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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
NEW YORK (AP) -- The blank expression on Benny Agbayani's face
after he cost the Mets a run turned to one of relief after it
didn't lose the game for New York.
|  | | New York Mets' left fielder Benny Agbayani, realizing too late his mistake, retrieves the ball he gave to a fan thinking there were three outs in the fourth inning Saturday night. |
Agbayani allowed a run to score when he handed the ball to a
7-year-old fan in the stands when there were only two outs, but the
Mets rallied to beat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 Saturday night on
Todd Zeile's two-run double in the seventh inning.
"I screwed up. I'm very sorry," Agbayani said. "It was a bad
play, a mental lapse. It shouldn't have happened, but I'm glad we
won."
Down 1-0 in the fourth, the Giants loaded the bases with one out
and Bobby Estalella hit a lazy fly to left field. Agbayani, who
mistook the two strikes on the scoreboard for two outs, ran toward
the line to make the catch.
With Jeff Kent tagging from third and scoring, Agbayani jogged
toward the seats.
"Everyone was screaming a collective, `Benny!' at the top of
their lungs" Zeile said. "But to no avail. Obviously this was one
of those mental blocks."
Agbayani handed the ball to Jake Burns, who broke into a big
smile.
"It was weird," the young fan said.
"He was eating a hot dog and then all of a sudden he had a ball
in his other hand," said his father, Jim.
As soon as Agbayani gave the ball away, another fan appeared to
shout that there were only two outs and second baseman Edgardo
Alfonzo was waving his arms frantically. But it was too late.
"I was actually laughing," Estalella said. "If it happened to
me, I'd feel bad too, so I guess I can't really laugh. It happens
to everybody."
Jake Burns said he did not know how many outs there were when
the kooky play occurred, but his father did.
"I figured I was wrong. Then I saw his expression," the father
said, referring to his son, "and I couldn't care less."
Agbayani grabbed the ball back from the fan and threw it to the
infield, but the runners were given two extra bases on the error.
Ellis Burks, who reached on shortstop Mike Bordick's throwing
error, scored a second run on the play.
"It was a bonehead play, but it doesn't overshadow all the good
things he does," manager Bobby Valentine said. "It will probably
get mentioned more. That's the way it is."
Larry Walker, then with Montreal, made a similar slipup on April
24, 1994, when he handed a ball to a 9-year-old boy in the front
row at Dodger Stadium after catching a foul fly with one out and a
runner on first.
Zeile said he made a goofup like Agbayani's three years ago when
he was with Los Angeles. With runners on second and third and two
outs, a grounder was hit to Zeile at third base. Thinking the bases
were loaded, he stepped on third only to watch the run score and
the inning go on.
"That is about as low as you can be," Zeile recalled. "You
just want to crawl under a base."
After Agbayani warmed up in the top of the fifth, he directed
that the ball be given to the boy. His teammates joked with him
about the play throughout the game.
"They said, `We play three outs in this game,' " Agbayani
said. "You have to laugh about it. I made a big mistake, but we
won."
That was the play of the game until the Mets rallied to win for
the 15th time in 18 games.
Pinch-hitter Bubba Trammell led off with a walk -- the seventh
allowed by Giants starter Shawn Estes. Felix Rodriguez (4-2) came
in and got Bordick to pop out on a bunt attempt and struck out
Derek Bell.
After Alfonzo walked, the runners advanced on a wild pitch. With
Mike Piazza on the bench ready to pinch hit for Agbayani if
necessary, the Giants pitched to Zeile.
"It affects the game big time knowing that Piazza is over
there," Giants manager Dusty Baker said. "You want to face almost
anybody but him in that situation."
Zeile made the Giants pay, however, lining a two-run double down
the right-field line.
Mike Hampton (12-7) was sharp for the Mets, allowing only two
unearned runs and five hits in seven innings to improve to 9-0
against San Francisco. He held the Giants hitless in 10 at-bats
with runners in scoring position.
Armando Benitez pitched the ninth for his 29th save in 33
chances. He struck out Barry Bonds looking with a runner on first
to end it.
The Giants have lost two straight following a four-game winning
streak and remained two games ahead of Arizona in the NL West. The
Mets are still 2{ games behind Atlanta in the NL East.
In an odd game that was delayed 38 minutes by rain after the
second inning, the Mets were unable to score in the fifth when
Estes walked four of the first five batters in the inning.
Hampton walked on four pitches to open the inning, but was
erased on Bordick's double-play grounder. Estes then threw 11
straight balls, walking Bell and Alfonzo and falling behind 3-0 to
Zeile, before walking him on a 3-1 pitch.
That brought up Agbayani, who must have wished he had gotten the
day off. Agbayani, who went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, grounded
out to short to end the threat.
Bordick hit a solo homer in the third to give the Mets a 1-0
lead.
Game notes
Estes induced two double-play grounders, giving him a major
league-leading 30 this season. ... Alfonzo, who had eight multihit
games in his last nine contests, went 0-for-2.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
San Francisco Clubhouse
NY Mets Clubhouse
Ball night at Shea: Agbayani gives away one in play
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Benny Agbayani was glad his error didn't cost the Mets the game.
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