| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- Mike Hampton and the Mets did their part. Now
it's up to the Yankees to give New York the Subway Series the city
has been waiting for since 1956.
Hampton pitched a three-hitter Monday night and New York started
a clinching party that could carry over to the Bronx as the Mets
beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-0 and won the NL Championship Series
4-1.
|  | | Mike Piazza, who hit .323 in the NLCS, soaks in the Mets' pennant-winning performance Monday night. |
"I'm rooting for the Yankees, to be perfectly honest," said
Mets first basemanTodd Zeile, who broke the game open with a
three-run double in the fourth inning. "I'd love to see a Subway
Series. We have some unfinished business with the Yankees."
The game got testy at the end when Dave Veres hit Jay Payton of
the Mets in the helmet with a 1-2 pitch with two outs in the eighth
inning. Payton, bleeding over his left eye, charged the mound and
the dugouts and bullpens emptied as police in riot gear lined the
field.
"There's only one person that ever knows the intent, but
nobody's going to stand up and say they were throwing at somebody's
head," Payton said.
That was the only thing that could dampen this night for the
Mets, who ran a victory lap around a raucous Shea Stadium before
heading to the clubhouse for a celebration that spilled back onto
the field when Todd Pratt sprayed fans with champagne.
New York won its fourth NL pennant and first since 1986, joining
the 1997 Florida Marlins as the only wild-card teams to make the
World Series. Hampton won the MVP by pitching 16 scoreless innings
and winning two games.
|
Game 5 at a glance
|
|
Every game a hero
This is why the Mets traded for Mike Hampton in the offseason. He was Bobby Valentine's choice for No. 1 starter in the playoffs, ahead of Al Leiter, and he showed why with a masterful performance. He allowed just three hits, none past the fourth inning, retired the final 11 hitters -- and was named series MVP.
Key move
The only key in this game was Garrett Stephenson's injury in the Division Series against the Braves and Rick Ankiel's sudden inability to throw strikes, forcing Tony La Russa's rotation into disarray. He went with Pat Hentgen, who hadn't pitched in 16 days. The first four Mets reached base and the game was essentially over.
Key number
The Mets become the second wild-card team to reach the World Series. The first was the Florida Marlins in 1997, who beat Cleveland in seven games.
ESPN analysis
The Cardinals had trouble in the first inning the entire series. Timo Perez set the table; he got on base 10 times in the series and scored eight runs. The St. Louis pitchers gave up two, two, one, four and three runs respectively in the first inning during the series. Twelve of the 31 runs the Mets scored -- 39 percent -- came in the first inning. And the big four run producers for the Mets had a great series, hitting .373.
-- Dave Campbell
|
"The team needed a big game," Hampton said. "We're close.
We're four wins away from fulfilling that fantasy."
The Mets also earned four days off before beginning the World
Series on Saturday, either a train ride away at Yankee Stadium or
across the country in Seattle.
"I hope the Yankees win in seven so they burn El Duque
(Hernandez) and (Andy) Pettitte," Mets starter Al Leiter said.
The three-run first off a rusty Pat Hentgen turned baseball's
most dangerous pinch hitter into a non-factor once again. Mighty
Mark McGwire, limited to pinch-hitting duty because of tendinitis
in his right knee, didn't bat until the ninth with the Cardinals
down by seven and he grounded out.
Rick Wilkins then flied to center where Timo Perez jumped three
times, waving his arms, before making the catch. The Mets poured
out of the dugout and bullpen for the second time in an inning --
this time for a celebration.
Big Mac finished 0-for-2 with an intentional walk and could only
blow bubbles as the Cardinals season ended following another wild
outing by rookie Rick Ankiel.
"In a short series, it comes down to pitching," McGwire said.
"They shut us down."
The series was especially sweet for Hampton and Mike Piazza, who
both had struggled in the postseason before this series. Piazza, a
.211 hitter with two homers and seven RBI in his first five
playoff series, batted .412 with two homers and four RBI against
the Cardinals.
Hampton began the series with a career postseason record of 0-2
and a 5.87 ERA in four starts. But he pitched seven scoreless
innings to win Game 1 and finished it up Monday.
"He did everything anybody could hope he could do in the
biggest game of his life and mine, too," Mets manager Bobby
Valentine said. "When you have great players playing great, it
makes my job easy."
Hampton walked one and struck out eight -- including Jim Edmonds
three times. He didn't allow a runner to reach second base.
|
You need a good dog to go bird hunting
|
|
The key for the Mets' NLCS win was the first inning. They scored in the first inning of every game. Here's what happened:
Game 1
Against Darryl Kile, Timo Perez doubled, Edgardo Alfonzo walked, Mike Piazza doubled in one run and Robin Ventura hit a sac fly. Mets 2, Cardinals 0.
Game 2
Against Rick Ankiel, Perez struck out, but Alfonzo and Piazza walked, Todd Zeile hit a sac fly and Benny Agbayani hit an RBI double. Mets 2, Cardinals 0.
Game 3
The Cardinals scored twice in the top of the first. Against Andy Benes, Perez and Alfonzo singled and a run scored on a DP. Cardinals 2, Mets 1. (St. Louis went on to win.)
Game 4
The Cardinals again jumped to a 2-0 lead, but the Mets countered against Kile. Perez, Alfonzo, Piazza and Ventura all doubled. After an out, Agbayani also doubled. Mets 4, Cardinals 2.
Game 5
Against Pat Hentgen, Perez singled and stole second. Alfonzo had an RBI hit, Piazza, Ventura singled in a run, and Zeile had an RBI fielder's choice. Mets 3, Cardinals 0.
|
"I was able to focus every pitch," Hampton said. "Sometimes
you might lose focus for an inning and then you're two or three
runs down."
It was only fitting that those two played such a big role. The
acquisition of Piazza in 1998 signified a new commitment to winning
from an ownership that threw its money to all the wrong places
early in the '90s.
After falling two games short of the World Series in 1999, the
Mets got Hampton from Houston and he helped put New York over the
top.
"We knew it was major for us because we knew in a short series
we needed another pitcher," Mets GM Steve Phillips said.
"Actually there are a couple of games we want him to pitch in the
World Series, too."
Possibly against the Yankees, who can wrap up the ALCS Tuesday
night against Seattle. Fans were already yelling derogatory chants
toward the Yankees.
The Mets did all the scoring they needed in the first inning off
Hentgen, pitching for the first time since Sept. 30. The Cardinals
defense didn't help either, making two errors and two other
fielding miscues.
Perez, the sparkplug who has been in the middle of nearly every
Mets rally this series, led off with a single, stole second and
went to third on Carlos Hernandez's throwing error.
Edgardo Alfonzo hit the next pitch past shortstop Edgar
Renteria, who pulled up as the ball scooted past his glove into
left field for a hit. After Piazza walked, Ventura singled to make
it 2-0.
Zeile followed with a perfect double-play grounder, but second
baseman Fernando Vina bobbled it before flipping to Renteria for
the first out. The throw to first was dropped by Will Clark for
another error as Piazza scored.
Hentgen settled down for the next two innings, but couldn't make
it out of the fourth -- the third time a Cardinals starter didn't
make it that far.
Perez singled with one out and went to third on Piazza's two-out
double. After a visit from pitching coach Dave Duncan, Hentgen
walked Ventura on four pitches.
For the second straight game, Zeile made the Cardinals pay for
walking the bases loaded in front of him.
"There's a little added motivation when I see that that happened,"
Zeile said.
Hentgen, wearing short sleeves on a 56-degree night and pitching on 16 days' rest, got
hammered for six runs, seven hits and five walks in 3 2/3 innings.
"I'm disappointed the way it ended up the way it did, but I was
out there grinding," Hentgen said.
Making matters worse for St. Louis, Ankiel doesn't appear to be
over his wildness, walking two and throwing two wild pitches in
two-thirds of an inning. Ankiel has nine wild pitches in four
innings this postseason.
Game notes
Alfonzo has hit in 11 straight playoff games and has 16
career RBI in the postseason, a Mets record. ... The Cardinals,
who outscored Atlanta 10-3 in the first inning in the Division
Series, were outscored 12-4 in the first by the Mets. ... Perez
scored eight runs in the series, tying an NLCS record.
| |
ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
St. Louis Clubhouse
NY Mets Clubhouse
Stark: A defining moment for Hampton
Klapisch: Awaiting Yankees, Rocket and George
Payton knows his place -- in World Series
Piazza, Zeile get redemption
AUDIO/VIDEO
 ESPN's Jeremy Schaap interviews this year's NLCS MVP Mike Hampton.
RealVideo: | 28.8
Mike Piazza joins ESPN's Jeremy Schaap after the Mets clinch the NLCS title.
RealVideo: | 28.8
 ESPN's Tim Kurkjian finds John Franco in great spirits.
wav: 300 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
The Mets' Benny Agbayani is feeling like a kid again.
wav: 316 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Todd Zeile comments on the excitement of a possible subway series.
wav: 115 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Despite the loss, Mark McGwire was happy to be a part of the NL playoffs.
wav: 103 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
