|
|
|
|
 |
| MLB |
|
Scores Schedules Standings Statistics Transactions Injuries: AL | NL Players Weekly Lineup Message Board Minor Leagues MLB Stat Search Clubhouses |
| Sport Sections |
|
|
| |
Friday, Sep. 22 7:05pm ET
Piazza breaks out with two homers | |||||
|
| ||||||
|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME LOG
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Mike Piazza might want to take a few more days off. One night after sitting for the 37th time this season, the slumping Piazza homered twice as the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-6 Friday night. New York pulled within 3½ games of first-place Atlanta in the NL East. The Mets began the night five games ahead of Los Angeles for the wild card spot. "I'm fine. I've played a lot of games, but this is the time of year where you can't feel sorry for yourself," Piazza said. "You can't say, 'I'm tired,' and make excuses. You play 162 games and you have to take it to the last game and beyond." Bobby J. Jones (10-6) pitched seven strong innings as New York beat the Phillies for the fourth time in 11 games this season. The Mets had lost seven of their last eight games at Veterans Stadium. Piazza hit a line drive into the left-field seats for a solo homer in the sixth inning that put the Mets ahead 4-3. He hit a two-run homer, his 38th, in the ninth for his 23rd career multihomer game. "Mike shocked them with that line drive and it shook the pitcher," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "He's the best player I ever managed and he continues to do amazing things." Bubba Trammell added an RBI single and Mike Bordick had a two-run double to cap the four-run sixth as the Mets held off a late rally by the Phillies. Jones allowed three runs and five hits. He struck out three, walked four and won for the sixth time in his last seven decisions. Armando Benitez pitched the ninth for his 39th save in 44 chances, breaking John Franco's club record. Franco allowed a two-run homer to Scott Rolen and a solo homer to Pat Burrell that made it 7-6 in the eighth. "Armando earned that," Valentine said about the save record. "He came in firing, really aggressive and closed the door." Piazza, who entered the game batting .189 (10-for-53) with three homers and five RBIs in September, homered in New York's 6-3 win over Atlanta on Wednesday. But he was not in the starting lineup Thursday. Valentine insisted he'll continue to sit his regulars to keep them fresh Piazza, who went 3-for-5, has two hits in his last 26 at-bats with runners in scoring position. He struck out with a runner on second in the first. His second homer in the ninth -- an opposite-field liner -- came off Chris Brock, who strongly suggested the ball is juiced. "The ball is juiced?" Piazza said laughing and pointing to his forearms. "Tell him he's not the first guy I hit the ball there off." Brock has allowed 21 homers in 91 1/3 innings. "Brock has had trouble with Alfonzo in the past and he walked him. The last thing I wanted was to see Piazza coming to the plate," Phillies manager Terry Francona said about the two-out walk that allowed Piazza to hit in the ninth. New York took a 2-0 lead in the first off Randy Wolf (11-8). Benny Agbayani led off with a double to right-center and scored on Edgardo Alfonzo's double to left. Alfonzo scored when Burrell failed to hang on to a low liner to left by Todd Zeile, giving the Mets a 2-0 lead. Rolen's RBI single made it 2-1 in the first, but Trammell gave the Mets a 3-1 lead in the fourth with a run-scoring single. Philadelphia cut it to 3-2 in the fourth after a controversial call on a line drive by Travis Lee. After Rolen led off with a walk, Lee drilled a sinking liner to center that appeared to be caught by Derek Bell. First base umpire Chuck Meriwether ruled it a trap, putting runners on first and third and negating what would have been a double play. Burrell followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. Philadelphia tied it at 3 on a RBI single by Jimmy Rollins in the fifth, but the Mets came right back in the sixth. After Piazza's homer, Zeile and Robin Ventura walked. Trammell's RBI single made it 5-3 and Bordick chased Wolf with a two-run double down the left-field line. Game notesJones gives the Mets five starters with double-digit wins for the first time since 1988 when David Cone, Ron Darling, Dwight Gooden, Sid Fernandez and Bob Ojeda did it. ... Jones is 8-3 since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on June 23. ... Piazza leads the majors with a .376 average (89-for-236) on the road. He also has 21 homers and 58 RBIs away from home. ... Agbayani left the game after the fifth inning with a strained hamstring. He's day to day. ... Timoniel Perez made a nice, running catch on a sinking liner by Rollins in the seventh. ... Wolf lost for the first time in five starts since Aug. 21. ... Burrell leads NL rookies with 17 homers and 73 RBIs. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard NY Mets Clubhouse Philadelphia Clubhouse RECAPS Baltimore 3 Boston 1
NY Mets 9
| |||||