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Mariners vs. Yankees |
Mets vs. Cardinals
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Saturday, October 14
Mets peeling away Cardinals game by game
By Bob Klapisch
Special to ESPN.com
ST. LOUIS -- Bobby Valentine was inches from Armando Benitez's face, deep
into his personal space, tapping his index fingers in the closer's chest. Voice raised, filling an already loud postgame clubhouse, Valentine shouted, "That's why I need you -- every single day. Because you're the man. You're the best!"
The two men laughed. No other words were necessary. The Mets had just
edged the Cardinals 6-5 in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, taking a
2-0 series lead, and it was Benitez who smothered St. Louis in the bottom of
the ninth.
No wonder Valentine's enthusiasm literally bubbled over: He's two wins
away from the World Series, and with it, a chance to personally end the
Yankees' chokehold on the rest of the major-league community.
It's official now. The Mets are October's hottest team, with more
momentum and self-confidence than any of the four remaining playoff finalists. They have the luxury of three games at Shea Stadium this weekend, where the Cardinals will be treated to the constant drone of LaGuardia's departing jets, the army of tough, ravenous Mets fans and Rick Reed in Game 3.
With no disrespect to the Central Division champs, the Mets are already
fast-forwarding to the possibility of a Subway Series. Some Mets are openly
rooting for the Yankees to prevail over the Mariners, although others, like
John Franco, say, "They've had the spotlight for so long, it would be nice to
have it all to ourselves in New York."
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Nine and counting
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In nine postseason starts, Al Leiter has yet to earn a victory (he did get a win while pitching in relief for Toronto during the 1993 World Series). Below is a rundown of his nine postseason starts:
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Date
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Series
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Opp.
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Result
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10/1/97*
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Div.
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S.F.
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no-dec.
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10/11/97*
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NLCS
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Atl.
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loss
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10/21/97*
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W.S.
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Clev.
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no-dec.
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10/26/97*
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W.S.
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Clev.
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no-dec.
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10/9/99
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Div.
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Ari.
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no-dec.
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10/15/99
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NLCS
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Atl.
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loss
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10/19/99
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NLCS
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Atl.
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no-dec.
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10/5/00
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Div.
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S.F.
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no-dec.
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10/12/00
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NLCS
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St.L
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no-dec.
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* While as a member of the Marlins
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The reason for all this huffing and puffing? Because the Mets were able
to win, despite the Cardinals' thorough preparation for Al Leiter, and their
obvious determination to even the series.
"They made me work deep into every count. They took pitches, were very
disciplined, they knew what they were doing against me," said Leiter.
That
may explain why the left-hander was unable to dominate St. Louis the way
he did San Francisco in Game 2 of the Division Series. Leiter managed seven innings, turning over a 5-3 lead to the bullpen in the eighth.
That lead resulted when Edgardo Alfonzo and Todd Zeile had RBI singles in the
top of the eighth, and with six outs to go, it appeared Leiter was headed for
his first win in nine career postseason starts.
But Franco wasn't kidding when he said "the Cardinals have a lot of
weapons." They rallied for two runs in the bottom half of the eighth, the
tying run coming when Turk Wendell was unable to convert on an 0-2 count
against J.D. Drew.
When ahead in the count like that, Wendell normally devours hitters with his mean, late-breaking slider. But, for reasons only he and Mike
Piazza know, Drew saw five straight fastballs, the last of which he sent
screaming up the gap in right-center, making it 5-5.
Wendell disgustedly said, "I should've thrown him something offspeed,
just to alter his timing a little bit. Five straight fastballs ... that was
dumb. Any major-league hitter is going to time you after a certain point if
you keep throwing the same pitch over and over again."
In another season, certainly against another team, like the Braves, the
Mets might have melted right there. That's the kind of psychological advantage
Atlanta held over the Mets. But just as the Mets predicted when the Cardinals
stunned the Braves in the Division Series, the path to the World Series
became much friendlier.
As Zeile said, "We really felt like we could come back in this game,
and considering it was against a very good team like the Cardinals, it was
the first time we started to believe, 'This is our year.' "
Franco put it even more bluntly. "We were able to counter whatever the
Cardinals did, just like the Braves used to be able to do it to us," he said.
Calmly, the Mets rallied in the ninth inning, scoring the go-ahead run on Jay
Payton's RBI single off Mike Timlin. The rest was like flipping the switch on
a machine, as Benitez effectively smothered the Cardinals for the last three
outs.
That's why the Mets are riding this tidal wave of we-own-the-world
confidence, which Zeile is quick to say "isn't the same thing as arrogance.
We know we're a good team, and we're playing very well."
For the second straight night, the Mets avoided Mark McGwire's muscles.
Their presence was too much for rookie Rick Ankiel, whose wildness and
anxiety forced him out of the game in the very first inning. And the Mets
even reduced Jim Edmonds into mortal-like status as twice -- on Alfonzo's RBI
single in the eighth, and Payton's game-winner in the ninth -- he was unable
to either make a effective throw to the plate or field the ball cleanly.
Slowly but surely, the Mets are peeling away the Cardinals' layers of
excellence, forcing them into a series of small but stinging mistakes.
It's exactly how the Mets took apart the Giants. And look where they are
now -- at home, watching the Mets inch closer to an all-New York World Series.
Bob Klapisch of the Bergen (N.J.) Record covers baseball for ESPN.com.
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