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Look back at: Divisional Playoffs |
League Championship
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Friday, October 20
Leiter draws Game 1 start; Cone in Game 4?
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Al Leiter grew up a Mets fan, made his major-league debut with the Yankees and now pitches for the Mets.
Who better to start Game 1 of the Subway Series for the Mets?
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World Series umps
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NEW YORK -- Ed Montague, a 25-year veteran, will be the home
plate umpire for Saturday night's opening game of the World Series
between the New York Mets and New York Yankees. Montague has worked
three previous Series in 1986, 1991 and 1997.
Joining Montague on the umpiring crew will be Charlie Reliford
and Jeff Kellogg, both working their first World Series; Tim Welke,
who umpired the 1996 Series; Tim McClelland, who worked the 1993
Series; and Jerry Crawford, who umpired Series in 1988, 1992 and
1998.
-- Associated Press
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Andy Pettitte will get the nod for the Yankees in Game 1, followed by Roger Clemens, Orlando Hernandez and possibly David Cone in Game 4.
"It'll be even more special because I started my career there
and got traded here," Leiter said Thursday. "My career has come
full circle. It's exciting. I understand the emotion of the fans
and how they feel."
That does make a good story, but Leiter got the starting nod for
a few other reasons: his success in big games, the amount of time
he's had off and his steady attitude.
"He's been there," pitching coach Dave Wallace said. "He has
the experience. He knows what it's about and he's relishing the
opportunity."
Mike Hampton, who started the opener in the first two postseason
series, will pitch Game 2. Rick Reed and Bobby J. Jones once again
are scheduled to start Games 3 and 4.
Hampton went 2-0 in 16 scoreless innings to win the NLCS MVP
against St. Louis. He threw 120 pitches in Monday night's clincher
and would be on regular rest for Saturday's opener.
"My dream was always to pitch in the World Series, not pitch
Game 1 of the World Series," Hampton said.
Leiter hasn't pitched since Game 2 of the NLCS on Oct. 12,
giving him eight days between starts. That factored into manager
Bobby Valentine's decision.
"Al has followed Mike all year and Mike pitched the last game,
so it is Al's turn to pitch," Valentine said. "Dave thought one
more day would be a long time for Al.
"We didn't think Mike needed the extra rest, but with all the
hoopla after the last start, I think this is like normal rest."
Leiter's big-game experience also factored into the decision. He
pitched in the 1993 World Series with Toronto and in 1997 with
Florida, when he started Game 7.
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Over the years
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Here's how Game 1 starters, Al Leiter and Andy Pettitte, have matched up against the Yankees and Mets respectively in their careers:
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Leiter
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Pettitte
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W-L
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4-5*
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2-2
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ERA
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2.99
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4.96
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Opp. BA
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.211
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.244
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'00 W-L
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1-1
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1-1
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* Leiter is 3-2 vs. the Yankees since joining the Mets in 1998.
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His postseason numbers aren't overwhelming, 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA,
and his only win came in relief. But his teams have won six of his
nine starts -- blown leads by the bullpen have cost him a couple of
wins.
Leiter also has won in front of sellout crowds at Yankee Stadium
the past two seasons and has a 2.99 career ERA against the Yankees.
"Obviously, Al has been in this position before and not been
overwhelmed by the crowd, the pressure or the situation," said
reliever Dennis Cook, a teammate of Leiter's in Florida.
"Actually, I think he thrives on it and feeds off it."
Leiter will tap into that experience when he takes the field
Saturday night against the team with which he made his major league
debut in 1987.
"There are a lot of extraneous distractions with all the
passion and the fans and the media," said Leiter, who has been
inundated with ticket requests. "But you have to tune all that out
and focus on how do I get (Chuck) Knoblauch out, how do I pitch to
(Derek) Jeter, what do I throw (Paul) O'Neill on 3-2. Your whole
mindset has to be on the game plan."
For the Yankee, it would be shocker if Cone starts Game 4, given that Cone has pitched just one inning during the postseason following a terrible regular season.
"It becomes, a chance for redemption for me," Cone said
Thursday in a Yankees clubhouse filled with Subway Series chatter.
He doesn't even need advance notice.
"They could put the ball in my shoe five minutes before the
game," he said.
But following Denny Neagle's lackluster start at Seattle on
Sunday, Torre is thinking of giving Cone another chance.
"David Cone rises to the occasion," Torre said. "Sometimes,
he has his mind ruling his body, and that's a factor in my
decision-making."
There was some thought that the Mets would start Hampton in
Games 1 and 5 so he would pitch once at Shea Stadium, where he went
11-4 with a 2.05 ERA and can also bat. Hampton hit .274, compared
to Leiter's .052 batting average.
"An argument could be made that I'm not quite as good a hitter
as Mike," said Leiter, who calls his swing pathetic. "But don't
forget, I'm the only one in the clubhouse with a World Series
hit."
Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre sounded as if he was in favor of
using Cone, especially because he would be pitching at Shea
Stadium. Cone is 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA in five World Series starts,
his best stats in any of the postseason rounds.
"Inside David Cone, I think it will become a tremendous lift
for him, and I think it will become a tremendous lift for the
ballclub," Stottlemyre said.
Neagle was the loser in both Seattle victories in the AL
championship series. In the opener, he gave up two runs and three
hits in 5 2/3 innings. In Game 5, he allowed three runs, three hits
and four walks in 4 1-3 innings.
"Game 1 was fine, but when he went out for Game 5, I thought he
was a little less aggressive, and I thought he had as good stuff,"
Torre said. "When he gets the ball over the plate, they hit it,
and not necessarily with the fat part of the bat."
That piece of trivia has less to do with Leiter's prowess at the
plate than with the Mets' lack of World Series experience. Leiter
got a double for Toronto in the 1993 Series against Philadelphia.
Cook and infielders Kurt Abbott and Mike Bordick are the only
other Mets with World Series experience. Abbott went 0-for-3 in
1997 for Florida and Bordick didn't bat for Oakland in 1990.
"This series will be decided by who executes better, not who
has the better resume," Valentine said.
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