Mets win fourth straight, take 1-0 series lead
By Ben Walker
The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — Mike Hampton and
Mike Piazza quickly put their play
off problems in the past.
Pitching every bit like an October
ace, Hampton won for the first time
in the postseason, leading the Mets
past the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2
Wednesday night in Game 1 of the
NL championship series.
“I wanted to be a contributor in
stead of a liability,” Hampton said.
“I just wanted to do my part and
help this team win. I didn’t do that
in the first series.”
Piazza, who had zero RBIs in the
opening round against San Francis
co, hit an RBI double in a two-run
first inning that sent New York on
the way to its fourth straight post
season victory.
“He came out swinging tonight,”
' Mets manager Bobby Valentine said.
Behind Hampton, the Mets ex
tended their postseason scoreless
streak to a team-record 26 innings
before allowing two unearned runs
with two outs in the ninth.
Hampton kept the big guy —
pinch-hitter deluxe Mark McGwire
— on the St. Louis bench and left af
ter the seventh with a 3-0 lead. Re
lievers John Franco and Armando
Benitez finished up.
“There had been some doubts
cast over Mike because of a small
sample of postseason play, and I
think he erased those doubts,”
Valentine said.
Todd Zeile and Jay Payton home
red in the ninth and Edgardo Alfonzo
scored a run and drove in another for
New York.
And it was a good-luck victory for
the wild card Mets — the last seven
teams to win the NLCS opener went
on to reach the World Series.
“I liked the way we played, I just
didn’t like the final score,” Cardinals
manager Tony La Russa said. “Hamp
ton and the Mets were a little better.”
Game 2 will be Thursday night at
Busch Stadium with Al Leiter starting
for the Mets against rookie Rick
Ankiel.
Acquired from Houston last win
ter to win at crunch time, Hampton
delivered. He outpitched former As
tros teammate Darryl Kile, blanking
St. Louis on six hits and silencing
the sellout crowd of 52,255.
Hampton began the evening with
a career postseason record of 0-2
and a 5.87 ERA in four starts.
A loser last week in the opening
round at San Francisco, prompting
some to suggest Leiter should start the
opener, Hampton tamed a Cardinals
team that averaged eight runs a game
in its first-round sweep of the Braves.
Not that St. Louis didn’t have its
chances. It went 0-for-13 with runners
in scoring position, stranding 11.
The Cardinals left the bases
loaded in the first when Carlos Her
nandez grounded out.
“Everyone wants to score as soon
as possible,” Hernandez said. “They
had a big hit when they had men in
scoring position, and that was the
ballgame.”
Still, St. Louis threatened to tie it
in the seventh. Trailing 3-0 with two
on and one out, Edgar Renteria sliced
a long fly that right fielder Timo Perez
ran down on the warning track.
Jim Edmonds followed with a
high fly that left fielder Benny Ag
bayani caught just short of the wall,
and Edmonds gave an “aw-shucks”
skip as he rounded first base.
“I thought it had a chance of go
ing out,” Agbayani said. “The ball
kind of died down and tailed back.”
Hampton struck out four and
walked three. He also got the benefit
of a defense that paid extra attention
to its positioning, making subtle
shifts that paid major dividends.
Meanwhile, not even the presence
of a few St. Louis Rams — the NFL
team scoring 43 points per game —
helped boost the Cardinals hitters.
Several of the Mets recently ex
pressed relief that their No. 1 nemesis,
Atlanta, were out of the playoffs. Se
cretly, maybe they also knew how well
they matched up against St. Louis.
The Mets went 6-3 against the Car
dinals this season, mainly because
New York’s left-handed pitchers could
cancel out the Cardinals’ lefty hitters.
St. Louis was just 17-2 3 in games start
ed by opposing left-handers.
With nearly every Mets player in
the dugout leaning on the top rail
ing, Perez got them off to a fast start.
Keeping up his role as late-season
sparkplug, he led off the game with
a double and took third when Kile
bounced a curveball for a wild
pitch.
After Alfonzo walked, Piazza
grounded a double down the third
base line. It was a good sign for the
Mets—the All-Star catcher began the
night as a career .211 postseason hit
ter. Robin Ventura’s sacrifice fly made
it 2-0.
“I swung the bat a lot better
tonight, only because of my team
mates getting on ahead of me, giv
ing me the opportunity to drive in
the runs,” Piazza said.
“A good start for us, we know it’s
far from over,” he said. “Got to keep
the pedal down.”
Hampton beat out an infield sin
gle in the fifth and later scored on
Alfonzo’s single.
The Mets tacked on three runs in
the ninth off Mike James. Zeile led
off with a home run, Agbayani sin
gled and Payton homered over the
left-field wall.
Mike Bordick was up next, and
James hit him with a pitch. There was
no trouble between the teams,
though, and Bordick left for X-rays on
his right thumb, which were negative.
Those extra runs turned out to be
meaningful, too.
In the bottom of the ninth, Kurt
Abbott, who replaced Bordick,
threw away Renteria’s two-out
grounder as a run scored. Edmonds
then hit a single that skipped past
Perez for a two-base error, allowing
another run to score.
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recycle • recycle • recycle
Horoscope by Linda C. Black
TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (Oct. 12). You're per
suasive this year. Win a prize by choosing your
words carefully. You've got everybody's atten
tion in October. Rake in the coins in November.
You'll be surprised at what you find in Decem
ber. A fantasy comes true, but not as expected,
in February. Your partner's hot in April. Gain
from distant elders in June. Be graceful and suc
ceed in July.
To get the advantage, check the day's rating: 10
is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8
— A long-distance connection you make soon
could be the start of something big. Excitement,
new experiences — maybe even a new language
to leant. Why not? You hate limits, so break
through a few by taking on a whole new world.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)—Today is a 5 —
Offer to take over chores for a person who's too
busy. For relatively little effort, you could be
come even more indispensable. Listen at key
holes, too. That way, you'll know what needs to
GEMINI (May 21-June 21) — Today is an 8
— You're the brains behind the operation, so
speak up! You're usually verbal, but around
some people you can get a little tongue-tied.
Don't let a flamboyant person intimidate you.
Your idea might be the one everybody's been
waiting for!
CANCER (June 22-July 22)—Today is a 4 —
New information could cause a flurry of activi
ty. Make sure you stay up to date by asking lead
ing questions. They don't need to know what
you know, as much as the other way around.
Don't worry; they'll talk your ear off.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 9 —
You're lookin' good, and so is somebody else.
The attraction's mutual and could lead to great
ideas. A partnership? Perhaps. The two of you
bring out the best in each other. This is a rela
tionship definitely worth developing.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 4 —
Somebody else's idea of a great adventure could
give you the heebie-jeebies. Stay calm, or at
least look like you are. Don't let anybody gam
ble with your money. Conditions are changing
too fast. What looks like a sure bet now could
fall flat tomorrow.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct 22) — Today is an 8 —
A relationship with a different kind of person
could turn out well. There's something fascinat
ing about this individual. Even if you never fully
understand him or her, it's never boring to try.
Ask questions, and you'll gain insight
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 7
— The money could be good but not steady.
The work requires lots of energy, and it may not
last long. If you can do a job matching this de
scription, it should be a good deal. You could
make enough to get that thing you've wanted for
the house.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)—Today is
an 8—You're so cute. Your wit is sparkling, and
even you don't know what you'll come up with
next. You might surprise yourself and blurt out a
commitment. It might as well happen sometime,
and now is as good a time as any.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)—Today isa
7 — A treasure you discover in a closet or attic
could be the perfect thing. With a little paint and
some imagination, voila! You'll have something
good enough to sell so you can buy the thing
you really want.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 6
— A friend makes an interesting suggestion.
Well, why not? What could go wrong? That is
the pivotal question. Don't cram too much into
your schedule 'cause if anything can go wrong,
it will. Something that looks easy could be im
possible.
PISCES (FEB. 19-March 20) — Today is a 6
— Continue with negotiations, cautiously.
Something that looks too good to be true is. A
job you're counting on may not pan out, so don’t
rely on any one thing too much. Don't put all
your eggs in one basket.
095 PERSONALS
Eugene’s Coolest Party Line!!!
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Ads * Jokes * Stories & More!
Free Call! *18+ 'Try it NOW!!!
]
100 LOST & FOUND
Lost watch! Brown leather band.
Dark square face. Lost 10/5 near
School of Music. 345-5388.
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At 344-0759, ROBIN is GRAD
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