Pokey Reese celebrates with teammates after the Pirates beat the Mets. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        NEW YORK — All winter long, Pokey Reese did nothing but hit. He practiced going with the pitch, going the other way, trying to forget about muscling up.

        “I've changed this year,” the Pittsburgh second baseman said. “I've cut down my swing.”

        The strategy paid quick dividends against the New York Mets on Wednesday. Reese had three hits and drove in three runs, two after a rare error by Gold Glove second baseman Roberto Alomar. as the Pirates defeated the Mets 5-3.

        Reese was passed off from Cincinnati to Colorado to Boston inside of three days in December and wound up signing as a free agent with Pittsburgh at the end of January.

        “It was an interesting winter,” Reese said. “Seemed like a new team every day.”

        Salary demands kept Reese on the run, but he's happy with how it all turned out. “I'm happy with where I'm at,” he said.

        As a second baseman, Reese appreciates Alomar's resume — 10 Gold Gloves and just five errors at Cleveland last season. “You don't see him make many errors,” Reese said. “You've got to take advantage.”

        When Alomar booted a grounder by Rob Mackowiak with one out in the sixth inning, It gave Pittsburgh an unexpected runner.

        “It was an in-between hop,” Alomar said. “I was trying to block it. I did block it. But it rolled so far away that by the time I picked it up I couldn't throw to first in time.”

        Kevin Young followed with a single and, after the runners advanced on a grounder, Reese came to the plate with two outs. He thought the Mets might walk him to get to pitcher Kip Wells. He was grateful when they did not.

        “The last couple of years I haven't done anything in that situation,” Reese said. “I was hoping they'd pitch to me, come after me in that situation.”

        Manager Bobby Valentine said the pitch from Steve Trachsel was the one the Mets wanted Reese to hit. “He popped it into right field. He went with it,” Valentine said.

        Reese's hit put Pittsburgh in front 3-2 and manager Lloyd McClendon used a parade of five relievers through the last four innings to nail down the victory.

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