USA Major League

• Recaps American League Division Series
• Recaps National League Division Series
• Recaps American League Championship Series
• Recaps National League Championship Series
• Recaps World Series

• Final Standings Division Series
• Final Standings League Championship Series
• Standings World Series

• Scores Division Series
• Scores League Championship Series
• Scores World Series

• Schedule Division Series
• Schedule League Championship Series
• Schedule World Series

• Line Scores American League Division Series
• Line Scores National League Division Series
• Line Scores American League Championship Series
• Line Scores National League Championship Series
• Line Scores World Series
• Actual Line Scores World Series

USA MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2000

Oakland wins big vs. Yankees
NEW YORK (USA) - The Oakland A's outscored the New York Yankees 11-1 on Saturday-evening, forcing a fifth game. Both teams will now fly back to Oakland to play a fifth game on Sunday-evening. The A's had three rallies, highlighted by a first inning three-run homerun by Olmedo Saenz.
The one-side game started in the first inning with a three-run rally. Lead-off hitter Terrence Long, who injured his knee the night before, was back in the line-up and singled. After Randy Velarde hit into a fielder's choice, Jason Giambi also walked, setting the scene for Olmedo Saenz. The designated hitter from Panama hit a three-run homerun to give the A's an early 3-0 lead. In the sixth, the A's added three more runs, two on a single by Ben Grieve, before the Yankees finally got on the board in its sixth at bat. It was an RBI-double by Jorge Posada, which resulted in the lone Yankee-run. After scoring once in the eighth, the A's rallied for four more runs in the ninth, highlighted by a two-run double by Eric Chanvez. Yankee-starter Roger Clemens, who was pitching on three days rest, was the losing pitcher for the second time this series. A compilation of this game will be broadcast on Sunday in the Studio Sport program, which runs between 11:30 AM and 6:00 PM.
(October 7)
Line Score

Yankees win another one
NEW YORK (USA) - The New York Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series vs. Oakland A's, winning 4-2 on Friday. The Yankee-defense did an outstanding job in The Bronx and need one victory to go to the ALCS.
The A's took a 1-0 lead in the second when Miguel Tejada scored on a single by Jeremy Giambi, but in the home second, the Yankees scored twice. Bernie Williams hit a lead-off double and one out later Paul O'Neill was safe on an infield-single. Williams then scored on a grounder by Glenallen Hill, a comebacker to pitcher Tim Hudson, who decided to try to make a play at home, but was to late. Moments later, O'Neill scored on an infield-single by Derek Jeter. In the fifth, the Yanks made it 3-1. Luis Sojo walked and was safe on second base on a force play error, advancing him to third base. He then scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Derek Jeter. A homerun by A's centerfielder Terrence Long in the fifth made it 3-2, but the A's never had a good chance of getting on base, as the Yankee-defensive played great. In the fourth, leftfielder David Justice made an outstanding catch, while in the fifth and seventh two wonderful double plays were turned. In the eighth, then Yankees added an insurance run as Tino Martinez singled with one out and scored on a two-out single by Luis Sojo. On that hit, A's centerfielder Terrence Long hurt his knee, but managed to throw out Sojo at second for the third out. A's-pitcher Tim Hudson gave up only six hits, but all were hit at the right moment, while Yankee Orlando Hernandez needed a lot of pitches, but gave up only four hits, while walking five. Closer Mariano Rivera pitched the eighth and ninth inning to earn the save.
(October 6)
Line Score

Mariners sweep Chisox
SEATTLE (USA) - The Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox, 2-1 on Friday, sweeping the Chisox in their best-of-five Division Series and becoming the first team to advance to this years League Championship Series. It is the Mariners first LCS since 1995. The Mariners broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth to win in front of a home crowd. The White Sox-offense again was silenced as Mariners-starter Aaron Sele allowed only three hits in 7 1/3 innings and then the bullpen shut the door for the Chisox. Again.
The White Sox, with 95 victories the winningest team this season in the American League, opened the score in the second when Harold Baines doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Herbert Perry. White Sox-starter James Baldwin held the Mariners to only three hits in six innings, but also gave up the tying run in the fourth. In that inning, Raul Ibanez hit a lead-off single and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and a grounder. After John Olerud walked, Ibanez scored on an infield-single by Stan Javier. The decision came in the home ninth. Reliever Kelly Wunsch started the inning, becoming the third White Sox-pitcher and was hit in the stomach by a lead-off single by John Olerud, who went to second on a throwing error by Wunsch. Keith Foulke then relieved Wunsch and Rickey Henderson entered the game as a pinch-runner for Olerud. Carlos Javier bunted Henderson to third and next batter David Bell walked, bringing Carlos Guillen to bat. Guillen put down a squeeze bunt, reaching first base on a bunt-single and scoring Henderson from third base resulting in a 2-1 Mariners-victory and a sweep of the White Sox.
(October 6)
Line Score
Final Standings

Yankees shutout A's
OAKLAND (USA) - The New York Yankees came back in Game Two of their Series, shutting out the Oakland A's, 4-0 on Wednesday, behind the pitching of Andy Pettitte.
In seven two-thirds innings, Pettitte allowed only five hits, while striking out three. Mariano Rivera came on in the eighth to earn the save. The Yankees came on the board for the first time in the sixth, when they rallied for three runs. In the inning, Glenallen Hill had an RBI-single, while Luis Sojo delivered a two-run double. In the ninth, the Yankees added another run when Clay Bellinger had an RBI-single.
(October 4)
Line Score

Mariners take lead
CHICAGO (USA) - The Seattle Mariners will return home with a 2-0 lead in their series vs. Chicago White Sox, winning on Wednesday, 5-2.
The Mariners took a 2-1 lead in the second, but a throwing error tied the game in the home third. In the fourth, Jay Buhner homered the M's to a 3-2 lead. An inning later veteran Rickey Henderson added a run when he walked, was sacrificed to second, stole third and scored on a grounder. In the ninth, former White Sox Mike Cameron made it 5-2 with an RBI-single. Starter Paul Abbott allowed only five hits in five-plus innings, then three relievers allowed no hits to the White Sox in the remainder of the game.
(October 4)
Line Score

Oakland defeats Yankees
OAKLAND (USA) - The Oakland Athletics handed the New York Yankees a 5-3 loss in their opening game of the American League Division Series. The Yankees took an early lead, but Ramon Hernandez had two important hits for the A's. The Yankees, the defending World Series champion, finished the regular season with a seven-game losing streak and were defeated in 15 of their last 18 games. The A's won 18 of their last 22 games.
In the second, Luis Sojo and Scott Brosius delivered RBI-doubles in the second to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Yankee-starter Roger Clemens allowed only one hit in the first four innings, but then the A's rallied for three runs in the fifth. Former Yankee Randy Velarde had an RBI-single, then Ramon Hernandez singled to the game and a third run was scored on a passed ball. In the sixth, Bernie Williams scored the third Yankee-run on a sac-fly by Tino Martinez to tie the score again. But Ramon Hernandez doubled in the go-ahead run in the sixth to give the A's a definitive lead.
(October 3)
Line Score

Mariners win in tenth
CHICAGO (USA) - The Seattle Mariners started their American League Division Series vs. Chicago White Sox with a 7-4 victory in ten innings on two extra-inning homeruns.
The Mariners took a comfortable 3-0 lead after two innings, but saw the White Sox take over in the fourth. In the opening-inning, Alex Rodriguez hit an RBI-single and John Olerud collected an RBI on a fielder's choice. In the second, Joe Oliver added a solo-homerun. In the home second, Chris Singleton tripled in a run and scored himself on a wild pitch. Then, in the fourth, Ray Durham homered and Magglio Ordoñez hit an RBI-triple to give the White Sox a 4-3 lead. In the seventh, the M's tied the score, leading to a 4-4 tie after nine innings. In the tenth, Edgar Martinez and John Olerud hit back-to-back homeruns, with the first one being a two-run shot.
(October 3)
Line Score

Mets win in 13th
NEW YORK (USA) - The New York Mets needed an extra inning to tie the series, they needed four extra to take the lead in the best-of-five series vs. San Francisco Giants as Benny Agbayani homered in the thirteenth to give the Mets a 3-2 victory.
In the fourth inning, the Giants scored two runs to take the lead. Ellis Burks and J.T. Snow singled and one out later Bobby Estalella singled in Burks, while after a force play-situation Marvin Benard hit an RBI-single to make it 2-0. In the home sixth, Mike Bordick walked and advanced to third on pinch-hitter Darryl Hamilton' single. Timo Perez then hit a runscoring single to make it 2-1. In the eighth inning Lenny Harris reached base on a fielder's choice, stole second and scored the tying run in a double by Edgardo Alfonzo. But it was not until the thirteenth inning before a decision was reached. Before that both teams got runscoring opportunities, even loaded up the bases, but failed to score. After five hours and 22 minutes, the hero of the day was Benny Agbayani. After Robin Ventura grounded out to second, Agbayani homered the Mets to a 3-2 victory and a lead in their series.
(October 7)
Line Score

Cardinals sweep Braves
ATLANTA (USA) - The St. Louis Cardinals became the second team to complete a surprise sweep. On Friday, the Seattle Mariners completed a three-game sweep vs. Chicago White Sox. Now, on Saturday, the Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Braves, 7-1, completing a three-game sweep. The Braves played in their ninth consecutive play-offs and will miss the National League Championship Series for the first time since 1990!
The Cardinals scored their first run in the first inning when Fernando Vina homered on the second pitch delivered by Kevin Millwood. The Braves immediately tied the score in the bottom first when Andres Galarraga hit an RBI-single. It was the Braves only run of the game and Galarraga's hit was one of only three given up by five Cards-pitchers! In the third inning, the Cardinals scored twice on a towering two-run homerun by Jim Edmonds, taking the lead for good. Vina and Edmonds went on to be the key hitters in the game, with Edmonds adding a two-out RBI double in the fifth and Vina hitting a two-run single in the sixth. The Cardinals-pitching dominated from the fourth inning, as four relievers kept the Braves hitless in the last 5 1/3 innings of the game. The Cardinals open the best-of-seven NLCS on Wednesday facing either the New York Mets or San Francisco Giants.
(October 7)
Line Score
Final Standings

Mets tie series in 10th
SAN FRANCISCO (USA) - The New York Mets appeared to have taken a comfortable lead in the ninth in their second game vs. the San Francisco Giants, but needed an extra inning to win 5-4 and tie the best-of-five series.
In the second inning, the Mets took a 2-0 lead on a two-run single by Timo Perez, with the Giants answering with one run, when Ellis Burks hit an RBI-double. In the next six innings both teams didn't score, before the Mets did in the top of the ninth. After the first two hitters were struckout by reliever Felix Rodriguez, a single was hit by Timo Perez, which was followed by a two-run homerun by Edgardo Alfonzo, giving the Mets a 4-1 lead, which looked comfortable at the moment. In the home ninth, the Giants tied the game. Until that moment Mets-starter Al Leiter had only allowed two hits in the previous six innings, before Barry Bonds hit a lead-off double. Leiter was relieved by Armado Benitez, who gave up an infield-single to Jeff Kent and got Ellis Burks to fly out. Next batter, J.T. Snow then hit a three-run homerun to tie the game and force extra innings. In the tenth, the Mets re-took the lead. Pinch-hitter Darryl Hamilton doubled and scored on a single by Jay Payton.
(October 5)
Line Score

Cards win again
St. LOUIS (USA) - The St. Louis Cardinals also won Game Two vs. Atlanta Braves, 10-4. The series now moves to Atlanta. The Cards again scored quickly, leading 7-2 after three innings.
Braves-starter Tom Glavine was credited with all seven (earned) runs, giving up six hits in 2 1/3 innings. For the second time, the Braves saw their former Cy Young Award winning pitcher being ousted quickly. In Game One it was Greg Maddux, this time Glavine.
Trailing 2-0 in the first inning, the Cardinals' Will Clark hit a three-run homerun in the home first to give the Cards a 3-2 lead. In the second, Carlos Hernandez homered and in the third three more runs were added when Eric Davis hit a sacrifice fly and Ray Lankford a two-run double. In the fourth and sixth, the Cardinals scored once, improving their lead to 9-2 after seven innings. In the top eighth, the Braves finally were able to score again when Andruw Jones homered and Brian Jordan hit an RBI-single. In the home eighth, the Cards scored their last run, when injured Mark McGwire hit a pinch-hit homerun.
(October 5)
Line Score

Giants win opener
SAN FRANCISCO (USA) - The San Francisco Giants started their Division Series vs. New York Mets on Wednesday, 5-1, highlighted by a three-run homerun by Ellis Burks.
With the score tied, the Giants broke open the game with a four-run rally in the third inning. After Bill Mueller singled, he scored on a triple by Barry Bonds. After that, Jeff Kent walked and then Ellis Burks hit a three-run homerun to power the Giants to a 5-1 lead.
(October 4)
Line Score

Cardinals open with victory
ST. LOUIS (USA) - The St. Louis Cardinals started one of the best-of-five National League Division Series with a 7-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
The Cards rallied for six runs in the first inning off of starter Greg Maddux when Jim Edmonds and Will Clark delivered runscoring singles and Placido Polanco added a two-run single. Two additional runs were scored on errors. In the third, the Braves returned with four runs when Andres Galarraga drew a basesloaded walk, Brian Jordan hit an RBI-single and veteran Walt Weiss added a two-run single.
(October 3)
Line Score

Mariners overpower Yankees
SEATTLE (USA) - The Seattle Mariners forced a sixth game and returned the American League Championship Series back to New York, as the team rallied for five runs in the fifth on two homeruns to defeat the New York Yankees 6-2 on Sunday.
The Mariners again took an early lead, scoring once in the first inning, but the Yankees came in front in the fourth. Tino Martinez doubled to lead-off the inning, Jorge Posada singled and Paul O'Neill walked to load the bases. Luis Sojo then hit a two-run double. But this time it wasn't enough for the Yanks, as the Mariners exploded with power in the fifth inning. Mark McLemore hit a lead-off bunt-single, Rickey Henderson then walked and both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Mark Cameron. With Jeff Nelson taking over the pitching, Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run single and that was followed by back-to-back homeruns by Edgar Martinez and John Olerud, with Martinez hitting a two-run shot to deep centerfield, as the Mariners took a commanding 6-2 lead. In the first four games, the Mariners had scored only five runs combined. The Yankees came into scoringposition in three of the next five innings, but failed to add more runs as the team left fourteen runners in the game, which lasted four hours and fourteen minutes, an ALCS record.
(October 15)
Line Score

Clemens rockets over Mariners
SEATTLE (USA) - Roger Clemens did an outstanding job! 'The Rocket' pitched a complete game one-hitter and set a record striking out fifteen (!) batters as the New York Yankees shutout the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Saturday, to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the ALCS.
The 38-year old Clemens allowed only one batter to first base in the first six innings, walking Alex Rodriguez in the first inning. After that, he retired sixteen batters in a row. In the home seventh, Al Martin doubled off the glove of first baseman Tino Martinez to break Clemens' no-hitter. After striking out the next two batters, Clemens walked John Olerud, who became the last Mariner to reach base, as Clemens retired the last seven batters of the game, five of which were strikeouts. With the fifteen strikeouts Clemens tied an ALCS record. On the other hand, Mariner-starter Paul Abbott held the Yankees to only one hit in his first five innings, but ran into problems in the sixth. With two outs, Scott Brosius singled and Chuck Knoblauch. Then, Derek Jeter hit his second ALCS-homerun, a three-run shot to give the Yankees the lead. In the eighth, after Jeter walked, David Justice added a two-run homerun to make it 5-0 and that was all Clemens needed to complete the game.
(October 14)
Line Score

Yankees power to victory
SEATTLE (USA) - The New York Yankees rallied for four runs in the ninth on Friday, but did the most damage earlier in the game when two back-to-back homeruns were hit in the second, leading the team to a convincing 8-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners, taking a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.
For the third consecutive game, the Mariners were the first team to score. In the first, Mike Cameron hit an infield-single, advanced to second on a single by Alex Rodriguez and scored on a single by Edgar Martinez. Yankee-starter Andy Pettitte recovered after that, but gave up six more hits, including an RBI-single in the fifth. The Yankees powered to a 2-1 lead in the second when Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez hit back-to-back homeruns. In the third, the Yankees scored again when David Justice delivered an RBI-double, scoring Derek Jeter from first base. The Mariners came closer in the fifth. Rickey Henderson hit a one-out double and scored moments later on a single by Mike Cameron. The Yankees answered back immediately in the sixth, expanding their lead again to two runs. In that inning, Bernie Williams singled, moved on an infield-single by Tino Martinez, advanced to third on a fly ball by Jorge Posada and scored on a single by Paul O'Neill. Both teams made a pitching change in the seventh, but is wasn't until the ninth, before a next run was scored. And it were the Yankees who did some more damage. In the top ninth, Chuck Knoblauch hit a one-out single, scoring pinch-runner José Vizcaino to make it 5-2 and putting runners on first and second. Next, Derek Jeter walked to load the bases. Rob Ramsay was brought in to pitch, but he gave up a two-run single to David Justice. Next, Bernie Williams hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Jeter, making it a four-run inning and an 8-2 lead. Yankee-closer Mariano Rivera, who entered the game in the eighth, set a Major League-record by pitching 33 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in post-season. He took over the record from former Yankee-great Whitey Ford, who pitched 33 scoreless innings from 1960-1962. In the ninth, Rivera tied the record when pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez lined out to short and then broke the record when Mark McLemore grounded to first to end the game.
(October 13)
Line Score

Yankees rally to victory
NEW YORK (USA) - The New York Yankees finally came to life in the American League Championship Series and rallied for eight hits and seven runs in the eighth inning to defeat the Seattle Mariners, 7-1 and even the best-of-seven series.
The Mariners first scored in the game in the third inning when Mike Cameron walked with two out, stole second and scored on a single by Stan Javier. Starting in the first inning, the Yankees were close to scoring their first ALCS run, but failed to do so. In the first they loaded the bases with no outs, then Bernie Williams hit into a double play. On three other occassions the Yankees left three runners in scoring position. But, finally, the Yankees exploded in the home eighth, rallying for seven runs on eight hits. The Yankees faced Arthur Rhodes, who had just entered the game as the third Mariners-pitcher. David Justice hit a lead-off double, Bernie Williams followed with an RBI-single to tie the score, then Tino Martinez singled and Jorge Posada also connected for an RBI-single, giving the Yanks the lead for the first time. Next, Paul O'Neill hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Martinez. José Mesa came in to relief Rhodes, but gave up a single to Luis Sojo. Posada then was caught stealing at third base, before José Vizcaino hit an RBI-double. It wasn't over yet for the Mariners as Chuck Knoblauch singled in another run and Derek Jeter hitting a two-run homerun. Mariano Rivera then pitched the ninth in relief of starter Orlando Hernandez, who celebrated his 31st birthday and struckout seven in eight innings. He improved his career post-season record to 7-0.
(October 11)
Line Score

Mariners shutout Yanks in opener
NEW YORK (USA) - The Seattle Mariners opened the American League Championship Series on Tuesday, shutting out reigning champion New York Yankees 2-0. Starting pitcher Freddy Garcia struckout eight and allowed only three hits in 6 2/3 innings. The Yankees threatened to score a few times, but were unable to do so.
For five innings it was a pitching duel between Freddy Garcia of the Mariners and Denny Neagle of the Yankees. The Mariners broke the scoreless tie in the fifth when Mark McLemore hit a two-out double and scored on a following single by veteran Rickey Henderson. The two hits were the first off of Yankee-starter Denny Neagle. In the next inning, the Mariners moved ahead 2-0 when Alex Rodriguez hit a lead-off homerun.
The Yankees had only one hit off of Freddy Garcia in the first four innings, single by Luis Sojo in the third. That hit put runners on first and second with no outs, but then Scott Brosius hit into a double play. In the fifth, the Yankees got runners on first and third, when Sojo singled again (with two outs) for what was the second Yankee-hit at the time. But again, Brosius grounded out to end the inning. In the sixth, Chuck Knoblauch hit a lead-off double and Derek Jeter walked, but Fredy Garcia struckout Paul O'Neill and Bernie Williams, before David Justice flied to deep center, where Mike Cameron caught the ball. Seattle got a runscoring opportunity in the top ninth with two out, but failed to add another run. Then, in the home ninth, Japanese Seattle-closer Kazuhiro Sasaki came on and gave up hits to Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez. In between, he struckout David Justice. The 32-year old Sasaki, who holds the all-time save record in Japanese professional baseball and is a rookie this year in the US Major League, then got Jorge Posada and Luis Sojo to fly out and earn another save.
(October 10)
Line Score

Mets win slugfest
NEW YORK (USA) - The New York Mets rallied for seven runs in the first two innings to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-6 in Game Four and take a 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series.
The Cardinals came on the board first. In the opening inning, Fernando Vina hit a lead-off double and after Edgar Renteria sacrificed him to third, Jim Edmonds hit a two-run homerun. But then, the Mets slugfest started in the home first. Timo Perez, Edgardo Alfonzo, Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura all doubled to start the inning, resulting in three runs and an NLCS-record. After Todd Zeile grounded out, Benny Agbayani also doubled, scoring Ventura to complete the four-run rally. But in the second, the Mets continued their hardhitting. Timo Perez hit a one-out single and stole second. With two outs, Mike Piazza was walked intentionally, but the Robin Ventura also walked to load the bases. Todd Zeile then connected for a two-run double and Benny Agbayani added a runsoring single, making it 7-2 after two innings! In the fourth both teams added a run as Will Clark homered for the Cards and Mike Piazza hit a towering homerun for the Mets. The Cardinals however also continued scoring. In the fifth, J.D. Drew singled to lead-off, Carlos Hernandez followed with a single and pinch-hitter Eric Davis delivered an RBI-double, forcing apitching change. New pitcher Glendon Rusch struckout the next batter, but then gave up a sacrifice fly to Edgar Renteria and an RBI-single to Jim Edmonds, resulting in a three-run inning. The spectacular, high-hitting game, had two more runs scored in the Mets-sixth as a result of two errors by Cards-third baseman Fernando Tatis, making it 10-6, and saw Mets-rightfielder Timo Perez make an inning-ending double play in the seventh, throwing out a runner at second after catching the ball. The Cardinals had some runners in the last two innings, but didn't score anymore.
(October 15)
Line Score

First victory for Cards
NEW YORK (USA) - The St. Louis Cardinals copied the New York Mets: winning on the road. The Cards on Saturday won their first game of the best-of-seven series, winning 8-2. Pitcher Andy Benes went eight inning, giving up only six hits, while the Cards had fourteen and scored their runs in the first five innings. Despite then loss, the Mets are still leading the series, 2-1.
The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead in the first. Fernando Vina a lead-off single, Edgar Renteria reached base on an error and Jim Edmonds followed with a two-run double. The Mets scored once in their opening inning, but a double play prevented more. A double play also kept the Mets for scoring in the fourth, an inning in which the team scored their other run when Robin Ventura advanced on the bases loaded double play. The Cardinals, in the meantime, had enlarged their lead to 5-1 at that moment. In the third, Renteria and Will Clark added two runs and in the fifth Fernando Vina singled in pitcher Andy Benes from second, after he had singled with one out to set things in motion. Leading 5-2, the Cardinals took a commanding 8-2 lead in the top fifth. Fernando Tatis doubled to lead-off the inning, J.D. Drew singled and then Carlos Hernandez singled in Tatis. With the hit of Hernandez all Cardinals-starters had at least one hit in the game. Andy Benes then sacrificed the runners to a next base. Grounders by Fernando Vina (fielder's choice) and Edgar Renteria (groundout) resulted in two more runs. Winning pitcher Andy Benes got enough support from both the offense and defense as he struckout five and gave up only six hits, before being relieved in the ninth.
(October 14)
Line Score

Mets take 2-0 lead
ST. LOUIS (USA) - The New York Mets take a 2-0 lead back to Shea Stadium for the weekend series back home vs. St. Louis Cardinals after winning Game Two at St. Louis, 6-5. The winning run was scored in the ninth on two fielding errors.
The Mets first took the lead in the first inning of a spectacular game. Cardinals-starter Rick Ankiel, who had five wild pitches in one inning during the Division Series, this time had control-problems again, walking three and adding two wild pitches. Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza, who both walked, scored respectively on a sacrifice fly by Todd Zeile and a double by Benny Agbayani, before Ankiel was relieved for Britt Reames. In the second, the Cardinals first scored when Shawon Dunston doubled and scored on a grounder. But in the third, the Mets added another run when Mike Piazza homered, but then left three runners in the fourth inning. The Mets were then silenced offensively by two pitchers, while the Cards tied the score in the fifth. Fernando Vina singled and scored on a double by Edgar Renteria, who later scored himself on a double by Fernando Tatis. The eighth inning was productive for both teams. In the top half, Timo Perez singled with two outs and scored on a single by Edgardo Alfonzo, who advanced to second on the throw. After Mike Piazza was walked intentionally, Dave Veres took over the pitching and gave up a runscoring single to Todd Zeile. Piazza was thrown out at third base trying to advance on the hit. In the home eighth, a lot of tactical changes were made. Carlos Hernandez walked with one out and reached third on a single by Will Clark. Hernandez then scored and Clark went to second on a wild pitch, before Shawon Dunston grounded out. Placido Polanco was then announced to pinch-hit for Ray Lankford, resulting in Mets-manager Bobby Valentine to make a pitching change, bringing in Turk Wendell. Polanco was called back and J.D. Drew became a pinch-hitter for a pinch-hitter. Drew hit a double, scoring Clark to tie the game once more. With two out and a runner on second, Mark McGwire came in to pinch-hit, but he of course was walked intentionally. The next batter struckout. Will Clark also played an important part in the top ninth. Robin Ventura reached base on a fielding error by Clark and was bunted to second by a sacrifice by Benny Agbayani. Joe McEwing, who pinch-ran for Ventura, then scored the eventual winning run when Jay Payton and went to third on a following fielding error by center fielder Jim Edmonds. In the ninth, Armando Benitez walked a batter with two outs, but struckout Carlos Hernandez to end the game, resulting in the Mets travelling back to New York with a 2-0 lead.
(October 12)
Line Score

Mets defeat Cardinals in opener
ST. LOUIS (USA) - The New York Mets opened the National League Championship Series on Wednesday, defeating homeplaying St. Louis Cardinals 6-2. The Mets were leading 3-0, when they added three runs in the ninth.
The Mets rallied for two runs in the first inning, when Timo Perez hit a lead-off double, then Edgardo Alfonzo walked and Mike Piazza connected for an RBI-double. Alfonzo scored on a sacrifice by Robin Ventura. In the fifth, the Mets scored again. Pitcher Mike Hampton hit an one-out infield single and later scored on a single by Edgardo Alfonzo. The Cardinals only were threatening in the first with the bases loaded and two outs. In the sixth and seventh, the Cards left runners at third base. In the top of the ninth, the Mets added three more runs. Todd Zeile hit a lead-off homerun, Benny Agbayani singled and was replaced by pinch-runner Joe McEwing, who then scored on a two-run homerun by Jay Payton. In the home ninth, the Cards finally got on the board themselves. After a lead-off double by pinch-hitter Ray Lankford the next two batters flied out, but then Edgar Renteria was safe on a throwing error, scoring Lankford. Renteria scored on a single by Jim Edmonds, followed by a fielding error. But Eric Davis grounded out to end the inning.
(October 11)
Line Score

Mail your suggestions and questions to stoov@wxs.nl