Monday, October 04, 1999
Big play caps unlikely comeback for Mets
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Wild pitch, wild finish and maybe wild card for the New York Mets.
Just days after being counted out of the playoff chase, the Mets assured themselves at least a tie for the NL wild card when Melvin Mora scored on Brad Clontz's ninth-inning wild pitch for a 2-1 win Sunday over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
After blowing a four-game lead with 12 games left, the Mets began the final weekend two behind Cincinnati and Houston for the wild-card berth. But New York swept three games from the Pirates while the Reds lost their first two at Milwaukee.
“Everybody left us floating in the water with sharks all around us,” said John Franco, whose 878 career appearances without making the postseason are the second most in baseball history. “We needed help and got it from the Brewers. But we also need to take care of our own business and we did that.”
The Mets jubilantly ran on the field after Clontz's first pitch to Mike Piazza with the bases loaded and one out skipped onto the screen above the backstop.
“I guess it's kind of indicative of the season we've had,” Piazza said. “Everyone had us buried six feet under.”
But New York still did not know where it would play next.
The team boarded a flight for Cincinnati just after 9 p.m., knowing that if the Reds were to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, they would stay in there and play a game at 7:05 p.m. today for the wild card. If the Reds lost, the Mets knew they were headed straight to Arizona where they would face the Diamondbacks on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Divisional Series, their first postseason appearance since 1988.
“This is bizarre,” Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. “It's the strangest situation I've ever been in on the last day of the season.”
It was as if the Mets were sneaking a peek at the post-season through the keyhole, but could not yet see the entire scene.
“We really haven't won anything yet,” said Al Leiter, who will pitch the next game, wherever it may be.
“It's hard. I would much rather pour champagne than wait and see,” Franco said. “As high as we are today, we can be down tomorrow.”
The rally that capped the improbable reversal was started by an improbable hero. Mora, 4-for-30 in his career, hit a one-out single off Greg Hansell (1-3). With the crowd of 50,111 chanting “Let's go, Mets!” Edgardo Alfonzo lined a single to right that sent Mora to third.
Hansell intentionally walked John Olerud, bringing up Piazza, who led the NL this year in grounding into double plays.
But Clontz threw a low-and-outside pitch that catcher Joe Oliver could not handle.
“I was thinking, we win. That's it,” Mora said. “We're going to fly somewhere.”
Reds Stories
Rams 38, Bengals 10
Coslet won't commit on QB
Smith wants shot at Browns
NEXT: at CLEVELAND (0-4)
Defense can't stop big plays
Pelfrey continues to struggle
Rams' fortunes on the rise
Bengals-Rams statistics
Nothing's easy for Reds
Former UK starter critically injured in Ohio
Soccer parents, coaches silenced
No. 5 St. Louis edges No. 16 Bearcats 1-0 in C-USA
Reds page
