| |
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
CINCINNATI (AP) -- The New York Mets won so easily, it's hard to believe they needed a miracle finish to make it this far.
Only four days after they'd been scorned as a team that cracked
under pressure, the Mets cracked open the champagne bottles Monday
night and celebrated their first postseason berth since 1988.
|  | | The Mets celebrate their first postseason berth since 1988. |
Al Leiter pitched a two-hitter and Edgardo Alfonzo homered on the sixth pitch as the Mets beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-0 in a one-game playoff for the NL wild-card spot.
"I'm speechless," closer John Franco said in a voice raspy
from screaming. "Now I can sleep."
They hadn't slept well since blowing a four-game lead over the
Reds by losing seven straight games. But after a wild weekend --
capped by Sunday's win over Pittsburgh on a ninth-inning wild pitch
-- the Mets made it look simple with a calm, efficient victory at
Cincinnati.
"I think I've always somehow, some way had an ability to block
a lot of distractions out," Leiter said.
It was Leiter who stopped last week's skid against Atlanta, and
it was Leiter again who came up big.
Lost in the spray of champagne were this year's struggles and
the spectre of last season's collapse when the Mets dropped their
final five games and a chance at the playoffs.
Once Alfonzo gave the Mets one more lead with a two-run homer in
the first, Leiter made sure there would be no more last-minute
stumbles.
"He pitched his best game of the year," Franco said, his shirt
soaked. "Last week we were at the bottom of the barrel, the bottom
of the hill. Now we have a second life."
The Mets now travel to Arizona to open the best-of-5 first round
Tuesday night against Diamondbacks ace Randy Johnson.
The win meant New York manager Bobby Valentine's first trip to
the playoffs, and put the Mets and Yankees in the postseason
together for the first time -- the Yankees take on Texas in the AL.
Valentine won't have to wear that dugout disguise down the
streets of New York, where the hopes for a Subway Series are
renewed.
"I'm just wet," said Valentine, who hadn't celebrated a
championship since his minor league days. "It feels great. It's
been a long time coming.
|
PLAYOFF GAMES
|
|
Monday marked the 10th playoff in major league history. Here are the results and what eventually happened to the winning team:
|
|
Year
|
Winner
|
Loser
|
Playoffs?
|
|
1946
|
Cardinals
|
Dodgers
|
Won W.S.
|
|
1948
|
Indians
|
Red Sox
|
Won W.S.
|
|
1951
|
Giants
|
Dodgers
|
Lost W.S.
|
|
1959
|
Dodgers
|
Braves
|
Won W.S.
|
|
1962
|
Giants
|
Dodgers
|
Lost W.S.
|
|
1978
|
Yankees
|
Red Sox
|
Won W.S.
|
|
1980
|
Astros
|
Dodgers
|
Lost NLCS
|
|
1995
|
Mariners
|
Angels
|
Lost ALCS
|
|
1998
|
Cubs
|
Giants
|
Lost Div.
|
|
1999
|
Mets
|
Reds
|
???
|
"I am drained. I am excited. I am elated. I am thankful. There
are a lot of emotions, and I'm not smart enough to tell you all of
them."
The Mets' victory also settled the other NL series. It will be
Houston at Atlanta in Game 1 Tuesday night.
In his most important start since Game 7 of the 1997 World
Series for Florida, Leiter (13-12) pitched his first complete game
of the year. He did not allow a runner past first base until Pokey
Reese doubled to start the ninth. Jeffrey Hammonds singled in the
second for the Reds' other hit.
Leiter struck out seven, walked four and retired 13 consecutive
batters during one stretch, giving the Reds no opening for another
magical comeback.
"Any game like this, you feel the emotion," Leiter said. "We
get up 3-0 and in a game like this, I could tell some of their guys
were pressing, swinging at bad pitches."
The left-hander threw 135 pitches and shut the Reds out for the
first time since April 30.
"I really wanted to be one of the nine guys left on the
field," Leiter said. "I've always been running in from the dugout
or someplace else."
Cincinnati's attempt to nickel-and-dime its way into the
playoffs with the big-budget teams fell flat in front of the Reds'
second-biggest crowd of the season.
|
Mets postseason history
|
|
World Series (Won 2, Lost 1)
1969: Beat Baltimore Orioles, 4-1
1973: Lost to Oakland A's, 4-3
1986: Beat Boston Red Sox, 4-3
Record -- Won 11, Lost 8
League Championship Series (Won 3, Lost 1)
1969: Beat Atlanta Braves, 3-0
1973: Beat Cincinnati Reds, 3-2
1986: Beat Houston Astros, 4-2
1988: Lost to Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-3
Record -- Won 13, Lost 8
|
The $35 million Reds won 96 games -- their best total since the
Big Red Machine was rolling in the mid-'70s -- but couldn't get that
one final win.
"No one expected us to be here in a 163rd game," manager Jack
McKeon said. "I'm proud of our guys. We didn't run out of gas, we
didn't play too many days in a row. We just got beat by a good
pitcher."
Given a second chance to make the playoffs, the Mets showed up
loose and relaxed and quickly muted the capacity crowd of 54,621.
The cheers turned into gasps when Rickey Henderson led off the game
with a sharp single to left and Alfonzo followed with a long drive
to center on Steve Parris' sixth pitch.
The crowd was buzzing again in the third when McKeon made an
uncharacteristically hasty pitching change. The Mets loaded the
bases with two outs on Alfonzo's walk, John Olerud's soft double
and an intentional walk to Mike Piazza.
Parris (11-4) flinched in disappointment and dropped his head
when pitching coach Don Gullett came out to make a change, calling
on left-hander Denny Neagle to make only his second relief
appearance since 1993.
Neagle, who threw 100 pitches Friday in a loss at Milwaukee,
walked Robin Ventura on a full-count pitch to make the move
backfire.
Henderson led off the fifth inning with his 12th homer off the
left-field foul screen, a drive that made every neck crane.
Valentine jumped up and tried to wave it fair.
McKeon made another hurried move in the sixth, bringing in
closer Danny Graves to start the inning. This, too, backfired -- Graves walked Rey Ordonez on four pitches and gave up Alfonzo's RBI
double for a 5-0 lead.
Game notes
The temperature at the first pitch was 49 degrees. Both
dugouts had heaters. ... Neagle's other relief appearance since
1993 came last September in Atlanta's 4-0 win over the Mets. ...
The Reds sold out only two other games all season -- opening day and
a June 12 game against Cleveland. ... It was the Reds' first home
game under new ownership. Marge Schott transferred control of the
team to three limited partners on Friday. Schott was at the game
but stayed in the background. ... Leiter's previous complete game
was Sept. 4, 1998, against Atlanta. ... All records from the game
count in the regular-season statistics.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Mets Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
Reds pay for small payroll by falling short of playoffs
Neyer: A wild-card diary
ESPN.com's baseball playoffs coverage
Postseason schedule
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Edgardo Alfonzo reflects on his first inning HR.
wav: 199 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Bobby Valentine is proud of his team.
wav: 196 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Al Leiter talks about his complete game.
wav: 204 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Rickey Henderson says the Mets are in a great position.
wav: 79 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mike Piazza on the "miracle" Mets.
wav: 196 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jack McKeon says Al Leiter made the difference.
wav: 112 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
