez 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, Ordóñez 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.
Record: 27-27, –5G NL East
New York Yankees 6, New York Mets 3
Yankee Stadium II, Bronx NY. For the second game in a row, the Mets build an early lead against the defending world champs, only to squander it through a series of bizarre incidents. The Mets score twice in the top of the second on an RBI groundout by Brian McRae and a run-scoring single from Roger Cedeño, then once more in the third on a Bobby Bonilla sac fly. But even while leading, the Mets don’t appear to be in control of this game, as evidenced by a strange play in the second. During this frame, Rey Ordóñez hits a ball that looks ticketed for the outfield until Yankee pitcher Orlando Hernández spears it with his glove. The ball is hit so hard that it gets trapped in the webbing, so Hernández hurls the entire glove toward first base, where Tino Martinez catches it for the out; Robin Ventura, who had been on second when the ball was hit, is too flabbergasted to advance any fartehr than third, and does not score in the inning. Masato Yoshii permits three runs in the bottom of the third, then two more in the fourth on a Tino Martinez leadoff homer and an RBI double by Scott Brosius. The Yanks extend their lead to three runs on a Chili Davis single in the bottom of the fifth. The closest the Mets come to a late-inning threat comes when Hernández allows the first two batters in the top of the seventh to reach base, but relievers Mike Stanton and Ramiro Mendoza strike out the next three batters with relative ease. From there, it’s all over but the shouting, as Mariano Rivera once again earns the save in the ninth. The Mets’ losing streak has now stretched to a disastrous eight in a row.
Record: 27-28, –6G NL East
New York Mets 7, New York Yankees 2
Yankee Stadium II, Bronx NY. As this day begins, Mets are mired in a horrendous slide that led to the firing of three coaches late the night before. Then they find themselves tasked with attempting to end this slide against Roger Clemens, winner of an American League-record 20 consecutive decisions. The Rocket cruises through the first inning before allowing a double to Mike Piazza and a single to Robin Ventura to start the second. Then he issues a walk to the next batter, Brian McRae, as he stares long and hard at home plate umpire Joe Schulock when he fails to get a few close strike calls. Another ball call, issued on a 2-2 count to Bobby Bonilla, draws even harder glares from Clemens and inspires him to stalk around the mound, smirking to himself. Bonilla smokes his next pitch down the right field line for a two-run double. For the second time in the series, a fan leans over the railing and interferes with the hit, preventing three runs from scoring. This time, the Mets shrug off the bad luck when Benny Agbayani hits his own two-run double. Clemens escapes the inning without incurring further damage, but begins the top of the third by allowing a single to John Olerud and a titanic homer to straightaway center by Piazza. A few moments later, Agbayani adds his third RBI of the evening, and Clemens’s outing is finished. There is no counterpunch from the Yankees this time, as Al Leiter pitches his best and most important game of the year, allowing just one run and four harmless hits over seven innings of work, ending the Mets' disastrous eight-game losing streak.
Record: 28-28, –6G NL East
New York Mets 8, Toronto Blue Jays 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 29-28, –6G NL East
New York Mets 11, Toronto Blue Jays 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 Ordóñez gets into the act with a career-high four hits.
Record: 30-28, –6G NL East
New York Mets 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3 (14 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. This occasion marks David Wells’s first appearance in New York since being traded from the Yankees for Roger Clemens at the tail end of spring training. Boomer smothers the Met bats for eight innings, while his teammates give him a 3-0 lead on solo shots from Darrin Fletcher and José Cruz and a Carlos Delgado RBI double. Wells attempts to go the distance, but the Mets defy him in the bottom of the ninth when Edgardo Alfonzo hits a one-out single, Mike Piazza lashes a two-out hit, and Robin Ventura drives in both men. The Blue Jays turn to closer Billy Koch to record the final out, only to watch Brian McRae belt a game-tying double. From there, the game plods on into extra innings, with each team taking turns mounting and wasting scoring chances. Bobby Valentine argues a catcher’s interference call in the top of the twelfth inning and finds himself ejected. He later attempts to sneak back into the dugout wearing a transparently bad disguise, a prank that lands him a second ejection and will eventually lead to a suspension and fine from the league. The Mets earn themselves a walkoff win in the bottom of the fourteenth when Luis López and McRae open the inning with walks. One sac bunt later, Rey Ordóñez parachutes a single into no man’s land to score López, mercifully ending the game and completing a three-game sweep of Toronto.
Record: 31-28, –6G NL East
Boston Red Sox 3, New York Mets 2 (12 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the opener of an interleague series hosting Boston, the Met batters find themselves helpless against opposing starter Brian Rose as he limits them to three harmless hits for seven innings. The Red Sox scratch out runs in the second and third against Masato Yoshii and hand a 2-0 lead to Tom Gordon in the ninth. Boston’s closer had only recently ended his record streak of 54 consecutive save opportunities converted, but he fails to begin a new streak at Shea as John Olerud leads off the ninth with a single and Mike Piazza follows with a 429-foot game-tying bomb into the left field bleachers. Unfortunately for the Mets, the heroics end there. Things unravel for the home team in the top of the twelfth inning when John Franco allows a one-out single to Damon Buford, who then steals second and advances to third after Piazza’s attempt to gun him down skips into the outfield. Buford is erased when he gets caught in a rundown on a José Offerman grounder, but the Mets take so long to tag out the lead runner that Offerman is able to race to second on the play. With first base open, Bobby Valentine could opt to walk righty batter John Valentin and ask the southpaw Franco to face lefty Brian Daubach instead, but the Met manger decides to bank on Franco’s traditional success against righties and the fact that Valentin is playing through a groin injury. This plan backfires, as Franco allows a run-scoring single. Valentin’s hit might have resulted in a play at the plate, but Benny Agbayani overruns the ball, adding another unsightly mark to an ugly, game-deciding inning. The Mets work two walks in their half of the twelfth but otherwise go quietly into the night.
Record: 31-29, –6G NL East
New York Mets 4, Boston Red Sox 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 32-29, –5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Boston Red Sox 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 33-29, –4G NL East
Cincinnati Reds 8, New York Mets 4
Cinergy Field, Cincinnati OH. 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.
Record: 33-30, –4G NL East
New York Mets 11, Cincinnati Reds 3
Cinergy Field, Cincinnati OH. The Mets tie a franchise record by belting six home runs in a nine-inning game. Rickey Henderson gets things started with a leadoff shot, the 74th time he’s done so in his illustrious career. John Olerud and Mike Piazza also go deep in the first to generate a 4-0 lead before an out is recorded. This would prove to be more than enough scoring for New York, but Henderson adds another homer in the seventh, while Edgardo Alfonzo and Matt Franco go deep in the fifth and sixth, respectively. Rick Reed contributes eight innings of two-run ball, despite suffering from a kidney stone that is described in excruciating detail in the New York newspapers.
Record: 34-30, –4G NL East
New York Mets 5, Cincinnati Reds 2
Cinergy Field, Cincinnati OH. 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.
Record: 35-30, –4G NL East
New York Mets 4, St. Louis Cardinals 3
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. In the first of a four-game set 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.
Record: 36-30, –4G NL East
New York Mets 6, St. Louis Cardinals 2
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. 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 Ordóñez. 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 recovers 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 the righty retires the Cardinals with little trouble to end the game.
Record: 37-30, –4G NL East
St. Louis Cardinals 7, New York Mets 6
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. 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 to this point, requiring three hours and 56 minutes to complete.
Record: 37-31, –4G NL East
New York Mets 9, St. Louis Cardinals 6
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. 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 Ordóñez, 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, Ordóñez 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, Ordóñez 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 Ordóñez 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.
Record: 38-31, –4G NL East
New York Mets 8, Florida Marlins 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 Ordóñez 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.
Record: 39-31, –3G NL East
New York Mets 6, Florida Marlins 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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, and also suffers a mild concussion when he’s hit by a batter’s backswing while catching in the top of the seventh inning.
Record: 40-31, –3G NL East
New York Mets 3, Florida Marlins 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 41-31, –3G NL East
New York Mets 10, Atlanta Braves 2
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. 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.
Record: 42-31, –2G NL East
Atlanta Braves 7, New York Mets 2
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. 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. Though Atlanta ace Tom Glavine has struggled to this point in the season, he still manages to shut down the Mets’ offense, allowing just one run over seven innings.
Record: 42-32, –3G NL East
Atlanta Braves 1, New York Mets 0
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. 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.
Record: 42-33, –4G NL East
New York Mets 10, Florida Marlins 4
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. 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.
Record: 43-33, –4G NL East
New York Mets 5, Florida Marlins 1
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. 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 Ordóñez (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.
Record: 44-33, –3G NL East
Florida Marlins 4, New York Mets 3 (10 innings)
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. 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.
Record: 44-34, –3G NL East
New York Mets 12, Florida Marlins 8
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. 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.
Record: 45-34, –3G NL East
Atlanta Braves 16, New York Mets 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the first tilt of an important three-game series against Atlanta, Chipper Jones starts the scoring by hitting a two-run homer off of Masato Yoshii in the top of the first. From there, the Braves never take their foot off the gas. Yoshii goes on to allow eight runs in only three innings of work, and Atlanta is only halfway done at this point, scoring twice more in the fourth and once each in the fifth and sixth innings. To make matters worse for the Mets, John Franco—on the mound in the ninth merely to get some work in—strains a flexor tendon in his pitching hand and is forced to leave the game with an injury that will land him on the disabled list for the next two months. With his bench and bullpen spent, Bobby Valentine is forced to shuffle his defense and throw pinch hitter Matt Franco on the mound. The Mets’ other Franco allows a three-run homer to Gerald Williams before finally recording the last out of the inning. The drubbing sets the new ignominious mark of most lopsided shutout in Met history.
Record: 45-35, –4G NL East
Atlanta Braves 3, New York Mets 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 a 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.
Record: 45-36, –5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Atlanta Braves 6
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. On another steamy game at Shea, the Braves start off hot yet again, scoring twice against Orel Hershiser in the top of the first inning on back-to-back solo shots from Bret Boone and Chipper Jones. The Mets counter with three runs of their own in the bottom half on a two-run Mike Piazza single and an RBI groundout from Benny Agbayani. Edgardo Alfonzo tacks on with a run-scoring double in the second, but the Mets’ lead is short lived. In the top of the third, the Braves cross the plate four times on another Boone homer, an RBI sac fly from Ryan Klesko, and a two-run shot from Randall Simon. Atlanta starter John Smoltz keeps things quiet until the bottom of the seventh, when Rey Ordóñez singles and Brian McRae walks to start the inning. One out later, Alfonzo blasts a three-run shot to put the Mets back on top to stay. Armando Benítez earns his first save since becoming the “official” Mets closer following John Franco's injury, and does it in style by striking out Boone, Chipper, and Brian Jordan in order.
Record: 46-36, –4G NL East
New York Mets 2, Montréal Expos 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the midst of a brutal heat wave (thermometers reach 101 during the day), Rick Reed stifles Montréal as much as the mercury does, allowing one lone run on five hits through seven innings. His teammates are similarly suppressed by Expo starter Dustin Hermanson, who limits the Met bats to one unearned run over 6 2/3 innings. With offense at a premium, the margin of victory scores when the Mets plate a run on a bases-loaded double-play grounder in the bottom of the eighth. The home team gets some help from Montréal manager Felipe Alou, who makes the curious decision to not position his infield for a play at the plate. Armando Benítez retires the Expos with little trouble in the ninth, his second save in as many tries since taking over the closer’s role for the injured John Franco.
Record: 47-36, –4G NL East
New York Mets 10, Montréal Expos 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In order to reshuffle the pitching rotation and give Masato Yoshii some extra rest while he deals with a sore quadricep, Bobby Valentine asks Orel Hershiser to pitch on only one day’s rest, something no Met starter has done since 1982. Despite another brutal night with temperatures just shy of 100 degrees at game time, the 40-year-old Hershiser cruises through five innings and limits the Expos to three hits. He contemplates going further, but it seems an unnecessary risk, as his teammates have already reached Montréal starter Carl Pavano for five runs by that point, thanks in large part to a two-run homer from Brian McRae and an RBI from Edgardo Alfonzo. Fonzie lodges another RBI in a three-run sixth inning, and the Mets log two additional runs in the eighth. In his first relief appearance, Jason Isringhausen earns a save the old fashioned way by pitching the last three innings.
Record: 48-36, –3G NL East
Montréal Expos 3, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Octavio Dotel turns in his best start yet, limiting the Expos to one run and five hits over seven innings. His teammates are also held to one run over that span, however, and an errant throw in the top of the eighth by Luis López (manning third base after Robin Ventura is hit by a pitch in the foot) allows Montréal to take a lead. The Mets threaten by loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth, but the Expos call on closer Ugueth Urbina to face Mike Piazza, and after he fans the catcher, the Mets draw no closer. López shoulders all the blame after the game, with the use of Rickey Henderson-esque grammar. “Blame it on me,” he says. “Everyone played their asses off. Dotel pitched great. This time, Luis López failed.”
Record: 48–37, 4G NL East
Montréal Expos 4, New York Mets 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Masato Yoshii settles in after allowing a run in the first inning, retiring 13 Expos in a row at one point. The Mets carry a 3-1 lead into the sixth inning, aided by a Mike Piazza blast, but Montréal draws closer with a solo shot from Vladimir Guerrero in the sixth, the kind of homer only Guerrero can blast, going deep on “an eye-high fastball” in the words of the Daily News. (“Hats off to him,” Yoshii shrugs.) The Expos tie things up on an Orlando Cabrera homer off of Turk Wendell in the seventh, then take the lead in the eighth when Wilton Guerrero (Vlad’s brother) hits a one-out triple against Dennis Cook, tags up to score on a sac fly, and does so easily thanks to a poor Brian McRae throw. This proves the margin of victory in a defeat that spells a disappointing split of a four-game series with Montréal.
Record: 48-38, –5G NL East
New York Mets 5, New York Yankees 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The first meeting of the Mets and Yankees at Shea Stadium in 1999 features the same starting pitchers as the last Subway Series matchup in the Bronx: Roger Clemens vs. Al Leiter. The Mets draw first blood with a Rey Ordóñez RBI single in the bottom of the second. The Yanks tie things up in the top of the third with a hit-and-run play on a Chuck Knoblauch single that scores Chad Curtis from second. The Mets regain the lead in the bottom half when John Olerud hits a long solo shot off the scoreboard in right field. A Paul O’Neill RBI double ties the score at 2 in the top of the sixth, but the Mets catch a break when O’Neill is thrown out trying to steal third on a very close play. They then storm right back, beginning with a bloop single by Edgardo Alfonzo to start off the bottom of the sixth. A wary Clemens walks Olerud, setting the stage for Mike Piazza to play hero. The catcher gets ahead in the count, then whips a Clemens slider into the left field bleachers for a laserbeam three-run homer. Leiter cruises the rest of the way, and though Armando Benítez brings the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth, he strikes out pinch hitter Chili Davis to cap a thrilling victory.
Record: 49–38, –4G NL East
New York Mets 9, New York Yankees 8
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Rick Reed faces off against Andy Pettitte in one of the craziest games ever played in the Subway Series, if not the history of Shea Stadium itself. The Yankees get off to a fast start when Paul O’Neill cracks a two-run homer in the top of the first. The Mets immediately cut the lead in half with a Mike Piazza RBI double in the bottom of the first, then tie the score on a Rey Ordóñez sac fly in the second. In the fourth, the Mets score twice on a Robin Ventura RBI double and another Ordóñez sac fly that allows Ventura to tag up and beat a throw to the plate by an eyelash, giving the Mets a 4-2 lead. Reed can’t hold onto the advantage, however, as he allows back-to-back homers to Ricky Ledée and Jorge Posada to start the top of the fourth. Greg McMichael takes Reed’s place in the sixth and immediately allows O’Neill’s second longball of the day, putting the Yankees back on top. True to their name, the Bronx Bombers extend their lead with a Chuck Knoblauch homer off of Rigo Beltrán in the top of the seventh. The Mets respond in the bottom half, with Rickey Henderson starting a rally by check-swinging a ball into right field and hustling the hit into a double. Like Roger Clemens the night before, Yankee reliever Ramiro Mendoza pitches carefully to John Olerud and walks him. Like Clemens, he pays for it when Piazza destroys one of his pitches, crushing it over the picnic area beyond the left field fence for a three-run bomb to give the Mets a 7-6 lead. But no lead is safe in this game, and Dennis Cook gives up a two-run shot to Posada in the top of the eighth that hands the Yanks an 8-7 advantage. Mariano Rivera takes the mound in the bottom of the ninth, looking for his third save against the Mets this year. He issues a one-out walk to Henderson, then sees Edgardo Alfonzo hit a long fly ball to center that Bernie Williams misjudges into a double, putting the tying and winning runs in scoring position. The next batter, Olerud, hits a hard grounder to first that prevents the runners from advancing. With first base open, the Yankees issue an intentional walk to the dangerous Piazza, leaving the Mets’ last chance in the hands of pinch hitter Matt Franco. After taking a very close 0-2 pitch that is judged a ball by the home plate umpire, Franco belts a single into right field. Henderson scores the tying run, Alfonzo races home just ahead of a throw from O’Neill to plate the winning run, and the Mets have themselves one of the most insane, improbable wins in franchise history.
Record: 50-38, –4G NL East
New York Yankees 6, New York Mets 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 Ordóñez 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 (in his words), Edgardo Alfonzo lofts a fly ball too shallow for Ordóñez to tag up from third, and 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.
Record: 50-39, –5G NL East
New York Mets 8, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7 (10 innings)
Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay FL. 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.
Record: 51-39, –5G NL East
New York Mets 9, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 7
Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay FL. Thanks to the designated hitter afforded by an American League ballpark, Bobby Valentine is able to bat Roger Cedeño ninth, and he once again wreaks havoc on the basepaths, swiping two bags and scoring two runs. Rickey Henderson makes sure he is not outshone by doing the young outfielder one better in both categories. (“I was his idol so I think he knows I can still do it,” Henderson says with typical Hendersonian flourish.) Despite the gazelle-like speed on the bases, however, this is less a graceful contest ballet than a slugfest. The Mets and Devil Rays trade longballs and leads until New York, for the second day in a row, accumulates a seemingly comfortable lead. It looks especially comfortable when Jason Isringhausen shuts down the Devil Rays in the seventh and eighth innings to preserve a four-run advantage, but the ninth begins roughly. Izzy cedes a leadoff double, then uncorks a wild pitch, followed by a walk to Wade Boggs, the fourth ball coming on another wild pitch that brings in a run. Following a strike out, Isringhausen allows a single to McGriff, and a passed ball causes another run to score. Having seen enough, Valentine brings in Dennis Cook to restore order, and the lefty strikes out John Flaherty to end a very ugly game.
Record: 52-39, –5G NL East
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3, New York Mets 2
Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay FL. On a Turn Back The Clock day, the Mets don 1969-style flannel uniforms while the Devil Rays wear the togs of the Tarpons, an erstwhile Reds affiliate from Tampa Bay. Orel Hershiser does not look comfortable in the old school duds to begin the game, walking three batters and allowing three runs in the first inning. (He doesn’t fault the uniforms, blaming Tropicana Field’s flat bullpen “mounds” instead.) He settles in after that, retiring 11 of 12 batters at one point, but Tampa Bay has already scored all the runs they need. His teammates do virtually nothing against Devil Ray starter Wilson Álvarez and squander the few opportunities they get, as when Benny Agbayani is picked off of second base in the top of the seventh to squash a potential rally. Norm Charlton strikes out Mike Piazza with two men on the in the eighth, and in the ninth Robin Ventura misses a game tying home run by a matter of feet. The near miss causes him to lock eyes with the Devil Rays’ closer, Roberto Hernández, a former teammate on the White Sox. The two of them share a wan laugh as the series ends.
Record: 52-40, –5G NL East
New York Mets 8, Baltimore Orioles 6
Orioles Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore MD. In the opener of the Mets’ last interleague series of the season, Rickey Henderson puts on yet another show by hitting a leadoff home run, the 75th of his illustrious career, and scoring three runs. He also ignites a three-run rally in the fifth by beating out an infield hit before coming around to score on a Mike Piazza single. At day’s end, Henderson has 2,060 runs scored (two behind Willie Mays for fifth all time) and one RBI shy of 1,000. “So now I have a chance to get them both in one day tomorrow,” he notes. The Met offense piles on with three more runs in sixth. Masato Yoshii pitches well to that point in the game but falters in the bottom of the seventh, allowing four runs on a flurry of singles. Dennis Cook enters the game in the eighth and allows a solo homer to Jeff Conine that shaves the Mets’ lead down to two runs. Armando Benítez is called on to stop the bleeding in the bottom of the ninth, emerging from the bullpen to hearty boos from fans who remember his struggles in an Oriole uniform. He issues a leadoff walk but otherwise sets his former team down easily to preserve the victory. “Maybe they booed me because they don’t have me anymore,” Benítez surmises afterwards.
Record: 53-40, –4G NL East
New York Mets 4, Baltimore Orioles 1
Orioles Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore MD. Prior to the All Star Game, Octavio Dotel was given a temporary minor league assignment to prevent him from gathering too much dust over the break. Unfortunately, his schedule was thrown by inclement weather in Norfolk, and so he starts the Mets’ second game on only three days’ rest. He looks no worse for the wear, however, as he retires the first 10 Orioles who step up to the plate. On the evening, Dotel limits Baltimore to three hits over seven innings, the only run coming on a leadoff home run by Will Clark in the bottom of the fifth. Rickey Henderson leads the Met offense yet again as he singles and scores in the Mets’ two-run rally in the fourth inning. Solo homers from Edgardo Alfonzo and Robin Ventura add insurance runs that Dotel’s pitching renders unnecessary. Armando Benítez draws more boos when he emerges for the save, but it doesn’t prevent him from setting the Orioles down in order in the ninth.
Record: 54-40, –3G NL East
Baltimore Orioles 4, New York Mets 1
Orioles Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore MD. 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.
Record: 54-41, –3G NL East
New York Mets 7, Montréal Expos 3
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. The Mets score early and often in the first game of a brief two-day set in Montréal, as Mike Piazza belts a two-run blast in the top of the first, followed immediately by a Robin Ventura solo shot. An Edgardo Alfonzo double in the seventh drives in Rickey Henderson and sends him past Willie Mays for fifth on the all-time runs scored list. Rick Reed allows 10 hits to the Expos but limits the scoring to three runs.
Record: 55-41, –2G NL East
New York Mets 7, Montréal Expos 4
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. 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.
Record: 56-41, –2G NL East
New York Mets 5, Chicago Cubs 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Prior to the Mets’ first home game after the All Star break, the home team honors Sammy Sosa with a pregame ceremony. Sosa celebrates by taking Masato Yoshii deep in the first inning with a long three-run homer. The Mets are trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth when they rally for three runs, the big blow a two-run triple by Benny Agbayani. A Mike Piazza RBI single plates the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh, and the Mets hold on the rest of the way, with Armando Benítez pitching an impressive ninth inning for the save.
Record: 57-41, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 2, Chicago Cubs 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Octavio Dotel pitches brilliantly for 7 1/3 innings, striking out nine batters, the only mark against him a solo shot from Sammy Sosa in the top of the third. The Mets respond with homers of their own from Edgardo Alfonzo and Robin Ventura in the fifth and sixth respectively, which prove the difference. Dotel looks as if he may falter in the eighth inning when he allows a leadoff double to Mickey Morandini, but he fans Sosa immediately thereafter. Dennis Cook and Armando Benítez shut the door on the Cubs the rest of the way.
Record: 58-41, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Chicago Cubs 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Al Leiter throws eight strong innings, limiting the Cubs to one run, while his teammates take advantage of sloppy defense and even sloppier pitching, scoring three times in the first inning thanks to an error and two bases loaded walks. Rickey Henderson collects two RBIs with a solo homer and a run-scoring single, giving him 1,001 for his career. With Leiter having thrown 129 pitches at the end of the eighth inning, Jason Isringhausen is asked to hold down the fort in the ninth. He allows a double but nothing else, completing New York’s sweep of Chicago.
Record: 59-41, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Pittsburgh Pirates 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The Mets jump all over one of Pittsburgh’s young firethrowers, Francisco Córdova, hanging six runs on his ledger. A two-run Benny Agbayani double in the fourth inspires chants of BEN-NY! BEN-NY! from the Shea crowd. The team’s pitching does not keep pace with its offense, however. With the recent acquisition of Kenny Rogers, Rick Reed’s presence in the starting rotation is clearly in jeopardy, but he does not pitch like a man afraid of losing his job, ceding four runs in less than six innings to an offensively challenged Pirates lineup. Armando Benítez comes on for the save in the ninth and inexplicably issues four straight walks to a benign series of batters such as Dale Sveum, a veteran who spent most of 1998 as the Yankees’ bullpen catcher. Turk Wendell is forced to take up closing duties and records the last two outs to cap an otherwise unsightly win.
Record: 60-41, –0.5G NL East
Pittsburgh Pirates 5, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. On the evening of the infamous Turn Ahead the Clock Night, the “Mercury” Mets’ bats are silenced by rookie Kris Benson, as he goes the distance for a complete game victory. New York’s scoring is limited to a Robin Ventura solo homer in the seventh. Orel Hershiser allows only four hits in 6 1/3 innings, but two of those hits are long homers by Al Martin. Jason Isringhausen takes Hershiser’s spot in the top of the seventh and permits an inherited runner to score, while also ceding a solo homer to Brant Brown, more than enough offense for Pittsburgh with Benson on the mound.
Record: 60-42, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 9, Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Newly acquired starter Kenny Rogers makes his Mets debut in the Pittsburgh series finale and limits the Pirates to one hit over the first six innings. Unfortunately, Rogers feels his balky hamstring tighten up at that point and is forced to leave the game, adding another question mark to an already questionable pitching staff. The Mets score two runs in the first on solo homers from Edgardo Alfonzo and Robin Ventura and nurse a 2-1 lead into the top of the eighth when Dennis Cook allows a game-tying pinch-hit homer from John Wehner, a man so sure he’d be out of baseball this summer he’d planned a family vacation to Aruba at the same time as the Pirates' series at Shea. Cook is bailed out in the bottom half when Pirate second baseman Warren Morris boots a potential double play grounder, then Benny Agbayani hits an RBI double to give the Mets back the lead. From there, the Pirates’ bullpen completely unravels. When the dust settles, the Mets score seven runs and a tight ballgame becomes a rout. The victory, combined with a Braves loss, pulls the Mets a half-game behind the Braves for first place in the National League East.
Record: 61-42, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 10, Chicago Cubs 9
Wrigley Field, Chicago IL. 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.
Record: 62-42, +0.5G NL East
Chicago Cubs 17, New York Mets 10
Wrigley Field, Chicago IL. The Cubs, who were shut down by Octavio Dotel at Shea a week ago, treat the rookie like a punching bag on their own turf. With Chicago temperatures still well over 100 degrees, Dotel is subjected to a seven-run first inning bloodbath, capped by a grand slam off the bat of veteran Gary Gaetti. Dotel cedes two more runs in the second on a Sammy Sosa homer and departs at the close of that inning. The Mets attempt another valiant comeback, almost singlehandedly engineered by Robin Ventura, who homers twice and drives in six runs all by himself. His second longball in the top of the fifth brings the Mets within a run, and a Rey Ordóñez RBI single in the same frame ties the game at 9. Unfortunately, the bullpen is not up to the task of suppressing the Cubs two days in a row, as Chicago roughs up Mets relievers for eight more runs. Jason Isringhausen suffers the worst of it, allowing five runs in three-plus innings of work in what will prove to be his last appearance in a Met uniform before a trade to Oakland. In the bottom of the eighth, as Dennis Cook gives up two more runs and the game gets completely out of hand, Bobby Valentine asks utility man Matt Franco to warm up in the bullpen to spare his pitchers’ arms any more abuse, but Cook secures the last out of the inning on his own, thus preventing another embarrassing trip to the mound for Mr. Franco. The Braves’ win against the Phillies drops the Mets back to a half-game back in the National League East standings.
Record: 62-43, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Chicago Cubs 4 (13 innings)
Wrigley Field, Chicago IL. 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.
Record: 63-43, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Milwaukee Brewers 2
County Stadium, Milwaukee WI. Relieved and relaxed after not being traded at the deadline as he feared, Rick Reed pitches seven innings and limits the Brewers to two runs. His opposition, Hideo Nomo, has pitched well for Milwaukee after being let go by the Mets and Cubs earlier this season, but whatever magic he found in Wisconsin eludes him on this occasion. Nomo allows six runs in five innings, ceding longballs to Robin Ventura, Darryl Hamilton, and Mike Piazza, who caught plenty of Nomo pitches as both a Met and a Dodger. With the Braves idle, the victory helps the Mets pull into a tie for first place. Rickey Henderson leaves the game with a hip flexor issue, but the newly acquired Shawon Dunston takes his place and knocks in a run in his first at bat as a Met.
Record: 64-43, +6G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 10, Milwaukee Brewers 3
County Stadium, Milwaukee WI. Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura both homer for the second straight day, while Milwaukee hurler and former Generation K member Bill Pulsipher allows six runs in five innings before he is chased from the game. Two of his runs are unearned thanks to a terrible throw by Milwaukee catcher Brian Banks that turns a double steal into a pair of scores for the Mets. Shawon Dunston starts for the ailing Rickey Henderson and goes 3 for 4. Masato Yoshii, recently demoted to the bullpen to the due to the acquisition of Kenny Rogers, makes his relief debut in the ninth inning and requires only four pitches to retire the side. Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, the Pirates’ Kris Benson shuts down the Braves as easily as he did the Mercury Mets a week earlier. That means New York once again has sole possession of first place, a whole game in front of Atlanta.
Record: 65-43, +1G NL East
New York Mets 9, Milwaukee Brewers 5
County Stadium, Milwaukee WI. Kenny Rogers makes his scheduled start in the Mets' final game in Milwaukee, despite suffering from hamstring woes. He does not look all that sharp, allowing three homers to Brewers hitters after giving up a mere eight in his previous 125 innings pitched. But he also contributes an RBI single in the top of the second, his first regular season hit. (He did manage one in the 1996 World Series when the Yankees played in Atlanta, though he did little else right during that postseason.) The rest of the offense bails Rogers out by scoring seven runs in the first four innings. Robin Ventura homers for the third straight day, and Edgardo Alfonzo goes deep as well as the Mets hold on for a win that ensures they will head back to New York in first place.
Record: 66-43, +2G NL East
New York Mets 2, Los Angeles 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 67-43, +1.5G NL East
Los Angeles Dodgers 7, New York Mets 6
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 67-44, +0.5G NL East
Los Angeles Dodgers 14, New York Mets 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 67-45, –0.5G NL East
Los Angeles Dodgers 9, New York Mets 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the Dodger series finale, LA’s ace Kevin Brown proves nearly unhittable, his formidable sinker inducing one harmless groundball after another. Brown cedes a mere pair of singles and one walk in seven innings, and only departs at that point due to a blister on his pitching hand. Orel Hershiser does not pitch to the same standard, to put it mildly, as four of the first five batters he faces reach base in a two-run first inning, causing boos to rain down from the fickle Shea crowd. The bullpen is tattooed for the second straight game, as Billy Taylor, Turk Wendell, and recent callup Dan Murray (making his first and last Mets appearance) combine to allow six runs.
Record: 67-46, –05.G NL East
New York Mets 4, San Diego Padres 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 68-46, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 12, San Diego Padres 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. After a rain delay of over an hour, Octavio Dotel struggles through a 40-pitch first inning, walking four batters and ceding two runs. He eventually allows five runs in less than five innings of work, but longman Pat Mahomes throws 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief and also singles to begin a four-run rally against San Diego starter Sterling Hitchcock in the bottom of the fifth. Edgardo Alfonzo is the offensive star of the day, as he belts a two-run homer and drives in five runs on the evening. The Mets blow things open with a wild six-run seventh inning to turn a squeaker into a laugher.
Record: 69-46, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 9, San Diego Padres 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The Mets score three runs each in the first and third innings to give Al Leiter a healthy 6-0 lead. Leiter does not appear willing to accept this gift, as he struggles with his command, walking four batters and giving up three runs in the top of the fifth, but the Mets plate another trio in the bottom half. Amazingly, all three are driven in by Leiter. Renowned as an infamously bad hitter, even by a pitcher’s standards, Leiter shocks everyone (including himself) by hitting a bases-loaded double against San Diego starter Woody Williams. After regifting himself a six-run advantage, Leiter pitches through the seventh inning with little further trouble to complete a New York sweep of San Diego. The win ensures the Mets will head out on a west coast trip with a share of first place in the National League East.
Record: 70-46, +7G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
San Francisco Giants 3, New York Mets 2
3Com Park, San Francisco CA. 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 home 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.
Record: 70-47, –1G NL East
New York Mets 6, San Francisco Giants 1
3Com Park, San Francisco CA. On a typically gusty afternoon at Candlestick (or 3Com, as the Giants' home is known in its last season hosting baseball), the crafty Orel Hershiser takes advantage of the cold and wind to transform his sinkerball into a breaking ball. Hershiser pitches six solid innings, the only mark against him an RBI single by opposing pitcher Kirk Reuter. The Mets put up a five-spot in the fourth inning, the biggest blow a two-run homer by Mike Piazza, who goes 3-for-5 on the day (and who is still booed lustily by Giants fans who remember his days in Dodger blue). Benny Agbayani also knocks in a pair, doing so in front of a crowd that includes many relatives who flew in from Hawaii to see him play in the bigs for the first time.
Record: 71-47, +8G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 12, San Francisco Giants 5
3Com Park, San Francisco CA. Kenny Rogers puts the Mets in an early 3-0 hole by giving up homers to Ramón Martínez and Barry Bonds, but his teammates bounce back with a five-run top of the fifth against old friend Liván Hernández, who came to San Francisco in a deadline deal with the Marlins, and who the Mets have already defeated four times this season. The five-run rally includes a Robin Ventura homer with the bases juiced, his thirteenth career grand slam and third of this season. The Mets continue to victimize the Giants’ staff for the rest of the game, while Rogers recovers from his early struggles to go the distance. His complete game is the first by a Mets pitcher in 139 contests stretching back to 1998.
Record: 72-47, +8G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 4, San Diego Padres 3 (10 innings)
Quallcomm Stadium, San Diego CA. Octavio Dotel no-hits the Padres for six innings and receives a 2-0 lead courtesy of solo homers from Rickey Henderson and Mike Piazza. Piazza’s shot, his fourth in as many games, travels 448 feet into the second deck of spacious Qualcomm Stadium. But after Dotel issues back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the seventh, Phil Nevin belts one of his offerings into the left field stands for a three-run homer, taking the no-hitter and the lead along with it. Dotel finishes the inning, striking out two in the process (giving him a total of nine), but he immediately stalks off the mound and into the visiting dugout tunnel, distraught. Edgardo Alfonzo single-handedly bails out Dotel, first by singling and scoring the tying run in the top of the eighth. After Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook hold serve in the eighth and ninth innings, Fonzie hits a go-ahead home run in the top of the tenth. Armando Benítez earns the save in the bottom half while striking out two.
Record: 73-47, +9G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
San Diego Padres 3, New York Mets 2
Quallcomm Stadium, San Diego CA. 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.
Record: 73-48, +9G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 9, San Diego Padres 1
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego CA. The Mets win the rubber game in San Diego with their second complete game in a week (after requiring 119 games of this season to notch their first), this one from the surprising source of Masato Yoshii. Gifted a 3-0 lead on a Robin Ventura homer in the first, Yoshii dominates the Padres for the bulk of the game, retiring 16 batters in a row at one point. Mike Piazza hits a solo shot to tie Ventura for the team lead in home runs (28) and drives in three runs in total. By taking two of three from the Padres, the Mets win their eighth consecutive road series.
Record: 74-48, +1G NL East
New York Mets 7, St. Louis Cardinals 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. With a Friday night game rained out, the start of Mark McGwire’s only trip to Shea in 1999 has to wait until this Saturday matinee. Though Kenny Rogers wakes up with back spams, The Gambler bets he can pitch through the pain, but his wager puts the Mets behind immediately as he loads the bases in the top of the first and allows a two-run single to Fernando Tatís. The damage would be even worse, but for a stellar inning-ending double play turned by Rey Ordóñez and Edgardo Alfonzo that causes Cardinal manager Tony LaRussa to shake his head in disbelief. “Some players have more errors than their whole infield has,” he says. Rogers exits after three innings with his team trailing, but Pat Mahomes comes to the rescue once again with 3 1/3 scoreless, hitless frames. The Mets tie things up on a Shawon Dunston RBI groundout in the bottom of the third, take the lead on a Rickey Henderson run-scoring single in the sixth, and knock in two more in the seventh. Turk Wendell, who has acted as kryptonite against McGwire throughout his career, notches a big strikeout of the slugger in the seventh and contributes a scoreless eighth to boot. Armando Benítez finishes things off with style by striking out the side in the ninth to put a bow on the Met win.
Record: 75-48, +9.5G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 8, St. Louis Cardinals 7 (Game 1)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the first game of a doubleheader prompted by Friday’s rainout, St. Louis lefty Darren Oliver stifles Met hitters for seven innings, allowing just one run over that stretch, while Mark McGwire abuses Met pitchers, belting two long homers. The first, served up by Octavio Dotel, is hit so high and so hard it takes out lightbulbs in the visiting team’s lineup display on Shea Stadium’s huge scoreboard. The home team fights back to tie the game with a five-run outburst in the eighth inning, four of those runs coming on a John Olerud grand slam. It looks like this dramatic comeback might go for nought when Armando Benítez allows St. Louis to regain the lead in the top of the ninth, but the Mets rebound with yet another rally in the bottom half. Cardinal reliever Ricky Bottalico issues one-out walks to Rey Ordóñez and pinch hitter Matt Franco, which enable Rickey Henderson to smash a game-tying double. Cardinal manager Tony LaRussa asks his infield to play in for the next batter, hoping for a play at the plate. Edgardo Alfonzo confounds the plan with a hard grounder that both the shortstop and third baseman dive for but neither catches. Franco trots home with the winning run to cap the come-from-behind victory.
Record: 75-49, –0.5G NL East
St. Louis Cardinals 7, New York Mets 5 (Game 2)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 Ordóñez 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.
Record: 76-49, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 3, Houston Astros 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 an attempt 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.
Record: 77-49, –0.5G NL East
Houston Astros 5, New York Mets 1 (10 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 deep fly ball, 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.
Record: 77-50, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 4, Houston Astros 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 78-50, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 3
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix AZ. Octavio Dotel continues his on-again off-again pattern by following up a poor performance against the Cardinals with a dominating one against the Diamondbacks. The rookie stifles the potent Arizona lineup for eight innings, striking out six and allowing just one walk and one run. His teammates stake him to a 6-1 lead against starter Omar Daal, with three of those runs driven in by the surprising source of Rey Ordóñez. Arizona’s ace Randy Johnson, not prone to heaping praise on his colleagues (or to say much of anything at all if he can help it), admits he’s impressed by Dotel. “It was the first time I had seen him pitch,” Johnson tells reporters, “and from what I gathered from his performance, he has a bright future….It kept saying 93 [mph] on the scoreboard, but it looked a lot harder than that.” Dotel lobbies for the chance at a complete game, but with 110 pitches under his belt and many innings logged this season between the minors and the majors, Bobby Valentine thinks it wiser to preserve the rookie’s arm. Billy Taylor starts the bottom of the ninth by giving up consecutive singles to Jay Bell, Luis Gonzalez, and Matt Williams. The last hit drives in a run and puts runners at the corners with no outs. Reluctantly, Valentine is forced to yank Taylor and bring in Armando Benítez. The closer retires the next two batters and, following an RBI single from ex-Met Kelly Stinnett, induces a harmless popup to seal the win.
Record: 79-50, –1.5G NL East
Arizona Diamondbacks 5, New York Mets 3
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix AZ. 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.
Record: 79-51, –2.5G NL East
Arizona Diamondbacks 8, New York Mets 4
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix AZ. 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 Ordóñez, 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.
Record: 79-52, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 17, Houston Astros 1
Astrodome, Houston TX. Mets hitters abuse Houston pitchers early and often this night in Houston, but Edgardo Alfonzo hurts them worst of all. The second baseman goes 6 for 6 with three homers, five RBIs, and 16 total bases, shattering a club mark and falling only two short of the all-time record for total bases in a single game. Houston starter Shane Reynolds—a stingy control artist with an excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio and the second most K’s in the National League at the moment—is roasted for seven runs in just three innings of work, and the Mets continue to pile on from there. Roger Cedeño swipes his 59th base of the year, breaking the club mark set by Mookie Wilson. Masato Yoshii turns in another fine outing, pitching six strong innings while striking out eight. A day after resting his sore shoulder, Mike Piazza clubs a two-run homer to extend his history of hot hitting at the Astrodome (.421 lifetime batting average in the one-time Eighth Wonder of the World). Darryl Hamilton goes 4 for 5, and every starter save Yoshii collects at least one hit. Even as Bobby Valentine removes regulars from the lineup, Houston pitching continues to get pummeled. Shawon Dunston pinch hits in the top of the seventh and stays in to play centerfield, and still manages to get collect two hits and three RBIs.
Record: 80-52, –2.5G NL East
Houston Astros 6, New York Mets 2
Astrodome, Houston TX. 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.
Record: 80-53, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 9, Houston Astros 5
Astrodome, Houston TX. 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.
Record: 81-53, –3.5G NL East
Colorado Rockies 5, New York Mets 2 (10 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the wake of the Rey Ordóñez-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 the loss.
Record: 81-54, –4.5G NL East
New York Mets 4, Colorado Rockies 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 82-54, –3.5 NL East
New York Mets 6, Colorado Rockies 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. On a drizzly afternoon at Shea, the Mets score all their runs of the day—and all they will need—in a tidy six-run outburst. Amazingly, it comes against Darryl Kile, a pitcher who’s given the Mets fits his entire career; he no-hit them as an Astro back in 1993 and hasn’t lost a game in Queens since 1992. In the bottom of the fifth, Kile loads the bases on a single and two walks, then cedes RBI singles to Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura. That allows Darryl Hamilton to top things off nicely with a grand slam over the fence in right field. Masato Yoshii sees his 16 1/3 scoreless innings streak come to an end on a two-run homer by Vinny Castilla in the sixth, but otherwise turns in another valiant effort over seven innings. John Franco gets back into the action for the first time since July, taking the mound to a surprisingly appreciative reception, and turns in a decidedly Franco-esque scoreless eighth inning. He retires the first two batters, then gives up a walk and double before John Olerud snares a sizzling line drive off the bat of Henry Blanco to bail him out. A few moments after Hamilton’s grand slam touches down in the seats, the Shea out-of-town scoreboard flashes the welcome news that Arizona has scored three unearned runs in the ninth inning to beat Atlanta, a result that puts the Mets only 2.5 games out of first place. The Met win also allows them to maintain a four-game lead in the wild card race.
Record: 83-54, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 3, San Francisco Giants 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Kenny Rogers pitches his second complete game against San Francisco since becoming a Met, and the first complete game shutout by any Met since June of 1998. He works both sides of the plate deftly and completely baffles the Giants hitters, especially Barry Bonds, who goes down on strikes three times. Rogers’s counterpart, Liván Hernández, leaves the game with a rib injury after two scoreless innings, thus preventing him from being defeated by the Mets for a sixth time this season. Met hitters scratch out three runs against the Giants’ bullpen, which proves sufficient.
Record: 84-54, –2.5G NL East
San Francisco Giants 7, New York Mets 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 Ordóñez 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 Ordóñez 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.
Record: 84-55, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, San Francisco Giants 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. After a rough loss the night before, the Mets bounce back in the Giant series finale, and so does Octavio Dotel. Continuing his pattern, Dotel follows a middling outing with a fantastic one, limiting the Giants to four hits and one run over seven innings while striking out nine. The Mets score three runs in the third inning and four more in the sixth, a rally capped by a three-run opposite field bomb from Mike Piazza that gifts Dotel a 7-1 lead. Mindful of the rookie’s workload, Bobby Valentine removes him after seven innings, much as he had done a few weeks earlier in Arizona. On that occasion, Dotel had to sweat out the rest of the game as the bullpen nearly gave it away, and much the same thing happens again. This time, the culprit is Pat Mahomes (“I guess it was my turn to have a bad day,” he says), as he starts off the eighth inning by giving up two walks, a single, and a run while retiring no one. Dennis Cook—who, like Turk Wendell, has performed miserably since being given extended, unwanted rest—surrenders a three-run homer to Ellis Burks, trimming the Mets’ lead to two runs. Armando Benítez gets the last out of the eighth, then allows a leadoff single to Bill Mueller in the top of the ninth to bring up the powerful meat of the Giants batting order. Benítez somehow induces a fly out from Barry Bonds, then fans Jeff Kent and J.T. Snow to preserve the victory, which keeps the Mets 3.5 games up on the Reds for the wild card and 3.5 games back of the Braves in the National League East.
Record: 85-55, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. 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.
Record: 86-55, –3G NL East
New York Mets 6, Colorado Rockies 5
Coors Field, Denver CO. 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.
Record: 89-56, –1G NL East
Colorado Rockies 7, New York Mets 2
Coors Field, Denver CO. 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.
Record: 89-57, –2G NL East
New York Mets 10, Colorado Rockies 5
Coors Field, Denver CO. Orel Hershiser nearly xeroxes Rick Reed’s stats from the Colorado series opener, allowing four runs in six innings. With the thin atmosphere preventing the pitcher from throwing his sinker for strikes, he considers himself lucky to get away with this line. The last two runs against Hershiser score on a Larry Walker single up the middle in the bottom of the fourth, giving the Rockies a 4-3 lead. All is quiet for the Met offense until Robin Ventura leads off the top of the sixth with a double and moves to third on a sac bunt. Benny Agbayani then ends his long homerless streak by hitting a ball into the left field stands. In the bottom of the seventh, Rockie shortstop Kurt Abbott hits a double down the line that Valentine swears is foul, and he is not shy about sharing his opinion with third base umpire Tony Randazzo, one of MLB’s recent hires to replace the 22 umpires who’d handed in their resignations in a badly botched job action. (Viewing a replay later, Valentine admits “Tony made the right call.” ) Dennis Cook retires the next two batters, but permits Vinny Castilla to knock in Abbott with a game-tying RBI. The Mets regain the lead when Ventura leads off the top of the eighth with a walk, then ex-Rockie Darryl Hamilton hits a line drive to right that squirts under Larry Walker’s glove, scoring Ventura all the way from first. Hamilton legs out a triple and later scores on an Agbayani sac fly. The Mets pile on with three more runs in the ninth, a rally that begins when Colorado manager Jim Leyland makes the curious decision to walk John Olerud and face Mike Piazza, a lifetime .436 hitter at Coors Field, instead. Meanwhile in San Diego, Padre rookie Matt Clement shuts down the Braves, meaning the Mets will return to New York once again a mere game out of first place.
Record: 90-57, –1G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 8, New York Mets 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 90-58, –2G NL East
New York Mets 11, Philadelphia Phillies 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 Ordóñez’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.
Record: 91-58, –1G NL East
New York Mets 8, Philadelphia Phillies 6
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 92-58, –1G NL East
Atlanta Braves 2, New York Mets 1
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. 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 hedge against ominous elbow pain). 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.
Record: 92-59, –2G NL East
Atlanta Braves 5, New York Mets 2
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. For the second night in a row, Chipper Jones gives the Braves an early lead with a first inning homer, this time a two-run shot. The Mets draw even when Mike Piazza hits his own two-run blast against Tom Glavine in the top of the fourth. Orel Hershiser settles in after a rough start, retiring 11 Atlanta batters in a row at one point, but falters in the bottom of the seventh and allows a Keith Lockhart RBI sac fly that puts the Braves back on top. When Piazza and Robin Ventura single to start the top of the eighth, it ends Glavine’s night and sets off a flurry of pinch hitters, pinch runners, and relief pitchers, with Bobby Valentine and Brave manager Bobby Cox trying to neutralize each move the other skipper makes. The inning takes 40 minutes and 10 substitutions to complete and ends with the score remaining exactly the same at its conclusion. In the bottom half, Octavio Dotel appears in relief and walks the first two batters he faces. Both runners come around to score when John Franco allows a single to Brian Jordan, padding Atlanta’s lead further. Rickey Henderson manages a leadoff walk against John Rocker in the top of the ninth, but Atlanta’s closer otherwise dispatches the Mets easily, getting Edgardo Alfonzo to ground out and Olerud to bounce into a game-ending double play, thus capping yet another disappointing Mets loss at Turner Field.
Record: 92-60, –3G NL East
Atlanta Braves 6, New York Mets 3
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. 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 Ordóñez 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 believes 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 of winning the National League East.
Record: 92-61, –4G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 3, New York Mets 2
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. Hoping to salvage a few wins against a battered Phillies team, the Mets instead find themselves stymied by a crew of has-beens and never-wases. Phillie starter Joe Grahe is a veteran making his penultimate major league start, yet the Mets—despite collecting nine hits against him over eight innings—manage no more than two runs, scored on a Robin Ventura solo shot in the top of the second and a John Olerud RBI single in the fifth. Masato Yoshii pitches well enough to make this stand, allowing just four hits and one run over seven innings, but once he is removed from the game, trouble begins to brew. In the bottom of the eighth, the go-ahead run comes to the plate in the form of Bobby Abreu, the Phils’ young outfielder and one of the few offensive threats left in their decimated lineup. But rather than call on southpaw John Franco to face the lefty batter, Bobby Valentine instead brings in Armando Benítez with an eye toward a four-out save. Abreu works the count full before drilling a double to right to drive in the tying run. The next batter, Mike Lieberthal, smacks Benítez’s first pitch for a single, scoring Abreu. In the top of the ninth, the Mets are unable to do anything against reliever Scott Eldred, who has never saved a single game in his 10-year major league career. The loss, the Mets’ fourth in a row, places them five games out of first in the National League East and shrinks their lead in the wild card race to one lone game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds.
Record: 92-62, –5G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 4, New York Mets 2
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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.
Record: 92-63, –6G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 3, New York Mets 2
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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 Ordóñez 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.
Record: 92-64, –7G NL East
Atlanta Braves 9, New York Mets 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Orel Hershiser begins the game by hitting Gerald Williams with a pitch, and his evening quickly 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.
Record: 92-65, –8G NL East
New York Mets 9, Atlanta Braves 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 him in the top of the third when Brian Jordan lines a single past Rey Ordóñez 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.
Record: 93-65, –7G NL East
Atlanta Braves 4, New York Mets 3 (11 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 93-66, –8G NL East
Los Angeles Dodgers 3, New York Mets 1
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. 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.
Record: 86-56, –4G NL East
New York Mets 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 2
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. On the same day that the local L.A. papers print spurious rumors the Dodgers attempted to reacquire Mike Piazza from the Mets 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.
Record: 87-56, –3G NL East
New York Mets 10, Los Angeles Dodgers 3
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. The Mets’ Los Angeles farewell proceeds normally before devolving into what the Times terms “a comic opera.” (“If only the Three Stooges had an opportunity to work with this material.”) The Mets jump out to a 2-0 lead on a first inning homer from Edgardo Alfonzo, giving him 25 homers and 100 RBIs on the season, and making this the first season in which the Mets have sported three triple-digit run producers at once (Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura being the other two). Kenny Rogers, dealing with what he terms a “hamstring twinge” sustained while shagging fly balls in pregame warm ups, allows the Dodgers to take a lead with two runs in the third and another in the fifth, with the opposing pitcher—rookie Eric Gagné, making his second major league start—in the middle of each rally. The Mets rebound with three runs in the sixth off of Gagné, the last two scoring on a Shawon Dunston double that chases Robin Ventura home and into an awkward, diving confrontation with Dodger catcher Paul Lo Duca. The Mets then break the game open with four more runs in the seventh, despite an embarrassing play where Edgardo Alfonzo and Roger Cedeño both find themselves on third base at the same time. The win, though far from pretty, is the Mets’ 88th of the year, equal to their total of the previous two seasons. Another Atlanta loss means they will begin their next series just two games out of first place.
Record: 88-56, –2G NL East
New York Mets 3, Pittsburgh Pirates 2 (11 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. With their backs to the wall, the Met offense continues to sputter, held in check by young Pirate hurler Jason Schmidt. They do reach Schmidt for a pair of solo shots—Robin Ventura in the fourth, Mike Piazza in the sixth—and for most of this game it appears this may be enough, as Kenny Rogers spins seven scoreless innings while striking out nine batters. He lands in trouble in the eighth, however, beginning with a walk of anemic pinch hitter John Wehner. One out later, consecutive singles by Pat Meares and Aramis Ramirez score Wehner and cut the Mets’ lead in half. Turk Wendell enters and records a big strikeout of Kevin Young but also walks Chad Hermansen to load the bases and bring up lefty batter Warren Morris. The next arm out of the bullpen, John Franco, allows a painfully slow roller that Morris beats out while Meares scores the tying run. Franco then nearly walks the next batter, Adrian Young, before catching him looking on a questionable called third strike. Given this gift, the Mets relievers keep Pittsburgh in check until the eleventh, when their own batters finally break through. In the bottom of that frame, pinch hitter Shawon Dunston collects a leadoff single and moves to second on a sac bunt. Edgardo Alfonzo is intentionally walked in the hope that John Olerud will bounce into a double play, but he hits a grounder to first that results in only one out as Dunston moves to third. Following another intentional walk issued to Piazza, Ventura dunks a single into shallow center, scoring Dunston and giving the Mets a walkoff victory. Meanwhile in Milwaukee, the Brewers execute their own walkoff win against the Reds, which means the Mets are back to within one game of the wild card lead.
Record: 94-66, –8G NL East
New York Mets 7, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. By the time this game begins, the Mets already know that the Reds have lost to the Brewers again, which means a win will tie them with Cincinnati in the wild card standings. With that in mind, Rick Reed pitches the game of his life, a 12-strikeout three-hit complete game shutout. His outing is so dominant that only one out is recorded in the outfield, and that one a pop up in very shallow center. The Mets batters are far less successful for much of the game, finding themselves helpless against another young Pirate pitcher, Francisco Córdova. When they break through for two runs in the sixth, it is largely due to Pittsburgh blunders. A leadoff walk from John Olerud is followed by an error by rookie third baseman Aramis Ramirez, after which Robin Ventura doubles home Olerud for the game’s first run. Following an out and an intentional walk to load the bases, Piazza is able to score on an error by first baseman Adrian Brown. Those two runs prove to be enough for Reed, but just to be safe, he helps his own cause in the bottom of the eighth. Allowed to bat for himself, Reed slaps a single to left to drive in two runs. Reed eventually scores on an Olerud single, and Piazza ices the game with a two-run shot, his 40th of the season. The win assures that the Mets will play game 162 in control of their own fate.
Record: 95-66, –7G NL East
New York Mets 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Needing one more victory to assure they will play again in 1999, the Mets opt not to throw Al Leiter on short rest and send 40-year-old Orel Hershiser to the mound instead. The decision appears costly when Hershiser walks the leadoff batter, Al Martin, who eventually comes around to score on a two-out bloop single by Kevin Young. Though Hershiser keeps the Pirates in check through five, the Mets can do little against rookie pitcher Kris Benson, as they hit the ball hard all afternoon but continually hit it right into Pittsburgh gloves. It takes some unsightly Pirate defense to put the Mets on the board in the bottom of the fourth, when first baseman Young throws away a John Olerud grounder into the Met dugout, which allows him to score on a two-out double. That is the extent of the damage the Mets can manage against Benson, however, as he stymies their every potential rally and limits them to just the one unearned run through seven innings. The Met bullpen keeps pace after taking over for Hershiser with one out in the top of the sixth, throwing scoreless ball through the ninth. In the bottom of that inning, a rally is started by Melvin Mora, a September callup who hits a one-out single, then advances to third when Edgardo Alfonzo singles. The Pirates choose to walk Olerud and face Piazza, hoping the catcher will bounce into a double play, and bring in sidearming reliever Brad Clontz to induce a grounder. Their plan is foiled when Clontz bounces his very first pitch in the screen. As it sails toward the backstop, Mora races home with the winning run, setting off a celebration at Shea. A Red victory later (much later, following an almost six hour rain delay in Milwaukee) sets up a play-in game in Cincinnati to determine who will capture the National League wild card.
Record: 96-66, –7G NL East
New York Mets 5, Cincinnati Reds 0
Cinergy Field, Cincinnati OH. In this winner-take-all game for the National League wild card berth, a raucous sell-out crowd is on hand to scream the surprising Cincinnati Reds into the playoffs. The Mets silence them almost immediately when Rickey Henderson hits a leadoff single and Edgardo Alfonzo follows with a two-run shot to straightaway center to give the visitors an early lead. Al Leiter takes over from there. He issues a walk to the first man he faces, Pokey Reese, only to retire the next three in order, freezing feared slugger Greg Vaughn for the third out. A one-out single in the bottom of the second also proves harmless, and after a two-out walk in the bottom of the third, Leiter retires 13 Reds in a row while barely allowing a ball to leave the infield. His teammates tack on unnecessary insurance runs via a bases-loaded walk in the third, a Henderson solo shot in the fifth, and an RBI double by Alfonzo in the sixth. In the bottom of the ninth, Leiter looks like he may falter as he allows a leadoff double to Reese and a two-out walk of Vaughn to put two Reds on base for the first time all game. The next batter, Dmitri Young, hits a line drive up the middle that appears ticketed for the outfield, but the Mets’ ironclad infield comes through again, as Alfonzo spears it for the final out, giving the Mets a playoff berth after 11 years and two disastrous weeks in the wilderness.
Record: 97-66, –6.5G NL East, NL wild card winner
Chicago Cubs 5, New York Mets 3
Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan. The Mets begin their 2000 campaign as the home team for the first regular season game played outside North America. The event also marks the Met debut of Mike Hampton, who never looks comfortable on the Tokyo Dome mound and walks an astounding nine batters in just five innings of work. The lefty walks the first batter he faces and allows him to score on a Damon Buford single. The Mets tie the score on a Darryl Hamilton sac fly in the third, but Hampton turns in a messy top of the fifth that gives Chicago back the lead with a single and three consecutive walks. New York’s bullpen worsens the deficit, as Dennis Cook gives up a two-run homer and Rich Rodriguez cedes a solo shot. Mike Piazza provides some comfort with a crowd-pleasing 450-foot two-run bomb in the eighth, but the effort proves too little, too late.
Record: 0-1
New York Mets 5, Chicago Cubs 1 (11 innings)
Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan. Playing as the visiting team in the Tokyo finale, the Mets scratch out a run against Cubs rookie Kyle Farnsworth in the top of the fifth on a pair of walks, a sac bunt, and a sac fly from Rickey Henderson. The Cubs tie things up in the bottom half thanks to a throwing error by Todd Zeile that eventually leads to an unearned run. That is the only mark starter Rick Reed allows through eight innings, and the Mets bullpen is just as stingy through ten in the form of John Franco, Turk Wendell, and Dennis Cook. But the Mets can manage no more against Farnsworth and the Cubs’ relievers until the top of the eleventh, when a two-out rally starts with a Zeile single and a pair of walks to load the bases. Benny Agbayani then rockets a fastball to straightaway center for a grand slam. In the bottom half, Armando Benítez dispatches the Cubs in order on just seven pitches to assure victory.
Record: 1-1
New York Mets 2, San Diego Padres 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In their stateside home opener, the Mets watch Al Leiter throw eight fantastic innings, scattering five hits and striking out seven batters. The lone mark against him is a solo shot by Phil Nevin in the top of the second. His teammates struggle against Padre starter Sterling Hitchcock, failing to get a baserunner past first base in the first six innings., but break out—slightly—in the bottom of the seventh when Edgardo Alfonzo works a leadoff walk, moves to third on a Mike Piazza single, and scores on a sac fly from Todd Zeile. New Met Derek Bell breaks the tie with a home run in the bottom of the eighth, which causes an ecstatic Shea crowd to demand a curtain call. Armando Benítez tosses a perfect ninth for his first save of the year.
Record: 2-1, +0.5 NL East (tied with Atlanta and Florida)
San Diego Padres 4, New York Mets 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Bobby J. Jones (the right-handed Jones) makes his first start in 11 months on a chilly evening at Shea Stadium, with 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.
Record: 2-2, –0.5 NL East
San Diego Padres 8, New York Mets 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In his Mets debut east of the Pacific, Mike Hampton looks no better than he did in his Tokyo outing as he allows four runs and fails to make it out of the sixth inning. The biggest blow against him is a triple from Ruben Rivera in the top of the third that chases home two runs, a ball that might have been caught if Derek Bell and Darryl Hamilton hadn’t nearly collided in right-center field. Hampton allows two more runs to score in the sixth, though both are unearned thanks to a rare error from Rey Ordóñez. It is an embarrassing game all around marked by offensive futility, as the Mets leave 10 men on base, and baserunning gaffes, like Rickey Henderson’s failure to run out a grounder in the bottom of the third, leading to double play that costs the Mets a baserunner. The bullpen doesn’t escape unscathed either, as Turk Wendell allows a double and triple back-to-back in the seventh (one run scoring on a Derek Bell throwing error) and John Franco gives up a solo shot to Ed Sprague in the eighth. New York bats are held in check by rookie starter Matt Clement, though single runs in the seventh and eighth, and a Todd Pratt three-run shot in the ninth, make the final score look more respectable than it really should.
Record: 2-3, –1G NL East
New York Mets 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 3-3, –0.5G NL East
Los Angeles Dodgers 6, New York Mets 5 (10 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 Ordóñez 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.
Record: 3-4, –1G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 9, New York Mets 7
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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.
Record: 3-5, –1.5 NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 8, New York Mets 5
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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.
Record: 3-6, –2G NL East
New York Mets 2, Philadelphia Phillies 1
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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.
Record: 4-6, –1G NL East
New York Mets 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 5 (12 innings)
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh PA. 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 Rey Ordóñez 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. John Franco gets the W by working two scoreless innings, his first win in a string 112 appearances.
Record: 5-6, –1G NL East
Pittsburgh Pirates 2, New York Mets 0
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh PA. Glendon Rusch pitches eight brilliant innings in the Mets’ second game in Pittsburgh, giving up just four hits. The only mistake he makes comes in the bottom of the seventh, when he leaves a fastball over the plate for Kevin Young to belt for a two-run homer. That is enough for the Pirates, however, as Pittsburgh starter Jimmy Anderson limits New York to five hits over his own eight innings of work. The game is all over in an astounding 1 hour, 57 minutes.
Record: 5-7, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 12, Pittsburgh Pirates 9
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh PA. 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.
Record: 6-7, –1G NL East
New York Mets 10, Milwaukee Brewers 7
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. On a chilly evening in front of a sparse crowd at Shea, the Mets’ bats finally warm up in the opener of a lengthy homestand. New York’s ten-run outburst includes Robin Ventura’s 14th career grand slam, three doubles from Edgardo Alfonzo, and an excellent day at the plate for starting pitcher Mike Hampton, who collects two hits and two walks. More importantly, Hampton pitches 7 2/3 solid innings, retiring 17 of 19 batters at one point, en route to his first victory as a Met. Though he falters late and gives up three runs to Milwaukee in the eighth, and reliever Rich Rodriguez allows the visitors to crawl a little closer by giving up two more in the ninth, Armando Benítez shuts the door.
Record: 7-7, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 3, Milwaukee Brewers 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 8-7, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Milwaukee Brewers 4 (10 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 will 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.
Record: 9-7, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 8, Chicago Cubs 3 (Game 1)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 Ordóñez RBI single and includes two-run doubles from Benny Agbayani and Melvin Mora.
Record: 10-7, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Chicago Cubs 6 (Game 2)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 Ordóñez 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.
Record: 11-7, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 15, Chicago Cubs 8
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 a sweep of the Cubs.
Record: 12-7, –0.5G NL East
New York Mets 1, Los Angeles Dodgers 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In a makeup of the finale of their series that was snowed out on April 9, both the Mets and Dodgers struggle at the plate, stranding 13 men in scoring position through the first eight innings. New York puts men on base in nearly every inning against Dodger hurler Darren Dreifort but can’t convert any of them, and Los Angeles is just as ineffective against spot starter Pat Mahomes, who gets the nod while Rick Reed recovers from the bruised hand he suffered in his previous start. The game remains scoreless until the bottom of the ninth, when the Mets load the bases with no outs, the third runner reaching base when LA third baseman Adrian Beltré fields a grounder but fails to touch the bag. The Mets are nearly turned aside when Rey Ordóñez hits into a force out at home and the next batter, Matt Franco, chops a ball right at reliever Terry Adams, the kind of hit that should result in an inning-ending double play. Instead, the ball bounces off the tip of Adams’s glove, allowing Jon Nunnally to trot home with the only run of the game.
Record: 13-7, +0.5G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 6, Cincinnati Reds 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the opener of a three-game set against the Reds, the Mets jump out to a 4-1 lead on an RBI double by Robin Ventura in the bottom of the second and a two-run homer by Edgardo Alfonzo and a Ventura solo shot in the third. Al Leiter falters in the top of the sixth, a frame that sees him hit a batter and cough up four runs, capped by a pinch hit two-run double by Mark Lewis. The Mets retake the lead in the bottom of the seventh on a leadoff home run from Derek Bell and a bases loaded walk by Jon Nunnally. In the ninth inning, Armando Benítez walks the leadoff batter, then strikes out the next two batters, thus setting up a confrontation with Ken Griffey, Jr. Booed all game by Mets fans for rejecting a trade to New York in the offseason, Griffey works a full count before watching Benítez pick off the outside corner for a satisfying called strike three.
Record: 14-7, +1.5G NL East (tied with Atlanta)
Cincinnati Reds 12, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. “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.
Record: 14-8, –1G NL East
Cincinnati Reds 2, New York Mets 1 (12 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 14-9, –2G NL East
Colorado Rockies 12, New York Mets 5
Coors Field, Denver CO. 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.
Record: 14-10, –3G NL East
New York Mets 13, Colorado Rockies 6
Coors Field, Denver CO. Mike Piazza sits out the second game in Colorado to nurse his injuries from the night before, but his teammates nonetheless 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.
Record: 15-10, –3G NL East
New York Mets 14, Colorado Rockies 11
Coors Field, Denver CO. For the second game in a row, the Mets put together an impressive show of offense, rapping out 15 hits. Todd Zeile, Melvin Mora, Todd Pratt, and Edgardo Alfonzo each go deep in the effort, and Al Leiter gives up only three runs through the first seven innings. With a seemingly comfortable eight-run lead, Leiter takes the mound to start the eighth but begins to unravel when Rey Ordóñez starts the inning with an error (already the sixth of the year for the formerly unimpeachable shortstop). After a walk, Leiter allows a two-run single and gives way to the bullpen. Turk Wendell proceeds to load the bases and Dennis Cook unloads them by giving up a grand slam to Tom Goodwin. To be safe, the Mets pull together three more runs in the top of the ninth, which prove crucial after Armando Benítez allows a two-run homer in the bottom half. Benítez records the final outs after this with little trouble, however, and the Mets capture a win by the skin of their teeth.
Record: 16-10, –3G NL East
San Francisco Giants 10, New York Mets 3
Pac Bell Park, San Francisco CA. Charter Generation K member Bill Pulsipher draws an emergency start (replacing the injured Bobby J. Jones) in the Mets’ first game at the brand new ballpark in San Francisco. His evening, and the Mets’, goes downhill quickly in a disastrous three-run bottom of the fourth that includes a hit batter and three walks, one of them issued to opposing pittcher Shawn Estes as he attempts to lay down a sacrifice bunt. The home team proceeds to abuse New York’s bullpen for six more runs, including the first ever home run belted into McCovey Cove. (Barry Bonds is the belter, Rich Rodriguez the beltee.) The lone highlight for the Mets is an amazing leaping catch by Jay Payton in the bottom of the third to rob a home run from Bill Mueller, for all the good it does the visitors.
Record: 16-11, –4G NL East
San Francisco Giants 7, New York Mets 1
Pac Bell Park, San Francisco CA. Glendon Rusch had been enjoying a fine spring, coming into this game having given only 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.
Record: 16-12, –5G NL East
San Francisco Giants 8, New York Mets 5 (11 innings)
Pac Bell Park, San Francisco CA. 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 an 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.
Record: 16-13, –5G NL East
San Francisco Giants 7, New York Mets 2
Pac Bell Park, San Francisco CA. 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 asked 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.
Record: 16-14, –5.5G NL East
New York Mets 4, Florida Marlins 1
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. 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 Ordóñez 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 of the 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.
Record: 17-14, –5.5G NL East
Florida Marlins 9, New York Mets 1
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. The Mets grab the first lead in this game when Derek Bell crushes a 455-foot homer in the top of the fourth. But a chance to score more in that inning dies on the vine when Robin Ventura and Edgardo Alfonzo combine for a strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play. Nothing else goes right for the visitors for the remainder of their time in Florida. Making his second start in place of the injured Bobby J. Jones, Bill Pulsipher keeps the Marlins at bay until the bottom of the fourth, when they torch him for six hits and five runs, a rally that includes a two-run double by opposing pitcher Alex Fernandez. Few of the hits are especially well struck (one single falls in when Edgardo Alfonzo fails to make an over-the-shoulder catch on a pop up), but it’s enough to end Pulsipher’s day. The game is put completely out of reach in the eighth when Armando Benítez argues his way onto the mound to get some work in. He proceeds to walk three batters and give up a grand slam to Preston Wilson.
Record: 17-15, –5.5G NL East
Florida Marlins 3, New York Mets 0
Pro Player Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 17-16, –5.5G NL East
New York Mets 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh PA. 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.
Record: 18-16, –5G NL East
Pittsburgh Pirates 13, New York Mets 9
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh PA. 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. This should have been enough for Rick Reed, the Mets’ most reliable starter to this point in the 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.
Record: 18-17, –5G NL East
New York Mets 3, Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh PA. So far in the 2000 season, the Mets have won every game that Al Leiter has started, 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.
Record: 19-17, –4G NL East
Florida Marlins 6, New York Mets 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Though the Mets are finally back at Shea following a grueling 13-game road trip, during the opener of their homestand the team looks a lot like the team that struggled badly away from Queens in the previous two weeks. As he was last week in Miami, Glendon Rusch is outpitched by Ryan Dempster. The Marlin pitcher even knocks in the first Florida run with an RBI double in the top of the second. Rusch is knocked out of the box by a top of the fourth in which he gives up a three-run homer to Preston Wilson and a solo shot to Derek Lee that put Florida on top, 6-0. The Mets finally do some damage to Dempster with a four-run bottom half that features a two-run homer by Mike Piazza and a Robin Ventura longball, but that is as close as they get. The biggest news of the game, however, is Rickey Henderson’s embarrassing “home run trot” on a ball that fails to clear the outfield fence, and his defiantly unapologetic stance afterwards, an insouciance that will earn him his release the following day.
Record: 19-18, –5G NL East
Florida Marlins 7, New York Mets 6
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 19-19, –6G NL East
New York Mets 5, Florida Marlins 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Desperate for a win, the Mets entrust the ball to Mike Hampton, who turns in another brilliant performance that helps dull the sting of his ugly, early spring. It does not begin well, as the lefty allows singles to the first three batters he faces on a grand total of four pitches to load the bases, but he escapes that jam without allowing a run and is in command the rest of the way. For good measure, he kickstarts a five-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth by bunting for a single and scoring all the way from first on a Joe McEwing double. After the Mets load the bases on two walks and a single, Mike Piazza unloads them with a grand slam jack over the right field fence. Resting on this cushion, Hampton allows one run in the top of the eighth but nothing else, and walks no one in his complete game effort.
Record: 20-19, –6G NL East
Colorado Rockies 4, New York Mets 3 (11 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The Rockies are without slugger Todd Helton for this series, due to a hamstring injury he suffered in Montréal, but the Mets still drop the opener to a mediocre Colorado club. The home team falls behind early as Rick Reed cedes an RBI double in the top of the second. After Robin Ventura ties the score on a solo shot, Reed allows the Rockies to go in front again when he throws a pickoff throw under Todd Zeile’s glove at first, a throwing error that eventually leads to two Colorado runs. The Mets rally to tie the score against old friend Masato Yoshii thanks to a Mike Piazza RBI groundout in the fourth and Todd Zeile homer to lead off the seventh, but they neglect several opportunities to take the lead, sending the game into extras and setting up an unlikely hero. Bubba Carpenter, Rockie rookie at age 31, belts the second pitch he sees from Turk Wendell for a go-ahead homer in the top of the eleventh. The Mets get a double from Zeile in the bottom half but little else, going down in defeat.
Record: 20-20, –7G NL East
New York Mets 4, Colorado Rockies 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 21-20, –7G NL East
New York Mets 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Rain washes out the series finale against the Colorado Rockies and forces Bobby J. Jones to make his first start off the disabled list against the Arizona Diamondbacks instead. Still rusty from his time on the shelf, Jones’s slow delivery to the plate results in astounding seven stolen bases by the opposition (with some assistance from errant throws by Mike Piazza). He also suffers the indignity of allowing a two-run single to opposing pitcher Todd Stottlemyre in the top of the second. After his teammates tie the score on RBIs from Mark Johnson and Rey Ordóñez in the bottom of the fourth, Jones immediately allows Arizona to scratch out another run in the top of the fifth. He caps the damage there, however, and shows command of all his pitches to keep the Mets in the game, while Piazza atones for his less-than-stellar pickoff throws by bashing an opposite field two-run homer to give the Mets the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Piazza also flashes some leather at the plate in the seventh inning when he snares a bouncing cutoff throw in time to tag out speedster Tony Womack as he attempts to score. Turk Wendell and John Franco pitch scoreless innings, while Armando Benítez logs his 10th save of the season.
Record: 22-20, –6.5G NL East
New York Mets 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 7
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The second game against the Diamondbacks is preceded by a 3.5-hour rain delay, then proceeds to last far longer than it should. With Mike Hampton on the mound, the Mets build a hefty lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks. After scoring once in the third, the home team abuses D-Backs starter Omar Daal for five runs in the fourth inning, with the scoring starting on a two-run single by Hampton himself. The lefty allows no runs and just five hits over six innings, while an Edgardo Alfonzo two-run shot in the seventh gives the Mets a seemingly insurmountable 8-0 lead. There seems little cause for concern in the top of the eighth when Pat Mahomes allows a two-run homer, but things get dicey in the ninth as Rich Rodriguez and John Franco combine to give up five runs, four of them scoring with two outs on the board. When Franco gives up a two-run single that draws Arizona within a run, Bobby Valentine calls on Armando Benítez, who strikes out Erubiel Durazo to finally bring the game to an end.
Record: 23-20, –6.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Arizona Diamondbacks 6
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the first game of the 1999 division series, the Mets took fireballing southpaw Randy Johnson to the woodshed, scoring 7 runs off of him. In this game, they manage to rough up Johnson again, but instead of Edgardo Alfonzo doing most of the damage, the offense stems from the astonishing source of Joe McEwing. Johnson is overpowering for stretches, fanning 13 Mets batters and retiring 11 of 14 at one point, but the home team manages a few outbursts against him. Most of these rallies are ignited by the pint-sized part-timer, who reaches The Big Unit for a pair of doubles and a home run, as the Mets somehow hang five runs on Johnson’s ledger. Rick Reed is not on top of his game, as he allows five runs of his own to the Arizona offense over seven innings. After the Mets tie the game at 5 in the bottom of the seventh on a pair of solo shots by McEwing and Alfonzo, Dennis Cook allows the Diamondbacks to retake the lead on a homer off the bat of Steve Finley. The Mets knot the score again on a pinch hit longball by Robin Ventura (not in the starting lineup for the second day in a row as he rests a strained thigh muscle) in the eighth, allowing McEwing to come through once more in the ninth. Super Joe leads off the frame by working a walk against Arizona’s submarining closer Byung-hyun Kim, then steals second and scores the winning run on a Derek Bell single, capping a Mets sweep.
Record: 24-20, –6.5G NL East
San Diego Padres 1, New York Mets 0
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego CA. 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 outpitched 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 Ordóñez) flies out to end a frustrating shutout loss, already the third time this season the Mets have been blanked with Rusch on the mound.
Record: 24-21, –7G NL East
New York Mets 5, San Diego Padres 3 (10 innings)
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego CA. The Mets grab an early lead on an Edgardo Alfonzo RBI single in the top of the first and back-to-back homers by Todd Zeile and Todd Pratt to start the third inning. However, they manage no more hits in regulation after the fourth inning, while the Padres draw even against Al Leiter with a pair of run-scoring doubles in the fourth and a game-tying solo shot by Tony Gwynn in the sixth. The game remains quiet from that point on until the top of the tenth inning, when pinch hitter Mark Johnson bloops a two-out single against Trevor Hoffman. With a man on base, Bobby Valentine turns to another pinch hitter: Mike Piazza, who’d spent most of this game on the bench for a scheduled day off. Piazza continues his traditional dominance of the Padres’ closer (5-for-12, 11 RBIs, 4 home runs against him) by hitting one of his trademark laserbeam shots into the right field seats for a two-run homer. In the bottom half, Armando Benítez allows a leadoff walk but nothing else to save a much-needed victory.
Record: 25-21, –6G NL East
San Diego Padres 5, New York Mets 4
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego CA. Bobby Jones turns in a 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 equally 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.
Record: 25-22, –7G NL East
New York Mets 5, St. Louis Cardinals 2
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. In the opener of a three-game set in St. Louis, Mike Hampton tosses eight strong innings, allowing two runs on nine hits. The lefty shows grit by wriggling out of two bases-loaded jams, while he and his teammates scratch out a pair of runs against Pat Hentgen on a bases loaded walk in the first and a sac fly from Hampton himself in the fourth. The Cardinals draw even with an RBI groundout in the fourth and a titanic Jim Edmonds solo shot to start the fifth, and the score stays knotted until the top of the ninth, when a trio of two-out walks brings Robin Ventura to the plate. Owner of a lifetime .364 batting average with the bases juiced, Ventura singles to right field to knock in the go-ahead runs. In the bottom half, Armando Benítez shrugs off a one-out error by Todd Zeile that brings the tying run to the plate, fanning two batters to earn the save.
Record: 26-22, –6.5G NL East
New York Mets 12, St. Louis Cardinals 8
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. The Mets tattoo Cardinals starter Andy Benes in the top of the first, scoring five times on an Edgardo Alfonzo double, a three-run homer by Mike Piazza, and a Todd Zeile solo shot. But Rick Reed, pitching through a strained oblique, loses his trademark control and hands three runs to St. Louis in the bottom half with his wildness. The Cards tie the game on a two-run blast by Ray Lankford in the third. Piazza goes deep again in the top of the fourth to temporarily give the Mets a lead, but the Cards storm back with two more runs in the bottom half and stretch their advantage with a Mark McGwire RBI single in the sixth. The visitors counter by loading the bases in the eighth on a pair of singles and an error, then unload them with a Todd Zeile grand slam. The Mets tack on two more runs for good measure in the ninth and hang on for an unsightly victory.
Record: 27-22, –6.5G NL East
New York Mets 6, St. Louis Cardinals 2
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. 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 on via a Joe McEwing RBI double in the sixth and run-scoring single by Jay Payton in the ninth. Rusch neutralizes the dangerous Mark McGwire by freezing him on a called strike three to skirt trouble in the fourth and goes on to pitch seven fine innings. John Franco and Armando Benítez close things out in the eighth and ninth, with the Met closer requiring only five pitches to cap the sweep in St. Louis.
Record 28-22, –5.5G NL East
Los Angeles Dodgers 4, New York Mets 1
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. 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 Ordóñez 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.
Record: 28-23, –6.5G NL East
New York Mets 10, Los Angeles Dodgers 5
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. Forced to improvise by the Rey Ordóñez 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 hit. 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.
Record: 29-23, –6.5G NL East
Los Angeles Dodgers 4, New York Mets 3
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. 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.
Record: 29-24, –7G NL East
New York Mets 5, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 30-24, –5.5G NL East
New York Mets 1, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 31-24, –5.5G NL East
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 15, New York Mets 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 that come on back-to-back homers hit by 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.)
Record: 31-25, –5.5G NL East
Baltimore Orioles 4, New York Mets 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 by jamming the fearsome Albert 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.
Record: 31-36, –5.5G NL East
New York Mets 11, Baltimore Orioles 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The Mets take an early lead on consecutive first inning solo shots by Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza, the catcher’s longball 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 these in with two outs.
Record: 32-36, –5G NL East
New York Mets 8, Baltimore Orioles 7 (10 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 33-26, –4.5G NL East
New York Mets 12, New York Yankees 2
Yankee Stadium II, Bronx, NY. The first game of the Subway Series in the Bronx features a familiar matchup—Al Leiter versus Roger Clemens—and a familiar result. The two aces faced off twice in 1999, and each time Leiter dominated the Yankees while The Rocket was chased from the mound by a back-breaking home run by Mike Piazza, and this game follows that blueprint. Clemens’s trouble starts in the third when Jason Tyner pushes a bunt and beats it out to lead off the frame. Unnerved, Clemens walks a slumping Derek Bell, watches a passed ball move both runners up a base, and walks Edgardo Alfonzo to bring Piazza to the plate. The catcher wheels on Clemens’s first pitch and knocks it into the batter’s eye for a grand slam. Clemens proceeds to allow single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, and is finally sent to the showers by a two-run shot off the bat of Alfonzo that caps a three-run rally. Bell adds a three-run homer in the seventh to act as window dressing, while Leiter stifles the Yankees over seven innings in this blowout victory.
Record: 34-26, –4.5G NL East
New York Yankees 13, New York Mets 5
Yankee Stadium II, Bronx NY. On a muggy afternoon in the Bronx, the Mets make a bid to take the first two Subway Series games by overcoming deficits against Andy Pettitte. After Bobby Jones allows a pair of run-scoring doubles in the bottom of the first, the Mets rebound to take a lead on a solo shot by Jay Payton in the second and a two-run blast by Robin Ventura in the third. When the Yankees tie the score on a long Paul O’Neill home run in the bottom of the third, the Mets regain the lead in the top of the fifth on RBI hits from Payton and Todd Zeile. But the Yankees catch a break in the same frame when Pettitte appears to make a balk move that should bring home a run from third, only to have the umps deem it legal. Given this reprieve, the rest of the game goes the home team’s way. In the bottom half, Jones begins to melt down, allowing a pair of two-out run-scoring hits to O’Neill and Bernie Williams to tie the game. Pat Mahomes enters the game in relief and gives up a monstrous three-run homer to Jorge Posada. Mahomes allows another home run to Derek Jeter in the sixth, while Dennis Cook cedes four more runs in a seventh inning to complete a blowout. A rainout the following evening cuts this leg of the Subway Series short, necessitating a two-stadium doubleheader in July.
Record: 34-27, –5.5G NL East
Chicago Cubs 4, New York Mets 3
Wrigley Field, Chicago IL. In the first of a brief two-game trip to Chicago, the Mets overcome an early 1-0 deficit on an RBI sac fly from Jason Tyner in the top of the second and a two-run Robin Ventura double in the top of the fifth. Rick Reed can’t hold this advantage, however, as he allows the Cubs to rally for single runs in the fifth and seventh to tie the game. Chicago pulls ahead in the eighth with some assistance from interim shortstop Kurt Abbott. With runners on first and second and one out, Todd Zeile fields a grounder and fires it to Abbott at second for a force out. Abbott then attempts a relay back to first base to complete an inning-ending double play, but his throw is too wide for John Franco, covering the bag, to snare it. As the ball sails past the pitcher, a run scores that proves the margin of error in this game.
Record: 34-28, –5.5G NL East
New York Mets 10, Chicago Cubs 8
Wrigley Field, Chicago IL. Mike Hampton is the scheduled starter for the last of the Mets’ two games in Chicago, but he is only on the mound for 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 take 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 them 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 Agabayani 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.
Record: 35-28, –5.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Milwaukee Brewers 1
County Stadium, Milwaukee WI. 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.
Record: 36-28, –4G NL East
Milwaukee Brewers 3, New York Mets 2
County Stadium, Milwaukee WI. Glendon Rusch puts up another respectable outing, allowing just three runs in 6 1/3 innings of work. But as has often been the case this season, the Mets fail to provide him adequate run support, stranding nine runners on the bases. The Mets take a 2-1 lead when Mike Piazza knocks in a run in the top of the fifth, but Rusch allows the Brewers to crawl ahead again by giving up a two-run single to Marquis Grissom in the bottom of the sixth. New York’s best chance to retake the lead comes in the top of the eighth, when Piazza and Robin Ventura begin the inning with back-to-back singles. Fearing his team must take the lead now or face Milwaukee’s closer Bob Wickman in the ninth, Bobby Valentine makes the curious decision to pinch run for both men, removing his best hitters from the game. The gambit fails as Brewer reliever Curtis Leskanic retires the next three batters in order, with pinch hitter Matt Franco zipping a harsh lineout to second base to end the inning. As Valentine feared, Wickman retires the Mets in order in the ninth to conclude a frustrating defeat.
Record: 36-29, –4G NL East
New York Mets 7, Milwaukee Brewers 3
County Stadium, Milwaukee WI. With the Brewers set to move into brand new Miller Park in 2001, this marks the Mets’ final game at County Stadium. Rick Reed takes the mound for New York and allows three runs through seven innings of work, which on this day is good enough for his first win since April 29. Milwaukee takes an early lead when Ronnie Belliard belts a leadoff homer off of Reed, but after a few quiet innings, the Mets retaliate by scoring five times in top of the fourth. This rally is capped by a three-run blast from the unlikely power source of Kurt Abbott, and is only made possible after equally unlikely speed demon Benny Agbayani beats a relay throw to first to prevent an inning-ending double play. The Mets pad their lead on an Edgardo Alfonzo sac fly in the seventh and a Robin Ventura solo shot in the eighth.
Record: 37-29, –4G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 3, New York Mets 2 (10 innings)
Shea Staidum, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 37-30, –4.5G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 10, New York Mets 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 37-31, –4.5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Philadelphia Phillies 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 38-31, –4.5G NL East
New York Mets 12, Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 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.
Record: 39-31, –4.5G NL East
New York Mets 10, Pittsburgh Pirates 8
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 40-31, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 9, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Mike Hampton turns in his most dominating performance as a Met to date, allowing just five hits—with only two of them coming after 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.
Record: 41-31, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 10, Florida Marlins 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The Mets power past the Marlins in the opener of a three-game set against Florida by blasting five home runs in a game for the first time in three years. Amazingly, all five are hit by the bottom of their order. Al Leiter is not his sharpest on this evening, as he allows three runs to a weak Marlins lineup, two on solo home runs, but his offense more than makes up for it. The Mets first get on the board with a Benny Agbayani two-run homer in the bottom of the third. After Robin Ventura breaks up a 3-all tie with an RBI groundout in the sixth, pinch hitter Mark Johnson (fresh up from the minors in place of Jason Tyner) belts a two-run blast to expand the Mets’ lead. The seventh inning sees New York salt this game with three more longballs from Jay Payton, Agbayani, and Melvin Mora.
Record: 42-31, –3G NL East
New York Mets 5, Florida Marlins 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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. 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.
Record: 43-31, –2G NL East
New York Mets 6, Florida Marlins 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 homers 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, an error 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.
Record: 44-31, –2G NL East
Atlanta Braves 6, New York Mets 4
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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. New York scores two unearned runs against Burkett in the bottom of the third, but bypass a chance for more when Robin Ventura strikes out to end the inning. Another error leads to another pair of Met runs in the bottom of 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 in the eighth inning 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.
Record: 44-32, –3G NL East
New York Mets 11, Atlanta Braves 8
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Mike Hampton pitches seven innings in this game but struggles mightily during them, as do most of his teammates. He walks in a run and allows two more to score on a Javy Lopez single in the top of the first. Atlanta tacks on a fifth run in the top of the seventh, while Kevin Millwood dominates Met hitters, allowing just a single run over seven innings. When a Brian Jordan three-run homer appears to salt the game for Atlanta in the top of the eighth, Bobby Cox asks the B-squad in his bullpen to protect a hefty lead, beginning with well traveled reliever Don Wengert. A fateful bottom of the eighth starts with a pair of singles sandwiched around a flyout. When Robin Ventura drives in a run with a grounder, the second out of the inning, it seems of little consequence. But then Todd Zeile knocks in another run with a single, and Jay Payton follows with a single of his own. Wishing to take no chances, Cox yanks Wengert and inserts Kerry Ligtenberg, Atlanta’s closer. But Ligtenberg can’t find the strike zone and issues three straight walks to force in two more runs. Cox removes Ligtenberg in favor of veteran Terry Mulholland, but he walks the first batter he faces to force in yet another run. Mulholland then backs Edgardo Alfonzo into a two-strike count, only to watch him sneak a single past third base to drive in two runs and improbably tie the game. With a sellout Shea crowd losing its mind, Mike Piazza gives them even more to scream about as he wheels on Mulholland’s next pitch and rockets it beyond the left field fence for three-run laser beam blast. The 10 runs scored in the inning match a franchise record, and ensure an insane, cathartic win for the Mets.
Record: 45-32, –2G NL East
New York Mets 9, Atlanta Braves 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 46-32, –1G NL East
Atlanta Braves 10, New York Mets 2
Shea Stadiu, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 46-33, 2G NL East
Florida Marlins 2, New York Mets 0
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. In the first game of quick three-game road trip to 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 for a walkoff two-run blast.
Record: 46-34, –2G NL East
Florida Marlins 9, New York Mets 8
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. Lefty 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 makes a convincing argument he should 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 a 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 Todd Pratt and, fittingly, Mora to end the game.
Record: 46-35, –3G NL East
New York Mets 11, Florida Marlins 2
Pro Player Stadium, Miami FL. The Mets jump all over Marlin pitching ot salvage their finale in Florida. 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.
Record: 47-35, –2G NL East
New York Yankees 2, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 47-36, –2.5G NL East
New York Yankees 4, New York Mets 2 (Game 1)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the first game of an historic two-stadium doubleheader between the Yankees and Mets, Doc Gooden makes his first start at Shea Stadium since leaving the team after the 1994 season. Following an appreciative reception from Mets fans, Gooden turns in a just-good-enough performance, limiting his former team to two runs and six hits in a tidy five innings of work. Bobby Jones pitches well, though he is on the wrong side of some curious officiating in the first inning. Jay Payton appears to throwout leadoff batter Chuck Knoblauch as he attempts to stretch a single into a double, but the initial call is overturned when umpire Robb Cook says first baseman Todd Zeile interfered with the runner. The call only comes after Cook is screamed at by Yankees first base coach Lee Mazzilli, which ensures him being screamed at even further by a furious Bobby Valentine, who is ejected for his trouble. (The Mets play the game under protest.) Following the fracas, the Yankees score twice in the inning. The Mets tie the game on a Benny Agbayani RBI groundout in the second and run-scoring double by Derek Bell in the fifth, but the Yankees regain the lead in the top of the sixth when Tino Martinez drives a low, tailing Jones fastball for an opposite field solo shot. Martinez adds an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI single, while the Mets fail to move a baserunner past second after the fifth inning.
Record: 47-37, –4G NL East
New York Yankees 4, New York Mets 2 (Game 2)
Yankee Stadium II, Bronx NY. In the Bronx half of the two-stadium Subway Series doubleheader, the Yankees prevail by the same score as the first. The events of the game are overshadowed by a scary incident in the second inning, when Roger Clemens nails Mike Piazza in the head with a 92 mph fastball. Piazza is forced to leave the game, sustaining a minor concussion that will keep him from playing in the impending All Star Game. The enraged Mets believe the beaning is retribution for Piazza’s gaudy numbers against The Rocket. They nearly exact revenge by besting Clemens with a furious two-out rally in the top of the fifth, culminating with a pair of RBI singles by Derek Bell and Edgardo Alfonzo. However, the Yankees storm right back with a four-run outburst in the bottom half, capped by a three-run blast by Chuck Knoblauch off of Glendon Rusch. Both Clemens and Rusch pitch through the eighth without further incident, while Mariano Rivera silences the Mets in the ninth to conclude a long, frustrating day of baseball for the National Leaguers.
Record: 47-38, –4G NL East
New York Mets 2, New York Yankees 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the last game of this season’s Subway Series (at least for the regular season), 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.
Record: 48-38, –3G NL East
Boston Red Sox 4, New York Mets 3
Fenway Park, Boston MA. The Mets start the second half of their season with an 11-game roadtrip that commences with an interleague trip to Boston. In an attempt to show he is recovered from being hit in the head with 92 mph Roger Clemens fastball before the All Star break, Mike Piazza starts the game and catches all nine innings. He and the Mets are forced to battle against Pedro Martínez, who is in the midst of another brilliant season on the mound. Pedro fans 10 Mets batters, but somehow his magic does not work on rookie outfielder Jay Payton. In the top of the second, consecutive two-out doubles by Todd Zeile and Payton plate the first New York run, and after Bobby Jones surrenders a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, Payton ties the game at 2 with a solo shot over the Green Monster. In the eighth, a pair of two-out singles by Edgardo Alfonzo and Piazza combine with an error committed by ex-Met Carl Everett to give New York the lead. But in the ninth, all the luck goes against the Mets. First, a Melvin Mora error on a potential game-ending double play ball allows the winning run to reach base. Then, with two out, Armando Benítez believes he throws strike three to Brian Daubach but does not get the call. Given this reprieve, Daubach lines the next pitch down the right field line. Right fielder Derek Bell figures the ball will either bounce into the stands or carom off the outfield wall right back to him. Instead, the ball hugs the wall, and by the time Bell recovers it, the tying and winning runs have scored, thus ending a frustrating near-miss for the Mets.
Record: 48-39, –4G NL East
New York Mets 6, Boston Red Sox 4
Fenway Park, Boston MA. The Mets’ second game in Boston is delayed by an hour, due to a power outage. Once there is light enough to see, Glendon Rusch pitches well in six innings of work, though he can’t solve the riddle of Troy O’Leary, who reaches him for two RBI singles. His teammates build a lead on the strength of a Mike Piazza solo shot and a two-run homer off the bat of yesterday’s goat, Melvin Mora. Things fall apart quickly, however, once Rusch gives way to Turk Wendell to start the seventh inning. After a walk and a sacrifice, Wendell is removed in favor of Dennis Cook, who the Red Sox are convinced is doctoring his balls. Boston designated hitter Brian Daubach asks Todd Pratt to take one of Cook’s pitches out of play so it can be checked, a command the catcher resents deeply. The batter and catcher get in each other’s face and the benches clear briefly. After all the perfunctory posturing is through, Daubach lashes a game-tying single. Following a walk, Cook plunks Carl Everett and earns himself an ejection. The lefty leaves the mound enraged and pointing toward the batter’s box, expressing his belief that Everett crowded the plate in the harshest of terms. The latest Mets reliever, Rich Rodriguez, then allows O’Leary’s third RBI hit of the day, a bloop single that puts Boston on top. The Mets appear ticketed for another infuriating loss until Red Sox manager Jimy Williams makes a curious pitching change. Even though his righty, Hipolito Pichardo, had set down eight batters in row, Williams turns to his closer, Derek Lowe, with two outs in the top of the eighth. Lowe proceeds to give up a single to Edgardo Alfonzo, followed by a towering Mike Piazza blast that bounces off a Coke bottle mounted above the Green Monster. A Melvin Mora RBI single in the top of the ninth pads the Mets’ lead, and though Armando Benítez allows a double and a walk in the bottom half, he hangs on to earn the save.
Record: 49-39, –4G NL East
Boston Red Sox 6, New York Mets 4
Fenway Park, Boston MA. The finale of the Mets’ series in Boston becomes infamous around the league for a tantrum thrown by Red Sox outfielder (and ex-Met) Carl Everett. Enraged by home plate umpire Ron Kulpa drawing a line in the dirt 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 the night before—Everett goes ballistic, bumping Kulpa and throwing his helmet in disgust. As for the game itself, the Mets stake 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.
Record: 49-40, –5G NL East
Toronto Blue Jays 7, New York Mets 3
SkyDome, Toronto ON. In the first of three games against the Blue Jays north of the broder, Al Leiter and the Mets gripe about the inconsistent strike zone of rookie umpire Mike Fitcher. Leiter is particularly perturbed about a sequence in the bottom of the sixth. With the bases loaded, he throws a 2-1 pitch to Marty Cordova that he is sure is strike two. Fitcher calls it ball three instead. Rattled, Leiter hangs a slider that Cordova blasts into the visiting bullpen for his first career grand slam. Todd Zeile complains as well after he takes a called third strike with the bases loaded to end the top of the seventh, a pitch he sees as being inside. The Mets scratch out three runs against young Toronto hurler Roy Halladay but can't scratch any further, and can't get over their perception of unfair umpiring, as they drop the series opener.
Record: 49-41, –6G NL East
New York Mets 7, Toronto Blue Jays 5 (11 innings)
SkyDome, Toronto ON. 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 manning third base while also 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 New York 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.
Record: 50-41, –5G NL East
New York Mets 11, Toronto Blue Jays 7
SkyDome, Toronto ON. 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. After Tony Batista gives the Blue Jays the lead again in the bottom half with an RBI single, 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 still appears to 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 the New York 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.
Record: 51-41, –5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Montréal Expos 3
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. 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.
Record: 52-41, –4.5G NL East
Montréal Expos 4, New York Mets 1
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. 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.
Record: 52-42, –5G NL East
Atlanta Braves 6, New York Mets 3
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. In the opener of the Mets’ first series in Atlanta since last year’s National League Championship Series, the team is forced to field a compromised lineup, due to Robin Ventura’s stint on the disabled list and Edgardo Alfonzo’s unavailability with a hip flexor issue. Al Leiter struggles early, giving up a two-run single to Brian Jordan in the first, but the Mets look like they may recover with a wild three-run top of the third that chases starter Terry Mulholland. Once Mulholland is removed, however, the Mets’ bats are helpless against John Burkett and the rest of the Braves’ bullpen. In the bottom of the third, Atlanta retakes the lead when Lenny Harris (playing third in the absence of Ventura) heaves a bad throw home that causes Mike Piazza to be barreled over by a runner and eventually leads to two additional runs scoring. The Braves tack on two more runs in the later innings and cruise to yet another victory over the Mets at Turner Field.
Record: 52-43, –6G NL East
New York Mets 4, Atlanta Braves 0
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. Rick Reed outduels Greg Maddux, scattering four hits and holding the Braves hitless with runners in scoring position. Reed even contributes an RBI sac fly in the top of the fifth, while his teammates build a lead on a Jay Payton RBI single in the second inning and a Derek Bell homer in the sixth. An error by Chipper Jones allows another run to score in the ninth to pad their advantage. Thus do the Mets enjoy a rare win at Turner Field—just their second victory in their last 17 games in Atlanta.
Record: 53-43, –5G NL East
Atlanta Braves 1, New York Mets 0
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. After shutting out the Braves the night before, it’s the Mets’ turn to get shutout in the Turner Field finale. 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 Mets' closest brush with a scoring opportunity comes in 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.
Record: 53-44, –6G NL East
New York Mets 5, Montréal Expos 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. With the Mets finally back home for the first time after the All Star break following 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 Mora, a run-scoring groundout by Lenny Harris, and a bases loaded walk.
Record: 54-44, –6G NL East
New York Mets 9, Montréal Expos 8 (Game 1)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. A rainout on July 26 necessitates a doubleheader the next day 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), and is completed when 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.
Record: 55-44, –5G NL East
New York Mets 4, Montréal Expos 3 (Game 2)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. After the bullpen shouldered a heavy load in the first half of the doubleheader, the Mets need a lengthy outing from their starter. Mike Hampton obliges by going the distance. The early going is rough, as Hampton allows two runs in the top of the second following errors by Lenny Harris, filling in at third base, and Kurt Abbott, fresh off the disabled list and in at short for the injured Melvin Mora. (It’s an evening to forget for the makeshift Met defense, as Harris contributes two more errors before the game is over.) But the Mets bounce right back in the bottom of the second against the maligned former Yankee pitcher Hideki Irabu. After Todd Zeile and Benny Agbayani collect one-out singles, Jay Payton knocks them both home with a long double, then races home himself on a throwing error. Harris atones for some of his miscues with a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth. The Expos crawl a little closer when Hampton allows a home run in the top of the sixth, and things get a tad adventurous in the top of the ninth when he gives up two singles. With two outs and rain threatening to bring the game to a premature end, Hampton spears a sharp liner off the bat of Milton Bradley to record the final out and seal a Met sweep of Montréal.
Record: 56-44, –5G NL East
New York Mets 3, St. Louis Cardinals 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 57-44, –5G NL East
New York Mets 4, St. Louis Cardinals 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The day before this game, Steve Phillips pulls the trigger on a pair of deadline deals, acquiring reliever Rick White and bench bat Bubba Trammell from the Devil Rays and shortstop Mike Bordick from the Orioles (the latter at the expense of Melvin Mora). The newcomers chip in right away, none more so than Bordick, who belts a long home run off of Andy Benes on the first pitch he ever sees as a Met in the bottom of the third. A two-out RBI single from Mike Piazza in the same frame gives the Mets the lead, but this advantage is relinquished on a two-run shot by Jim Edmonds in the top of the fourth. The Cards threaten to blow the game open by loading the bases with one out in the sixth, but Robin Ventura—just reactivated from the disabled list—keeps the inning from devolving into disaster by making a leaping grab on line drive, turning a potential bases-clearing double into the second out. After starter Rick Reed escapes the inning with no more damage done, Piazza comes to bat in the bottom half and destroys a Benes pitch, sending it 455 feet and out of the stadium to tie the game. Nifty defense saves the Mets once more in the seventh when Jay Payton fires a throw home on one hop to nail pinch runner Rick Ankiel at the plate. In the bottom of the eighth, Bordick is in the middle of things again as he hits a one-out single that moves Robin Ventura to third base. Lenny Harris follows with an RBI single, and Armando Benítez’s 1-2-3 ninth ensures another Mets victory.
Record: 58-44, –5G NL East
New York Mets 4, St. Louis Cardinals 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. On Old Timer’s Day at Shea, Bubba Trammell writes a storybook beginning to his Mets career by going deep in his first at bat with the team. In the bottom of the second, Trammell belts a three-run shot off of Cardinals starter Garrett Stephenson, prompting the crowd to serenade him with chants of “Bub-ba! Bub-ba!” This, combined with a solo shot by Benny Agbayani in the first, gives Bobby Jones all the runs he needs, as he cruises for most of the afternoon and goes the distance. Though not known for being a strikeout pitcher, Jones fans nine batters in the vaunted St. Louis lineup and nabs the fearsome Jim Edmonds three times. A brief outburst in the sixth gives the Cards a run on a groundout, and a two-out solo shot in the ninth by Ray Lankford brings them a bit closer, but Jones freezes Fernando Tatís on a painfully slow curveball to catch him looking, record the final out, and cap a satisfying sweep of St. Louis.
Record: 59-44, 5G NL East
Cincinnati Reds 6, New York Mets 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 New York runners reach third base, and both are turned away.
Record: 59-45, –5.5G NL East
New York Mets 3, Cincinnati 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The Mets scratch out three runs against Steve Parris (the same pitcher they defeated in last year’s wild card play-in game) on a Robin Ventura RBI single in the first, a sac fly from Mike Hampton in the second, and a Mike Bordick run-scoring hit in the sixth. For most of the game, this appears to be enough for Hampton, who strikes out six and walks none in the first seven frames. But he finds trouble when he comes out to start the eighth inning, giving up an RBI double to Barry Larkin. Turk Wendell relieves him but allows Dante Bichette to triple in another run, putting the tying run on third with only one out. John Franco comes to the rescue by inducing a grounder to first from the following batter, one that does not allow Bichette to score. Franco walks Alex Ochoa to put the go-ahead run on base and watches Ochoa steal second, but the lefty recovers to strike out veteran catcher Benito Santiago looking to end the threat. Armando Benítez contributes a 1-2-3 ninth to technically earn the save, though after the game both Bobby Valentine and Franco himself attribute the “true” save to Franco.
Record: 60-45, –5.5G NL East
New York Mets 2, Cincinnati Reds 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 start Robin Ventura, however, despite the third baseman having struggled with the bat all year and in particular since suffering a 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, in almost 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.
Record: 61-45, –4.5G NL East
New York Mets 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 1
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix AZ. 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 one 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 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.
Record: 62-45, –4G NL East
New York Mets 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 2
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix AZ. 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.
Record: 63-45, –3G NL East
Arizona Diamondbacks 9, New York Mets 5
Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix AZ. Bobby Valentine compares the finale of the Mets’ series in Phoenix to “a long day in the dentist’s chair.” Glendon Rusch agrees, as he contributes his worst start as a Met so far, allowing five runs in just four innings of work. A two-run homer off the bat of Matt Williams breaks a 1-1 tie in the third inning, and Tony Womack pads Arizona's lead with a two-run single in the fourth. Pat Mahomes and Dennis Cook conspire to give up four more runs, all on longballs, that render the rest of the game academic. For most of the afternoon, the visitors are stifled by former Met Armando Reynoso, who has dominated the team since his stint in New York ended after the 1998 season. Mike Bordick belts a two-run homer of his own in the seventh, and the Mets string together four hits to drive in two runs in the ninth to make the contest momentarily interesting, but are ultimately turned away.
Record: 63-46, –4G NL East
New York Mets 6, Houston Astros 5 (11 innings)
Enron Field, Houston TX. In the Mets’ first visit to Enron Field, Houston’s brand 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.
Record: 64-46, –3G NL East
Houston Astros 9, New York Mets 3
Enron Field, Houston TX. With Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza sidelined by minor injuries, the Mets field a makeshift lineup that is no match for even the struggling Astros. Al Leiter is 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 attempting to advance from first to third.
Record: 64-47, –4G NL East
New York Mets 12, Houston Astros 5
Enron Field, Houston TX. 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 off the disabled list, which he'd been on since early April, sidelined by a troublesome toe injury.
Record: 65-47, –3G NL East
New York Mets 10, Houston Astros 3
Enron Field, Houston TX. The Mets finish out their road trip with another pounding of Astros pitching, this time taking advantage of Tony McKnight, 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 but watch Jeff Bagwell tie the score on solo shots each time. The Mets take the lead for good on a Piazza RBI single in the fifth, pad their advantage 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.
Record: 66-47, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 4, San Francisco Giants 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 67-47, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 3, San Francisco Giants 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. A Mike Bordick solo shot in the bottom of the third gives the Mets a slim lead that the Giants immediately surmount in the top of the fourth, with some assistance from a mental error. Mike Hampton loads the bases with one out on a double, an error by Bordick, and a hit batter, then gives up a lazy fly ball to left field. Benny Agbayani catches the ball and, mistakenly believing he’s recorded the third out, hands it to a young fan in the nearby stands. By the time Agbayani realizes his error, both the tying and go-ahead runs have scored. For much of the game, it appears this error may prove the margin of error, as the Mets find themselves helpless against Giant starter Shawn Estes. New York works seven walks against Estes yet can’t convert any of them into runs, even when they log four of them in one inning. (A groundball double play helps Estes escape the bottom of the fifth unscathed.) But when Estes gives way to reliever Félix Rodríguez in the bottom of the seventh, the Mets are able to rally, with Todd Zeile smacking a two-run double that puts them ahead to stay. The bullpen holds the Giants at bay in the last two innings, transforming Agbayani’s blunder from a crushing error into an amusing memory.
Record: 68-47, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 2, San Francisco Giants 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. The third contest between the Mets and Giants unfolds as a tense pitcher’s duel, with Al Leiter and Liván Hernández (who the Mets beat soundly in all their meetings in 1999) matching zeroes. Leiter allows just two hits while striking out 12 batters through eight innings, while Hernández gives up only six hits through the first seven. But in the bottom of the eighth, Hernández cedes a leadoff walk to Edgardo Alfonzo, which leads to an RBI double by Robin Ventura. The Mets then pad their lead on a run-scoring single from Mike Bordick. John Franco earns the save with a scoreless ninth.
Record: 69-47, –1.5G NL East
San Francisco Giants 11, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Looking to complete a four-game sweep on an unseasonably cool August evening, the Mets are rocked to sleep instead by Giant ace Russ Ortiz. New York has never beat Ortiz before and they don’t come close to besting him on this date, as he allows just one hit in seven innings of work. Rick Reed blanks the Giants through the first five frames, and for a while it seems as if another pitcher’s duel is in the offing. Then Reed begins the sixth by allowing consecutive singles and a hit batter. The floodgates open after a sac fly by J.T. Snow and an RBI single from Ellis Burks. Two more hits follow Burks’s, and before Reed can blink, five runs have scored. As bad as Reed’s sixth inning is, things go much worse for Dennis Cook in the seventh, as he permits the first six batters to reach base and allows six runs, two of them on a single by Ortiz. A Jay Payton solo shot in the eighth is the Mets’ second, and final, hit of the game.
Record: 69-48, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Colorado Rockies (Game 1)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. A rainout back in mid-May prompts this twinbill, with Pat Mahomes drawing the spot start in the opener. Mahomes struggles early, perhaps because he seems to be the last man to learn he is schedule to start this game; several players break the news to him in the clubhouse before Bobby Valentine does. With little time to mentally prepare himself, he cedes an RBI double to Todd Helton (flirting with a .400 batting average at the moment) in the second and two more runs in the fourth. The Mets waste several opportunities early against Colorado starter Pedro Astacio, including failing to score in the fourth despite loading the bases with no outs. Edgardo Alfonzo finally puts New York on the board with a two-run double in the fifth. Though a Mike Bordick error leads to another Colorado run in the top of the seventh, the Mets “rally” for four runs in the bottom half. Ironic quotes are needed here because this outburst consists of two bases loaded walks, a wild pitch, and a run-scoring groundout. Another wild pitch in the eighth leads to one more New York run, and though the Rockies string together three hits and a run against Armando Benítez in the ninth, it is as close as the visitors get.
Record: 70-48, –2G NL East
New York Mets 4, Colorado Rockies 3 (Game 2)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. In the nightcap of their doubleheader, the Mets fall behind early on when Todd Helton collects an RBI double in the first inning, but starter Bobby Jones is solid for most of the game. His teammates give the Mets a lead on a Lenny Harris RBI single in the third, a sac fly in the fourth, and a Benny Agbayani run-scoring double in the sixth. The Rockies draw closer on a Helton solo shot in the sixth, then get some assistance from a pair of Todd Zeile errors that lead to another Colorado run. Zeile’s next at bat in the eighth is greeted with boos, but he redeems himself by zipping a home run just to the right of the left field foul pole for a go-ahead home run. Armando Benítez sets down the side in order to earn his second save of the day.
Record: 71-48, –2G NL East
Colorado Rockies 7, New York Mets 5
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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 at this point, 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.
Record: 71-49, –3G NL East
New York Mets 13, Colorado Rockies 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 72-49, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 3
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. 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 in the bottom of the frame to preserve the win.
Record: 73-49, –1.5G NL East
Los Angeles Dodgers 4, New York Mets 1
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. Two batters into the game, Derek Bell clubs a solo shot off of Dodger starter Chan Ho Park. That is all the offense 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 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.
Record: 73-50, –1.5G NL East
New York Mets 9, Los Angeles Dodgers 6
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA. The Mets build a 4-0 lead against Darren Dreifort—a pitcher who’d given them fits previously—on the strength of a two-run homer by Edgardo Alfonzo in the first and an RBI single and run-scoring error in the second. But Bobby Jones cedes a pair of home runs to Todd Hundley and an RBI double to Shawn Green that tie the score, followed by an Eric Karros run-scoring single in the fifth. The Mets rebound with back-to-back homers from Bubba Trammell and Lenny Harris to start the top of the sixth, only to watch the Dodgers tie the game again on another Shawn Green RBI hit in the bottom of the seventh. This back-and-forth affair swings the Mets’ way for good in the top of the eighth. The inning opens with a pair of singles to put runners on the corners. The next batter taps a ball back to reliever Terry Adams, and Mike Bordick—runner at third who broke for home on contact—appears to be a dead duck. Adams tosses the ball to third baseman Adrian Beltré, who then wings a throw over the catcher’s head. As the ball rolls to the backstop, two Mets runners scamper home. A third joins them when a Derek Bell grounder skips through the legs of second baseman Mark Grudzielanek. The Dodgers have no counterpunch this time, as the Mets go on to take the series from LA.
Record: 74-50, –1.5G NL East
San Diego Padres 5, New York Mets 4 (10 innings)
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego CA. 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.
Record: 74-51, –2.5G NL East
San Diego Padres 16, New York Mets 1
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego CA. 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—who takes the mound while wearing sunglasses, infuriating the opposition with his insouciance—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.
Record: 74-52, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 4, San Diego Padres 1
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego CA. The overworked Mets bullpen is in need of a break, so Al Leiter obliges with eight innings of one-run ball, striking out 12 Padres and allowing just three hits. The one blemish on his record is a first inning homer allowed to Damian Jackson, but the Mets tie the score on an RBI single from Mike Bordick in the fourth. In the sixth, they score on a hit batter, an RBI groundout, and a run-scoring hit from Lenny Harris. This is more than enough support for Leiter, and Armando Benítez strikes out the side in order to salvage a victory in San Diego.
Record: 75-52, –2.5G NL East
New York Mets 13, Arizona Diamondbacks 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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, which allows another run to score. After Johnson permits another run in the inning, things get even worse for him 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 an 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.
Record: 76-52, –2G NL East
Arizona Diamondbacks 5, New York Mets 1 (10 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 76-53, –2G NL East
New York Mets 2, Arizona Diamondbacks 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. After skipping one start due to a hairline fracture in his ribs, Mike Hampton returns to the mound and looks spectacular, allowing only 1 run and 3 hits in eight innings of work. The Mets enjoy a brief lead when Benny Agbayani begins the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot, but the Diamondbacks respond in the top of the fifth when ex-Met Kelly Stinnett works a leadoff walk and comes around to score on a Danny Bautista single just beyond the reach of a leaping Edgardo Alfonzo. The Mets climb back on top in the seventh when Alfonzo and Mike Piazza each hit one-out singles. D-Backs pitcher Armando Reynoso tries to pick off Alfonzo at second but his throw to the base is late, despite his protests to the contrary. Rattled, Reynoso issues a walk to Robin Ventura to load the bases, which allows Todd Zeile to drive in the go-ahead run with a grounder to shortstop hit too slowly for a double play. Though things get a bit dicey in the ninth when a Jay Payton error puts the tying run on base, Armando Benítez hangs on to convert the save.
Record: 77-53, –1G NL East
New York Mets 4, Houston Astros 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Desperate for a solid start after a string of clunkers, Glendon Rusch contributes seven solid innings. He would have a clean sheet but for a pair of solo homers (old pal Roger Cedeño to lead off the game, Richard Hidalgo in the third). Houston third baseman Chris Truby leads off the fourth inning with a triple, but Rusch pins him there by striking out a pair and inducing a groundout, and the Astros barely make a peep for the rest of the game. The Mets recover quickly from Houston’s leadoff homer when Benny Agbayani and Derek Bell start the bottom of the first with singles, then Edgardo Alfonzo brings them all home with a three-run blast. A balk by Astro reliever José Cabrera with a runner on third base gifts the Mets an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth.
Record: 78-53, +14.5 NL East (tied with Atlanta)
Houston Astros 11, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Al Leiter strains a glute during his pregame warmups, but attempts to gut his way through the outing with “smoke and mirrors.” His magic 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 that ends with an RBI single. One more run scores 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.
Record: 78-54, +13.5 NL East (tied with Atlanta)
New York Mets 1, Houston Astros 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Rick Reed turns in another brilliant outing, flirting with a no-hitter before allowing a one-out single to Brett Spiers in the top of the fifth. He gives up just two more hits in seven innings, as the Astros look helpless against him over that stretch. Reed’s teammates do very little themselves against Houston starter Chris Holt over his own seven innings, but they do manage to scratch against him in the bottom of the first. Benny Agbayani works a leadoff walk, followed by a single from Edgardo Alfonzo. Though Mike Piazza grounds into a double play, Agbayani moves to third, thus allowing him to race home on a wild pitch. Holt is brilliant from this point forward, but the brief hiccup is enough to earn him an L. Turk Wendell and Armando Benítez set down the side in order in the eighth and ninth respectively, with the Met closer recording a trio of Ks to boot.
Record: 79-54, +14.5 (tied with Atlanta)
St. Louis Cardinals 6, New York Mets 5
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. 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; the first three St. Louis 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.
Record: 79-55, +0.5G NL East
St. Louis Cardinals 2, New York Mets 1
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. 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.
Record: 79-56, –0.5G NL East
St. Louis Cardinals 4, New York Mets 3 (11 innings)
Busch Stadium II, St. Louis MO. 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. 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.
Record: 79-57, –0.5G NL East
Cincinnati Reds 6, New York Mets 2
Cingery Field, Cincinnati OH. Timo Pérez is inserted first in the Mets' lineup for the first time and shows an aptitude for the leadoff spot by belting two doubles. Unfortunately, no one else on the Mets can do much against Cincinnati starter Elmer Dessens. In the bottom of the first, Al Leiter hangs a slider that Ken Griffey, Jr. sends over the left field fence for a two-run homer. Forced to battle from behind, the Mets press all game and never appear comfortable at the plate. Leiter later kicks himself for surrendering two-out RBIs in the third and sixth innings; the latter instance, which comes with the pitcher Dessens on deck, particularly irks him. The Mets cut the Reds’ lead in half with a Pérez sac fly in the fifth and a Mike Piazza solo shot in the top of the eighth, but two runs off of little-used reliever Rich Rodriguez in the bottom half salt the game for Cincinnati.
Record: 79-58, –1G NL East
New York Mets 3, Cincinnati Reds 2 (10 innings)
Cinergy Field, Cincinnati OH. 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.
Record: 80-58, –1G NL East
Cincinnati Reds 11, New York Mets 8
Cinergy Field, Cincinnatic OH. 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.
Record: 80-59, –2G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 2, New York Mets 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 80-60, –3.5G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 6, New York Mets 3
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 80-61, –3.5G NL east
New York Mets 3, Philadelphia Phillies 0
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 81-61, –2.5G NL East
Milwaukee Brewers 8, New York Mets 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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. 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.
Record: 81-62, –3G NL East
New York Mets 10, Milwaukee Brewers 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 82-62, –2G NL East
New York Mets 4, Milwaukees Brewers 1 (10 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Mike Hampton tosses another brilliant outing, allowing just four hits and no earned runs in eight innings. But for most of this game, it looks like a costly error will lead to another damaging Met defeat. In the first inning, after Hampton issues a two-out walk, he induces an easy fly ball to right-center from Richie Sexson. Jay Payton and Lenny Harris—playing right field for the first time this season—get their signals crossed and watch the fly ball plop untouched between them. The error allows the runner to score all the way from first, and that lone run razzes the Mets all game, as they can do nothing against Milwaukee starter Jeff D’Amico. The home team comes within an inch of being shutout, but Payton atones for his part in the disastrous first inning by belting a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth. Two outs later, Robin Ventura lashes a game-tying double. In the tenth, Jay Payton completes his redemption by lining a walkoff home run just over the left field fence.
Record: 83-62, –2G NL East
New York Mets 10, Montréal Expos 4
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. The Mets’ final road trip of the year begins with four games in Montréal and Glendon Rusch on the mound. Rusch struggles with his command from the beginning, as a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first leads to two Expo runs, and another leadoff walk in the fourth leads to one more. New York’s offense more than makes up for his struggles, however. Edgardo Alfonzo gets the scoring started with a first inning solo shot. Singles by Jay Payton and Mike Bordick allow Rusch himself to collect his first major league RBI in the second, and a bases loaded walk by Derek Bell drives in another run in the frame. The Mets score a pair of two-out runs in the third, then blow the game wide open in the seventh. With a runner on second and Mike Piazza coming to the plate, the Expos elect to walk the catcher and pitch to Robin Ventura—who has been ice cold at the plate for much of the season—instead. The third baseman makes Montréal pay by zipping a line drive three-run homer over the right field fence. Later in the inning, Payton caps the scoring with a two-run shot of his own, and the Mets achieve what has been difficult for them of late, a stress-free win.
Record: 84-62, –2G NL East
Montréal Expos 4, New York Mets 3
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. In their second game in Montréal, the Mets are undone by Expo starter Javier Vázquez, both on the mound and at the plate. Two batters into the game, the Mets grab the lead on a Derek Bell RBI double, but the Expos draw even in the second when Al Leiter allows a run-scoring single to Vázquez. Though Montréal's hurler allows a solo shot to Mike Piazza in the fourth and a run-scoring single to Darryl Hamilton in the fifth, he limits the damage otherwise and twice eliminates Piazza in golden RBI opportunities, while Leiter is not nearly as fortunate. After getting the first two outs in the bottom of the sixth, he allows another single to Vázquez, a bouncer up the middle that travels too quickly on the Olympic Stadium carpet for Edgardo Alfonzo to snag. After Leiter allows an RBI double to Peter Bergeron, Bobby Valentine brings in Turk Wendell. The righty’s September struggles continue, as he allows a long two-run shot to the unlikely source of Orlando Cabrera. The shot by the light hitting shortstop gives the Expos the lead, and the Mets are never able to recover.
Record: 84-63, –2G NL East
New York Mets 10, Montréal Expos 4
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. 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. Rick 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 cruise to victory.
Record: 85-63, –2G NL East
Montréal Expos 5, New York Mets 0
Olympic Stadium, Montréal QC. 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.
Record: 85-64, –3G NL East
Atlanta Braves 6, New York Mets 3
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. 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.
Record: 85-65, –4G NL East
Atlanta Braves 12, New York Mets 4
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. Making the biggest start of his young 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 serves 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.
Record: 85-66, –5G NL East
New York Mets 6, Atlanta Braves 3
Turner Field, Atlanta GA. 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 runs past a slow grounder as he attempts to run in on it. 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.
Record: 86-66, –4G NL East
Philadelphia Phillies 6, New York Mets 5
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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.
Record: 86-67, –4.5G NL East
New York Mets 9, Philadelphia Phillies 6
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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 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.
Record: 87-67, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 7, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Veterans Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 88-67, –3.5G NL East
New York Mets 3, Philadelphia Phillies 2
Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia PA. 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.
Record: 89-67, –3.5G NL East
Atlanta Braves 7, New York Mets 1
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 89-68, –5G NL East
New York Mets 6, Atlanta Braves 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Rick Reed faces a Braves lineup that, despite clinching the night before, fields all regulars in its starting lineup. Rick Reed allows a solo shot to Andruw Jones in the opening frame but is otherwise brilliant, allowing just three more hits and no more runs the rest of the way. The Met bats are quiet until the fourth, when Todd Zeile works a bases-loaded walk against Kevin Millwood to tie the game. They pull ahead in the fifth on a Darryl Hamilton RBI single and a two-run homer from Edgardo Alfonzo, and single runs in the sixth (Jay Payton RBI single) and seventh (Robin Ventura RBI double) pad their advantage. Trying to nail down the playoff berth once and for all, Armando Benítez allows a leadoff homer to Andres Galarraga but also strikes out the side to end the game and clinch a place for the Mets in October.
Record: 90-68, –4G NL East, clinched Wild Card
New York Mets 8, Atlanta Braves 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. Greg Maddux enters this game with a lengthy scoreless streak under his belt—36 1/3 innings—a streak the Mets helped extend by doing absolutely nothing against him in his start in Atlanta last week. But in the final regular season matchup between these bitter rivals, the Mets end Maddux’s bid at history. Despite running out a lineup full of bench players and September callups, the Mets load the bases in the fourth inning with one out on a walk, single, and hit batter to bring Lenny Harris to the plate. Harris allowed the game’s first run to score in the top of the second when he committed an error, but he redeems himself by chopping a ball up the middle that no one can handle, driving in the Mets’ first run. Todd Pratt follows by sneaking a single between first and second to drive in two more. The Mets score once more on Maddux in the fifth when a Rafael Furcal error allows Timo Pérez to score, then touch up the Atlanta bullpen for two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. This is more than enough for Bobby Jones, who allows just one earned run in eight innings of work.
Record: 91-68, –3G NL East, clinched Wild Card
New York Mets 11, Montréal Expos 2
Shes Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 92-68, –2G NL East, clinched Wild Card
New York Mets 3, Montréal Expos 2
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 93-68, –2G NL East, clinced Wild Card
New York Mets 3, Montréal Expos 2 (13 innings)
Shea Stadium, Flushing NY. 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.
Record: 94-68, –1G NL East, clinched Wild Card