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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- Mike Piazza took Roger Clemens for a ride on his
own personal No. 4 train.
|  | | Mets pitcher Al Leiter delivers in the first inning at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. Leiter is now 7-1 with a 3.18 ERA. |
Piazza hit a grand slam as the New York Mets bombarded Clemens
for nine runs -- matching the most he's ever allowed in a game -- in
routing the New York Yankees 12-2 Friday night in the opener of
this year's Subway Series.
"I've always enjoyed the tradition of Yankee Stadium," Piazza
said. "Just getting your name read over the public-address system
gives you a shot of adrenaline."
Slumping Derek Bell homered and drove in five runs and Edgardo
Alfonzo also connected as the Mets closed their deficit to 7-6
against the Yankees in four seasons of interleague play. Easily, it
was the most lopsided.
Al Leiter (7-1) beat Clemens (4-6) for the third time in two
years. And in all three games, Piazza provided a big home run -- this time, launching a long drive to dead center field, toward the
tracks of the elevated No. 4 Lexington Avenue subway line that
carried many fans to Yankee Stadium.
"I've been fortunate to have some success in this series,"
Piazza said. "These games are exciting and electric."
With a sellout crowd of 55,822 all together standing and
chanting, cheering and booing, Piazza slowly strode to the plate
with the bases loaded and no outs in the third inning of a
scoreless game.
On a 1-0 pitch, he seized the moment.
Piazza stood to watch the ball sail for his 11th career slam and
second this year, while Clemens kicked at the rubber. It was only
the second slam Clemens had ever given up.
"Not a bad pitch, really," Clemens said. "But he got more of
it than I thought he did.
"I felt I had better stuff than the final score says it was,"
he said.
It was Piazza's third home run in 11 career at-bats against
Clemens. The first homer came last June and helped reverse the
fortunes of both the Mets and Clemens.
The Mets ended an eight-game losing streak that night, a day
after firing three coaches, and reached the .500 mark on their way
toward making the NL playoffs. Clemens, meanwhile, had his
AL-record 20-game winning streak stopped and has been a sub-.500
pitcher since.
Alfonzo's two-run homer with no outs in the sixth made it 9-2
and finished Clemens. The Rocket walked off to loud booing from
Yankees fans, who seemed to comprise about two-thirds of the crowd.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, wearing a Yankees cap and a big-time
booster, stood and applauded from next to his favorite team's
dugout.
"I was ashamed that any Yankee fan would boo him. He's pitched
some great games for us," Giuliani said.
"It wasn't my happiest night here tonight, but I'll be back
Sunday," he said.
Clemens, originally selected by the Mets in the June 1981
amateur draft, fell to 1-4 with a 9.10 ERA against them. He also
started against them twice for Boston in the 1986 World Series, and
did not get a decision.
Clemens has allowed nine runs on five occasions, mostly recently
on May 18, 1998, for Toronto against Seattle. The Mets tagged him
for eight earned runs and 10 hits.
As Yankees manager Joe Torre removed Clemens, he told him,
"We'll get this thing figured out."
Leiter, the only Mets player who also spent time with the
Yankees, was able to coast with the large lead. He allowed two runs
in seven innings.
"If you're facing a quality pitcher like Roger, you realize you
might have to throw a shutout to win," Leiter said.
The Mets, who took early batting practice at Shea Stadium in
Queens before busing over to the Bronx, finished with 15 hits in
winning their third in a row overall.
Bell, who began the night in a 3-for-53 rut, Piazza and Jay
Payton each had three hits.
Rookie Jason Tyner led off the game with a double and later
singled, scored twice and made a diving catch in left field.
"I stepped in the box and looked up and it was like, 'Geez,
that's Roger Clemens,' " said Tyner, who grew up in Texas, where
the Rocket is revered. "My first week in the big leagues and I'm
facing Roger Clemens and Yankee Stadium."
Game notes
Clemens gave up a slam to Gary Gaetti in 1993. ... Leiter
made his major league debut for the Yankees in 1987. ... Derek
Jeter batted leadoff for the first time since May 5, 1999. ...
Chuck Knoblauch, the Yankees' usual leadoff man, has not played
since last Sunday because of a sore left forearm. He rode the No. 4
subway to the stadium. ... Mets SS Kurt Abbott was ejected in the
second inning. He thought he had avoided a tag by Tino Martinez in
a play at first base -- replays showed he was right -- but was called
out by first base umpire Marty Foster and slammed his helmet.
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Cleveland 7
Cincinnati 4
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NY Mets 12
NY Yankees 2
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