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Sunday, Sep. 24 1:35pm ET
Mets now shoo-in for playoffs | |||||
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RECAP
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GAME LOG
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Glendon Rusch made his pitch to see some postseason time. Todd Zeile and Timo Perez homered to back the rookie left-hander, and the New York Mets clinched no worse than a tie for the NL wild card berth, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Sunday. "I just stayed aggressive," said Rusch, who hasn't walked a batter in 10 of 29 starts. "I got ahead of most of the hitters. That's how you win." New York, trying to make the playoffs for the second straight year, began the day six games ahead of Arizona and Los Angeles in the loss column and needs just one more win -- or a Diamondbacks and Dodgers defeat -- to ensure it will be in the postseason. Rusch (11-11) gave up one run and five hits -- including two infield singles on comebackers -- in eight innings. He struck out struck out seven and walked none, retiring 14 of his final 15 batters. In his previous start, Atlanta chased him Wednesday with six runs in 1 2/3 innings. "It shows you how tough Glendon is," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "He probably pitched his best game of the year coming off one of his worst. "He gets hit by a line drive in the first inning that bends his glove and his fingernail back. Then, in the third, he gets hit on the left arm with another line drive. He just kept going right at them." Valentine wouldn't project Rusch's postseason role. "That's too far ahead," he said. "He's penciled in for his next start. That's as far as I've looked at it." Rusch wasn't about to jump to any conclusions. "Last year, I watched every pitch of the playoffs on the television and that was tough," he said. "I wanted to be there, even sitting on the bench. I'm sure it's going to depend on the situation if I pitch in the playoffs. He is going to go with who he feels, and we'll back him. It doesn't matter to me at all. I'll be there." The Mets, who lost 13 of 20 at the start of September, have won three straight for the first time since Sept. 12-14 and just the second time since winning five in a row from Aug. 9-13. They return home for their final six games, against Atlanta and Montreal, and trail the first-place Braves by 3½ games in the NL East. "This was big for us," Zeile said. "We needed to get back into a groove again. Now, we have to take care of things when we get back home." Armando Benitez pitched the ninth for his 40th save in 45 chances. Bruce Chen (7-3) lost for the first time in seven starts since Arizona beat him on Aug. 16, giving up three runs and three hits in eight innings. Philadelphia finished its home schedule 34-47, drawing 1,612,769 to Veterans Stadium, down 212,568 from 1999. Perez's first major league homer, an inside the park home run, put New York ahead in the third. He looped the ball into short center and Doug Glanville slipped on the wet artificial turf, allowing the ball to go to the wall. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins double-clutched on the relay, then threw high to the plate as Perez slid home. Todd Zeile hit a two-run homer in the fourth after Mike Piazza walked. Kevin Jordan hit an RBI grounder in the seventh that scored Pat Burrell, who went 3-for-3. Jordan blooped a run-scoring single with two outs in the ninth and took second when center field Jay Payton threw home. Doug Glanville, who was running on the pitch, scored but pinch-runner Reggie Taylor, who wasn't stealing, held at third. "If Reggie gets off clean, that would have been a highlight film there," Phillies manager Terry Francona said. "You know (third-base coach John) Vukovich would have sent him. Reggie kind of hesitated when he saw Doug go." With runners on second and third, Marlon Anderson struck out. Game notesPerez became the 20th Mets player to hit an inside-the-park home run. Edgardo Alfonzo was the previous to do it, at Cincinnati on May 6, 1995. ... Perez began the season at Single-A Pittsfield in the New York-Penn League. ... Phillies RF Bobby Abreu is the only major leaguer to reach double figures in doubles (41), triples (10), homers (25) and stolen bases (25). | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard NY Mets Clubhouse Philadelphia Clubhouse RECAPS Baltimore 1 Boston 0
NY Mets 3
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