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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- Shea Stadium rocked Friday night, and John
Rocker had nothing to do with it.
|  | | Mike Piazza has driven in runs in his past 13 games. |
Mike Piazza capped a 10-run, eighth-inning comeback with a
tiebreaking, three-run homer off Terry Mulholland, and the New York
Mets stunned the Atlanta Braves 11-8 Friday night.
Rocker, the controversial reliever who has become New York's No.
1 villain, split open a callous on his pitching hand on his first
warmup pitch in the bullpen in the seventh inning.
Rocker could only watch as Don Wengert, Kerry Ligtenberg and
Mulholland (8-7) frittered away the 8-1 lead built behind Kevin Millwood, forcing in three runs with bases-loaded walks.
"I really let the team down," Rocker said. "Situations like tonight are the times that I pitch."
Rocker knew when he got to the ballpark that he was unlikely to
pitch.
"I iced it for six-to-10 hours," said Rocker, who also soaked
his left hand and applied chemical solutions.
While fans chanted, "We want Rocker!" they should have been
happy he didn't come in. On Thursday night, he pitched a perfect
eighth in the Braves' 6-4 win.
The threatened "Battery Night" demonstration against Rocker
went dead -- he even spent some time during batting practice signing
autographs for the very fans he disparaged last year.
A sellout crowd of 52,831 filled Shea Stadium on Fireworks
Night, but the sparks were created by the Mets.
The 10 runs matched the most ever scored in an inning by the
Mets, and nine were driven in with two outs. The comeback from a
seven-run deficit was the second-largest in club history.
"That is one of the most unlikely innings I've ever seen,"
Mets manager Bobby Valentine said.
The Braves finished June at 13-15, their first losing month
since September 1996. Third baseman Chipper Jones missed the game
to return to Atlanta, where doctors were to induce labor in his
wife, Sharon.
"We played a great game tonight. It's just unbelievable,"
Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "We beat ourselves tonight."
Brian Jordan's three-run homer off Eric Cammack had put the Braves ahead 8-1 in the top of the eighth.
Derek Bell led off the eighth with a single off Wengert, and
Piazza hit an infield single with one out.
Robin Ventura's RBI grounder off Wengert drove in Bell, who set
a Mets record by scoring for the 10th straight game.
Todd Zeile hit an RBI single, Jay Payton chased Wengert with
another single and Ligtenberg forced in two runs by walking
pinch-hitter Mark Johnson and Melvin Mora with the bases loaded.
Mulholland relieved for the first time since May 16 and walked
Bell, making it 8-6.
Edgardo Alfonzo slapped a two-run single to left, and Piazza hit
the next pitch to left for his 22nd homer, extending his streak of
games with RBI to 13.
"I wasn't sure if it was going to hit the wall or go through
the wall," Zeile said.
Coming in, the Mets had lost 19 of their last 25 regular-season
games against the Braves, 23 of 31 including last year's NL
championship series.
"It's no news that we have trouble beating the Braves," Piazza
said. "We come in tight, we press, we kick the ball around.
Hopefully, this will kind of relax us."
Armando Benitez (2-3) pitched the ninth, retiring Wally Joyner on a
game-ending flyout with two on.
Millwood allowed one run and six hits in seven innings, while
Mets starter Mike Hampton walked six (one was intentional), threw
two wild pitches and hit a batter.
Atlanta went ahead in the first when Hampton walked Javy Lopez
on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded, then added three in the third
on Lopez's two-run single and an error by Piazza, who allowed Benny
Agbayani's throw from left to get away. Andres Galarraga, who began
the play on first, came home from third on the error.
Keith Lockhart had an RBI grounder in the seventh, a ball that
would have been an inning-ending double play if not for a bad relay
throw to first by shortstop Mora.
Pinch-hitter Matt Franco hit a two-out, RBI single in the
seventh that made it 5-1.
Game notes
The Mets also scored 10 runs in the sixth inning against
Cincinnati on June 12, 1979. ... The Mets' biggest comeback was
from an eight-run deficit at Houston on Sept. 2, 1972. ... Piazza
went 0-for-3 against Millwood, dropping to 2-for-19 (.105) against
him in his career. ... Piazza had gone 51 games since April 14
without an error. ... It was the first sellout at Shea since the
home opener. ... Greg Maddux, scratched from his scheduled Thursday start because he was feeling ill, was scheduled to pitch Saturday
against Al Leiter.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
NY Mets Clubhouse
Callous KO's Rocker as 'Battery Night' fizzles
RECAPS
Minnesota 7
Cleveland 2
Tampa Bay 6
NY Yankees 4
Baltimore 8
Toronto 3
Chi. White Sox 10
Boston 4
Detroit 3
Kansas City 1
Texas 13
Seattle 3
Anaheim 7
Oakland 0
Florida 5
Montreal 4
Pittsburgh 8
Philadelphia 3
NY Mets 11
Atlanta 8
Chicago Cubs 7
Milwaukee 4
St. Louis 5
Houston 4
Cincinnati 5
Arizona 4
Colorado 5
San Diego 4
Los Angeles 9
San Francisco 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 The crew from Baseball Tonight breaks down the Mets' late-inning comeback.
RealVideo: | 28.8
 Mike Piazza says it's back to work tomorrow for the Mets.
wav: 145 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Todd Zeile says he has never seen a comeback like the Mets had against the Braves.
wav: 94 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
John Rocker says he could not pitch on Friday because of an injured thumb.
wav: 233 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Bobby Cox says the Braves beat themselves on Friday.
wav: 82 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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