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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- The only bizarre thing about Game 3 of the
Subway Series was that the New York Yankees finally lost. El Duque,
too.
Untouchable until now, Orlando Hernandez got a taste of how
dangerous the New York Mets can be in their raucous den, with its
ear-splitting music and jets roaring overhead.
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Game 3 at a glance
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Every game a hero
While Orlando Hernandez was busy rolling up the most strikeouts in a World Series game since Tom Seaver in 1973, he forgot to do one thing -- win the game. Benny Agbayani tagged the big hit on El Duque with his one-out double to left-center in the bottom of the eighth that scored Todd Zeile.
Key move
In the top of the eighth, Dennis Cook walked Tino Martinez on four pitches leading off the inning. Bobby Valentine summoned John Franco, who got Jorge Posada to ground into a 5-4-3 double play. After Paul O'Neill singled up the middle, Franco got pinch-hitter Glenallen Hill to fly to right. Joe Torre, however, stayed with Hernandez after Zeile had singled on his 130th pitch of the game. On pitch 132, Agbayani doubled.
Key number
The teams combined for 25 strikeouts, tying a World Series record. But the biggest numbers are the ones that are dead: the Yankees' streak of 14 consecutive wins in World Series play and Hernandez's 8-0 lifetime record in the postseason.
ESPN analysis
Now the Mets are into the series and have a little more experience under their belt. They are more relaxed at Shea Stadium than they were in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. Bobby Jones, the Mets' Game 4 starter, had a great game against the Giants, as good a game as he has pitched in his career. I'm sure he's anxious to follow the pattern he saw in Game 3 from Rick Reed. Reed threw a lot of fastballs for strikes, hit the corners, and took the Yankees away from their game plan, which is working the pitcher and getting deep in the count.
-- Buck Martinez
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Benny Agbayani got Shea Stadium shaking with a go-ahead double
in the eighth inning as Hernandez lost for the first time in the
postseason, 4-2 Tuesday night and the Mets cut their World Series
deficit to 2-1.
In a ballpark where the Mets thrive on late-inning magic, the
Yankees' record 14-game winning streak in the Series came to an
end.
"Anything can happen in a World Series, especially with El
Duque," Agbayani said. "I mean, that's all we heard was how he's
won so many games in the postseason. He never lost. So there's
always a first for anyone."
Hernandez began the night with an 8-0 record -- including 3-0
this year -- and a 1.90 ERA in postseason play, and set a Yankees'
World Series record by striking out 12, breaking the mark of 11 set
by Bob Turley in 1956.
Still, it was not enough.
It came after the strange doings of Sunday night's Game 2, which
was all about Roger Clemens almost hitting Mike Piazza with a bat.
Earlier Tuesday, Clemens was slapped with a $50,000 fine.
"Our fans have been waiting 14 years for this," winning
pitcher John Franco said. "They're very loud and we just love
being in this ballpark and the noise."
A sellout crowd of 55,299 went crazy as Armando Benitez held on
in the ninth inning this time. Benitez, who blew a ninth-inning
lead in the opener, closed it out after giving up a leadoff single
to pinch-hitter Chuck Knoblauch.
Yankees manager Joe Torre talked to Hernandez, who felt ill
before the game, about pulling him after the seventh with the score
tied at 2.
"He wasn't into that," Torre said. "He's something."
"I was going to make a change," he said. "But he felt really
good. And it was tough after he pitched that seventh, the way he
did, to deny that."
The Mets, who tied it at 2 on Todd Zeile's double in the sixth,
improved their record at Shea this season to 60-26, the best home
record in baseball.
There were more Yankees fans present than Mets rooters at Yankee
Stadium, though they were easily drowned out by the huge speakers
in center field -- the Mets boosted their sound system with $30,000
in extra equipment this October.
"A lot of people don't like to play here," Zeile said. "The
field ... there's airplanes going overhead -- we feel comfortable
here. It's loud."
Now, after two one-run defeats at Yankee Stadium, the Mets get a
chance to draw even. Bobby J. Jones will pitch Game 4 on Wednesday
night against Denny Neagle, and Bill Clinton is expected to become
the first president in office to attend a Series game since Ronald
Reagan in 1983.
"It's light years different between being 3-0 and 2-1," Mets
manager Bobby Valentine said.
|  | | Todd Zeile (9) is congratulated by Jay Payton after scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of the Mets' 4-2 Game 3 win over the Yankees. |
Hernandez, who struck out the first three hitters in the opening
inning and took advantage of a few extra inches on the outside
corner of Jeff Kellogg's strike zone, fanned Robin Ventura to start
the eighth.
But after Zeile singled, Agbayani doubled into the left-center
field gap. Agbayani has hit in all 12 of the Mets' postseason games
this year, including a 13th-inning home run that beat San Francisco
in the Division Series.
"I was trying to look for something low because he was throwing
me up and I was chasing them," Agbayani said.
Pinch-hitter Bubba Trammell then added a sacrifice fly for
insurance.
The sixth inning saw the Mets tie it at 2, and showcased all
this Subway Series has to offer -- big stars delivering in big
spots, dueling fans and drama with every pitch.
Piazza, made to look foolish in striking out his first two times
up, led off with a double and Ventura, who homered earlier, drew a
full-count walk. Zeile missed a bunt try and followed with a tying
double and the Mets' crowd got loud, raising the decibel count more
when Agbayani eked out a walk.
Bases loaded, no outs. And no worries from the Yankees bench --
Torre never even had anyone warming up, leaving it all to
Hernandez.
El Duque did not disappoint. He fanned Jay Payton, hopping off
the mound to punctuate his 10th strikeout, and got Mike Bordick to
swing through a 3-2 pitch, shouting to celebrate the strikeout.
With reliever Dennis Cook warming up in a hurry, Valentine
gambled. He put up Darryl Hamilton for starter Rick Reed, yet the
pinch hitter was no match for Hernandez and grounded out.
"Baseball's a challenge, you've got to fight to get outs,"
Hernandez said through an interpreter.
The Yankees tied it at 1 in the third on David Justice's RBI
double. It came with two outs, as have several of the Yankees' big
hits in this Series.
Reed singled in the bottom half, and did a little extra running
as Edgardo Alfonzo fouled off a full-count pitch with two outs
before popping up.
Tired or not, Reed was not sharp in the next half-inning. Tino
Martinez led off with a single and one out later, Paul O'Neill hit
his first triple since July 23, 1999. Scott Brosius was hit by a
pitch, but Reed limited the damage and the fourth inning ended with
the Yankees leading 2-1.
O'Neill doubled and tripled, giving him five straight hits -- two
short of the Series record set by Cincinnati's Billy Hatcher in
1990 -- before grounding out his next time up.
Ventura put the Mets ahead 1-0, homering on the first pitch in
the bottom of the second.
Hernandez shook his head up and down after the shot, as if to
acknowledge he'd made a mistake, and struck out Zeile, Agbayani and
Payton in order.
Game notes
At 40, Franco became the second-oldest pitcher to win a
Series game. Dolph Luque was 43 when he won for the New York Giants
in 1933. ... It was the first World Series game at Shea since the
Mets beat Boston in Game 7 in 1986. ... Derek Jeter singled twice
and extended his World Series hitting streak to 12 games. ... Cook
got one out, giving him 16 2-3 shutout innings in 19 postseason
games.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
NY Yankees Clubhouse
NY Mets Clubhouse
Stark: The great El Duque finally goes down
Klapisch: Mets make it a street fight
Frozen moment: Now they're Cook-in'
At-bat of the night: Agbayani's double
Question of the game
Useless facts from the World Series
Notebook: TV ratings going south
RECAPS
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Coaches and players discuss Game 3 of the World Series.
RealVideo: | 28.8
John Franco says the pitching was outstanding in Game 3.
avi: 1135 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Rich Eisen catches up with Todd Zeile after the Mets' 4-2 win in Game 3 of the World Series.
wav: 608 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Bobby Valentine says he's always had confidence in Benny Agbayani.
wav: 110 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Derek Jeter gives credit to Rick Reed for the Mets' Game 3 win.
wav: 145 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Rick Reed is thrilled to be a part of a World Series win.
wav: 283 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
ESPN's Rich Eisen talks with Game 3 winning pitcher John Franco.
wav: 455 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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