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Look back at: Divisional Playoffs |
League Championship
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Monday, October 30
Agbayani finally solves El Duque
By David Kull
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- The official box score from Game 3 of the World Series simply credits Benny Agbayani for hitting a double. Posterity, however, will remember the hit as a double-streak buster.
Not only did Agbayani's eighth-inning RBI double help end the Yankees' World Series winning streak at 14 games Tuesday, but it also took 132 nasty, darting, deceptive pitches before Agbayani did something no other postseason batter had accomplished -- deliver a death blow to Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez.
For the first 7 1/3 innings of Game 3, Hernandez had left the Mets in flailing heaps at the plate with his assortment of high fastballs, sliders and slow curves from every arm angle possible. He recorded 12 strikeouts, 10 in particularly brutal fashion against the Mets' right-handed hitters.
|  | | Benny Agbayani connects with his game-winning double in the eighth inning. |
"He's a tough pitcher," said Agbayani of El Duque, whose eight-game postseason winning streak was snapped in the Mets' 4-2 victory. "He comes at you at different angles. He has the big, sweeping curveball and the slider. You have to be patient and try to get something over the plate."
In the eighth inning with the score tied 2-2 and El Duque's pitch count climbing well past the century mark, the time was ripe for the Mets hitters to make a breakthrough. After Robin Ventura struck out to open the inning, Todd Zeile singled past Derek Jeter into center field.
That brought up Agbayani, who had faltered as badly as every other right-hander against El Duque. He struck out in the second inning and flew out weakly to right field in the fourth. But he learned something from his at-bat in the sixth inning. Laying off El Duque's tempting off the plate, Agbayani drew a walk after being down 1-2 in the count.
"I went back to the dugout, and (hitting coach) Tom Robson said, 'Do you see his pitches?' And I said 'Yes,' " said Agbayani, now 4-for-11 in the series. "And he said, 'Are you on time?' And I said, 'Yes.' And he said, 'Well, get him to throw you a ball you can handle and drive it out into the gap.' "
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Tues., Oct. 24
I'm a little surprised El Duque threw Benny Agbayani a fastball because he looked so bad on breaking balls most of the night. He looked overmatched. When El Duque got the ball outside, Agbayani had no chance.
He struck out in the second inning and popped up in the fourth. Agbayani walked in a good at-bat in the sixth, when he fell behind early in the count. But the double in the eighth obviously opened up the game for the Mets.
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Thanks to Agbayani, Robson earned his coaching paycheck in the eighth. El Duque started Agbayani off with a slider that the Mets outfielder took for ball one. Then, with Yankees catcher Jorge Posada setting up his target on the outside corner, El Duque left a fastball over the plate for Agbayani, who whacked it into the gap in left-center field to score Ventura from first.
Jay Payton followed with an infield single that advanced Agbayani to third base and sent El Duque to the showers.
"I took a deep breath and relaxed for my at-bat, and I think Benny did the same thing," said Payton. "Benny's been swinging the bat good. He's been awesome for us. He picked me up because I was feeling pretty bad about not being able to get the run in (the sixth inning with the bases loaded). That's my boy. He came through, and I expect him to do stuff like that."
Pinch-hitter Bubba Trammell then hit a sacrifice fly off reliever Mike Stanton to complete the Mets' two-run inning. A half-inning later, Armando Benitez retired the Yankees and sent the Mets fans woofin' and hollering into the Flushing area night with more than fleeting hopes of a Series comeback.
Agbayani filled the hero's role for the second time in the playoffs, the first coming on his game-winning 13th-inning homer in Game 3 of the NL Division Series. But even though Agbayani had finally broken new playoff ground against El Duque and the Yankees, he wasn't ready to bathe in the spotlight.
"It's not only me; it's my teammates," he said. "Rick Reed pitched a very good game, and Armando (Benitez) closed out the game for us. You have to credit to everybody else because everybody has to get on base before I can drive them in."
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