Amusin' Mets Set, End NL Home Record

Associated Press, via Yahoo! Sports ^ | 4 September 2002 | Howie Rumberg

[BluesDuke]

NEW YORK (AP) -- At least the New York Mets got to go home as winners.

ADVERTISEMENT

Select Make and Model

-------

Zip:

Pinch-hitter Mike Piazza hit a three-run homer and Mets ended their NL-record home losing streak at 15 by beating the Florida Marlins 11-5 in the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday night.

Raul Gonzalez homered and tied a career high with three hits as the Mets won for the first time at Shea Stadium since beating the Houston Astros 10-0 on July 31. Their 3-2 loss in 12 innings in the first game set the record for ineptitude at home, surpassing Boston's 14 in a row in 1911.

``I can't believe it's been a month,'' Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. ``Hopefully we'll create havoc here before the season ends.''

A host of low-paid players on the Mets $104-million payroll led New York to a five-run cushion before Piazza, who did not start the second game because of a sore left wrist, hit his 25th homer and fourth as a pinch-hitter in his career.

Pitcher Mike Bacsik got his first major league hit, a run-scoring double in the first, Joe McEwing had two RBIs and September callup Jason Phillips drove in another as the Mets battered Justin Wayne in his major league debut.

The Mets ended a five-game losing skid overall and stopped the Marlins' five-game winning streak.

``Fortunately we were able to end this unfortunate streak,'' Piazza said. ``It's not really a cause for celebration, though.''

Bacsik (3-1) won for the first time in five starts, improving to 3-0 against the Marlins. He gave up five runs and 10 hits in 7 2-3 innings.

The Mets took the field for the second game to a chorus of boos that swelled after New York fell behind 2-0 on back-to-back homers by Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell to start the second inning.

``Johnny Franco sat me down after the second and told me these guys know me,'' said Bacsik, who faced the Marlins on Aug. 28 but did not get a decision. '``You're going to have to adjust and pitch' he said.''

The Mets quickly turned around the 21,007 fans -- less than 500 saw the start of the opener and just a few thousand saw the nightcap's finish -- by scoring three runs off Wayne (0-1) in the bottom of the second.

The inning could've turned out differently for Wayne, who failed to cover first on Mo Vaughn's grounder. Instead of a double play, The Mets ended up with a runner on first and one out.

``He wasn't real sharp and he cost himself three runs not covering first,'' Marlins manager Jeff Torborg said. ``He would have been out of the inning. That was a major mistake.''

Wayne then gave up a single to Gonzalez before Phillips hit a sacrifice fly and McEwing and Bacsik had consecutive doubles to put the Mets up 3-2.

``That was big-time,'' Bacsik said of his hit.

Roberto Alomar led off the third with his 11th homer of the season and Gonzalez, one of the players to be named in the Aug. 15th trade with Cincinnati for Shawn Estes, hit his third homer leading off the fourth to make it 5-2.

Wayne allowed seven hits and five runs in his first four innings in the big leagues.

In the opener, Preston Wilson hit a tying homer in the ninth and Juan Encarnacion had an RBI double in the 12th inning.

Timo Perez's two-run homer in the third gave the Mets a 2-1 lead that stood up going into the ninth, but closer Armando Benitez gave up Wilson's 21st homer this season -- and seventh against the Mets.

Wilson has 18 career homers and 44 RBIs against New York, his most against any team.

``This was his first organization, and usually his parents watch him here, so he likes coming here,'' Marlins manager Jeff Torborg said.

Benitez, who hasn't had a save at home since July 28 against Cincinnati, blew his fourth in 33 opportunities. The last time he had a save at home, the Mets were 54-50 and in second place.

Braden Looper (1-5) pitched the 11th for his first win since June 18, 2001, at Atlanta.

Derrek Lee singled off Scott Strickland (6-9) to lead off the 12th, advanced on a wild pitch and took third as catcher Vance Wilson's throw went into center field for an error. Encarnacion's double sent the Marlins to their fifth straight win.

Carl Pavano allowed five hits in six innings, struck out three and walked none.

John Thomson scattered five hits in seven innings. He retired 17 of 18batters after Wilson singled with one out in the first.

Notes

Piazza had two singles in the first game before coming out for pinch-runner Esix Snead, who was making his major league debut. In the opener, Marlins C Charles Johnson threw out his 17th runner in 49 attempts. ... Lee extended his hitting streak to 11 games with four hits in the two games. ... The Mets recalled INF Ty Wigginton from Triple-A Norfolk. ... The Marlins called up Wayne and INF-OF Brian Banks from Triple-A Calgary. Florida alsorecalled RHP Gary Knotts, INF Pablo Ozuna and OF Abraham Nunez from Calgary.

Email this story - (View most popular)

updated at Tue Sep 3 22:12:14 2002 PT

[BluesDuke]

They say it can't be done, but that isn't always true. - Casey Stengel.

Now, fellow Met fans, who should be fired - Bobby Valentine? Steve Phillips? Both? And who should be dumped post haste - Mo Vaughn, the Human Cement Truck? Jeromy Burnitz, who can't hit in a neutral or pitcher's park if he swung a garage door? Roger Cedeno, whose wheel turns even if the gerbil has died? After all, it takes real genius to drive a Met team - on the 40th anniversary of its Twilight Zone-like forebear - to losing without the panache or the real fun of those singular Amazin' Mets of 1962...

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

Mike Piazza...a sore left wrist

No comment.

[BluesDuke]

Then I'll say it. Piazza should have been moved to first base this season and the Mets should never have traded for Mo Vaughn. Piazza's throwing arm began losing its calibration on throws to second base at least a season and a half ago, and it really isn't worth it to keep that kind of risk factor alive just because the man can handle a pitching staff as well as he does. Think you can't handle a staff from first base? Tell it to Keith Hernandez, who took up at least as much responsibility for handling the Mets' stellar staffs of 1984-88 as did Gary Carter. Vaughn is, really, a one-and-a-half dimensional player who's suited better to the DH League, assuming he has any real batting timing and consistency left yet (the lost time to injuries during his alleged Angels seasons seem to have cost him a lot more than even his detractors suspected).

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

Actually, I was making reference to the rumors that Mike Piazza is gay. For the record, he has denied it, and I do not want to be guilty of defamation of character, but I can't resist a good joke, either...

[NYCVirago]

Valentine's got to go. Whatever you think about Mo Vaughn's conditioning, at least he tried to be a leader with the Mets this season. Unfortunately for Mo, he was rather publicly smacked down by Bobby V for doing so. As the saying goes, a fish rots from the head down, and Bobby Valentine is stinking up the joint!

[BluesDuke]

Well, if'n yer gonna get technical on us, I'll make it easier for you: It isn't exactly unheard of for catchers to catch tendinitis or other maladies in their glove hands. (I'm surprised someone like Damian Miller doesn't have the problem, considering he's got to handle Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.)

On the other hand...

but I can't resist a good joke, either...

That may explain why you're a Met fan like me...(I'm also a Boston Red Sox fan, which should tell you something about permanent insanity...) ;)

[BluesDuke]

Whatever you think about Mo Vaughn's conditioning, at least he tried to be a leader with the Mets this season.

Conditioning...ah, so that's what they call it! ;)

But seriously, it is just a lit-tle bit more credible to be a "team leader" when you've got the performance papers to back you up. Aside from he looks like a cement mixer with two flat tires (and runs about the same way), I think injuries more than anything have bitten into Vaughn's skills so profoundly. And you're right, it was rather lacking in class for Bobby Vee to smack Big Mo down over those comments before that game.

Valentine has done good work in the recent past, and he did no small part in reviving a Met club that had been driven practically to its grave by a combination of indifferent players (the 1991-94 Mets should have been playing in Bellevue, not in Shea Stadium) and managers (like the overrated and unmissed Dallas Green) whose idea of putting out a fire seems to be gasoline, to borrow Dick Young's old phraseology.

But Valentine, perhaps inadvertently, exposed his weaknesses in the 2000 World Series. He knows the drill and the tricks, and he should have done something to make damn sure some hot-hitting Yankee went on his ass the inning after Roger Clemens tried to shish kebab Mike Piazza with the bat barrel up the first base line. That was when the Mets needed a swift kick in the ass. Instead, he let them go forth like whipped puppies (and wasted one hell of a bravura Game Five performance by Al Leiter) who could be had at any old time, and had they certainly were. It has been the tail pinned on the Mets' donkey ever since, and Valentine has to take that responsibility.

I said it elsewhere but it is worth repeating: Valentine should go, and the Mets should consider serious thought on Felipe Alou as his successor. I had thought of Buck Showalter if Alou were to say no, but I'm picking up speculation that first base coach Willie Randolph could be a candidate and, if Alou should be offered but reject a Met offer, Randolph - one of the most intelligent men in the game - would be an excellent choice.