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Mets vs. Giants
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Monday, October 9
Mets go from down and out to total euphoria
By Bob Klapisch
Special to ESPN.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- It didn't take much detective work to know who'd won Game
2 of the NL Division Series -- not if you were in the Mets clubhouse after
the final out, listening to the sounds of celebration that bordered on
delirium.
And if you paid close enough attention, you heard exhaustion and relief,
too.
The Mets experienced all those emotions Thursday night at Pac Bell Park,
where in the span of a 10-inning, 5-4 win over the Giants, they went from an
easy Al Leiter-fueled victory, to a crisis of Armando Benitez' blown save and
then, finally, gratitude that John Franco was able to strike out Barry Bonds,
who represented the winning run with two outs in bottom of the 10th.
|  | | John Franco, left, saved the game for the Mets by recording the final three outs in the 10th inning. |
In fact, Todd Zeile wasn't kidding when he said, "people who watched this
game are going to be talking about it for a long time."
That included some of the players themselves, like Rich Aurilia, who
said, "that was the greatest game I've ever been involved in."
You can pick from a buffet table of reasons why this game was so
memorable, but first and foremost was J.T. Snow's stunning three-run home run
in the bottom of the ninth, tying the game at 4-4, and wiping out what seemed
to be a sure win for Leiter.
For eight masterful innings, Leiter proved why he's the Mets' best big-game
pitcher, thundering the inside corner with his cut-fastball, limiting the
Giants to just five hits and two earned runs, and was only three outs away
from a complete-game, 4-1 classic.
Why shouldn't the Mets have felt the world was theirs? In the top of the
ninth, Timo Perez had laced his third hit, followed by Edgardo Alfonzo's
two-run home run off Felix Rodriguez, giving the Mets a three-run lead.
Bonds ruined it, however, with a leadoff double in the ninth, prompting
Bobby Valentine to logically summon Benitez, who was tied for third in the NL
this year with 41 saves. Although not a perfect closer, Benitez is still the
Mets' last line of defense, and with only five blown saves all year -- not to
mention a 97-mph fastball -- he made it easy for the Mets to envision a quiet
ninth inning.
Only, the Mets never expected Benitez to allow Jeff Kent an infield
single, putting runners on first and second. And one out later, the entire
dugout went into a state of shock when Snow crushed a 2-1 fastball that was
down and in, the kind of strike that most hitters -- indeed most pinch-hitters
-- foul off, at best.
"He just beat me. What can I say except that he hit the pitch really
good," Benitez said quietly. "I'm human, I made a mistake, and I paid for
hit. But I'll be OK. Next time I'll get him."
To say Pac Bell was loud in the moments after Snow's home run cleared the right
field fence is putting it far too gently. The ballpark became an open-air asylum
and in that one instant, Leiter said, "I realized why the Giants were so
tough in this place. I mean, it was deafening. The momentum was definitely on
their side at that moment."
Indeed, the Giants' karma was so good, and Benitez appeared so
devastated, Bobby Valentine decided to visit his closer, despite the fact no
one was warming up in the bullpen. He spoke to Benitez, not just as a manager,
but also as a therapist, counselor and father-figure.
His message? Valentine said, "I told him 'this game isn't over. We still
need two outs. We still need you if we're going to win this game.' "
Benitez took a deep breath, retired the last two Giants in the inning, and
sent the game into sudden death. In the top of the 10th, when Jay Payton,
laced an RBI single to score Darryl Hamilton.
Just like the two runs in the ninth, the Mets did the damage against
Rodriguez, although Dusty Baker said he didn't bring in Robb Nen to face
Payton because, "I didn't want to waste (Nen) for just one out (with
Rodriguez leading off the next inning and the Giants would've lost Ellis
Burks in a double-switch.)"
So the Mets lucked out. Or did they? The still-shaken Benitez allowed
Armando Rios a leadoff single, which is when Franco turned to Turk Wendell in
the bullpen and said, "here we go again." That was Benitez' last pitch, creating
a rare opportunity for Franco to save the Mets.
He's the first to say, "Armando is the closer on this team, not me." But
not on this night. The Mets' crossroads came on a 3-2 pitch to Bonds, with
two out and Bill Mueller on first base. One mistake, and the Giants would be
traveling to Shea with a 2-0 series lead.
Franco thought hard, searching into his database for a way to defeat
Bonds. His solution? A 3-2 change-up that so stunned the Giants' slugger, he
never moved.
Instead, Bonds and the rest of the Giants could only watch while the Mets
celebrated on the field. Franco, hoarse with exhaustion, delirium and
relief said, "this is only one game. But it was sure nice to win. Now we go
home."
Which is another way of saying: more to come.
Bob Klapisch of the Bergen (N.J.) Record is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's baseball coverage.
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