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Monday, October 9
Mets go from down and out to total euphoria
By Bob Klapisch
Special to ESPN.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- It didn't take much detective work to know who'd won Game 2 of the NL Division Series -- not if you were in the Mets clubhouse after the final out, listening to the sounds of celebration that bordered on delirium.

And if you paid close enough attention, you heard exhaustion and relief, too.

The Mets experienced all those emotions Thursday night at Pac Bell Park, where in the span of a 10-inning, 5-4 win over the Giants, they went from an easy Al Leiter-fueled victory, to a crisis of Armando Benitez' blown save and then, finally, gratitude that John Franco was able to strike out Barry Bonds, who represented the winning run with two outs in bottom of the 10th.

John Franco
John Franco, left, saved the game for the Mets by recording the final three outs in the 10th inning.

In fact, Todd Zeile wasn't kidding when he said, "people who watched this game are going to be talking about it for a long time."

That included some of the players themselves, like Rich Aurilia, who said, "that was the greatest game I've ever been involved in."

You can pick from a buffet table of reasons why this game was so memorable, but first and foremost was J.T. Snow's stunning three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, tying the game at 4-4, and wiping out what seemed to be a sure win for Leiter.

For eight masterful innings, Leiter proved why he's the Mets' best big-game pitcher, thundering the inside corner with his cut-fastball, limiting the Giants to just five hits and two earned runs, and was only three outs away from a complete-game, 4-1 classic.

Why shouldn't the Mets have felt the world was theirs? In the top of the ninth, Timo Perez had laced his third hit, followed by Edgardo Alfonzo's two-run home run off Felix Rodriguez, giving the Mets a three-run lead.

Bonds ruined it, however, with a leadoff double in the ninth, prompting Bobby Valentine to logically summon Benitez, who was tied for third in the NL this year with 41 saves. Although not a perfect closer, Benitez is still the Mets' last line of defense, and with only five blown saves all year -- not to mention a 97-mph fastball -- he made it easy for the Mets to envision a quiet ninth inning.

Only, the Mets never expected Benitez to allow Jeff Kent an infield single, putting runners on first and second. And one out later, the entire dugout went into a state of shock when Snow crushed a 2-1 fastball that was down and in, the kind of strike that most hitters -- indeed most pinch-hitters -- foul off, at best.

"He just beat me. What can I say except that he hit the pitch really good," Benitez said quietly. "I'm human, I made a mistake, and I paid for hit. But I'll be OK. Next time I'll get him."

To say Pac Bell was loud in the moments after Snow's home run cleared the right field fence is putting it far too gently. The ballpark became an open-air asylum and in that one instant, Leiter said, "I realized why the Giants were so tough in this place. I mean, it was deafening. The momentum was definitely on their side at that moment."

Indeed, the Giants' karma was so good, and Benitez appeared so devastated, Bobby Valentine decided to visit his closer, despite the fact no one was warming up in the bullpen. He spoke to Benitez, not just as a manager, but also as a therapist, counselor and father-figure.

His message? Valentine said, "I told him 'this game isn't over. We still need two outs. We still need you if we're going to win this game.' "

Benitez took a deep breath, retired the last two Giants in the inning, and sent the game into sudden death. In the top of the 10th, when Jay Payton, laced an RBI single to score Darryl Hamilton. Just like the two runs in the ninth, the Mets did the damage against Rodriguez, although Dusty Baker said he didn't bring in Robb Nen to face Payton because, "I didn't want to waste (Nen) for just one out (with Rodriguez leading off the next inning and the Giants would've lost Ellis Burks in a double-switch.)"

So the Mets lucked out. Or did they? The still-shaken Benitez allowed Armando Rios a leadoff single, which is when Franco turned to Turk Wendell in the bullpen and said, "here we go again." That was Benitez' last pitch, creating a rare opportunity for Franco to save the Mets.

He's the first to say, "Armando is the closer on this team, not me." But not on this night. The Mets' crossroads came on a 3-2 pitch to Bonds, with two out and Bill Mueller on first base. One mistake, and the Giants would be traveling to Shea with a 2-0 series lead.

Franco thought hard, searching into his database for a way to defeat Bonds. His solution? A 3-2 change-up that so stunned the Giants' slugger, he never moved.

Instead, Bonds and the rest of the Giants could only watch while the Mets celebrated on the field. Franco, hoarse with exhaustion, delirium and relief said, "this is only one game. But it was sure nice to win. Now we go home."

Which is another way of saying: more to come.

Bob Klapisch of the Bergen (N.J.) Record is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's baseball coverage.



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