Star-Bulletin Sports


Monday, June 14, 1999


M A J O R _ L E A G U E _ B A S E B A L L




Associated Press
Benny Agbayani of the New York Mets follows through
as he watches his home run in the fifth inning yesterday
against the Boston Red Sox. The Mets won, 5-4.



Agbayani continues
to make big impact

Associated Press

Tapa

NEW YORK -- Last season, Shane Spencer suddenly emerged as Mr. Sudden Impact in New York. This year, Benny Agbayani is taking over.

Agbayani homered again, and also hung on to catch the last out yesterday in highlighting the New York Mets' 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.

"This is my chance and my opportunity, and I don't want it to go to waste," Agbayani said. "I think I am surprising myself, and I think I am surprising a lot of people."

Agbayani thrilled a crowd of 46,473 at Shea Stadium and led the Mets to their sixth win in seven games.

Agbayani began the season in the minors for the seventh straight year. Since his promotion May 12, the rookie has been sensational, batting .400 and hitting 10 home runs in his first 73 at-bats.

"They all labeled me as a 4-A player," Agbayani said. As in, better than Triple-A but not quite major league caliber.

"You just have to prove people wrong, to prove you can play," he said.

Agbayani is a 27-year-old outfielder, just like Spencer. Last year, Spencer got his opportunity after nine years in the minors and hit 10 home runs in 67 at-bats, batting .373 and helping the Yankees to the World Series title.

"I've played against Shane since 'A' ball," Agbayani said. "I saw what he did last year. He's a good player, and I'm glad he got his chance."

But while Spencer is struggling this year, Agbayani is creating a stir throughout baseball. His homer was the ninth in his last 14 starts.

Agbayani, still showing a bruise under his right eye from a batting-practice mishap that kept him out of Friday night's game, homered for the second straight game.

The Mets took a one-run lead into the ninth, and Nomar Garciaparra led off with a pinch-hit double. Two outs later, John Valentin lofted a fly ball into the wind toward Agbayani in left.

Agbayani, who had slipped and fallen fielding a ball in right earlier in the game, started in for it. Listed at 225 pounds and 5-foot-11, the son of a ballroom dance teacher did not look too graceful once a gust took hold of the ball.

"I threw some grass up right before the pitch, and it was blowing in," he said. "But then it shifted and was blowing out. I just looked up and was wondering when that ball was going to come down."

Agbayani kept going back as the ball continued to carry, and eventually made the catch.

"When I saw Benny take like 10 steps back and sway back and forth, I just held my breath for a second," Mets reliever Turk Wendell said.

Mets 5, Red Sox 4

Boston		AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Offerman 2b	4	0	1	1	1	0	.318
Varitek c	4	0	0	1	0	1	.236
JnValentin 3b	5	1	2	0	0	1	.260
Daubach 1b	4	0	0	0	0	2	.315
O’Leary lf	4	1	3	2	0	1	.298
Buford cf	4	0	0	0	0	1	.262
Frye ss		3	1	0	0	1	0	.221
Wakefield p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TNixon rf	4	1	1	0	0	3	.227
Portugal p	2	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Corsi p		0	0	0	0	0	0	--
a-Jefferson ph	0	0	0	0	0	0	.286
b-Stanley ph	0	0	0	0	1	0	.270
1-DLewis pr	0	0	0	0	0	0	.257
Bullinger p	0	0	0	0	0	0	--
Cormier p	0	0	0	0	0	0	--
Garciaparra ss	1	0	1	0	0	0	.319
	Totals	35	4	8	4	3	9

New York	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Henderson lf	4	0	1	1	0	1	.235
McMichael p	0	0	0	0	0	0	--
Wendell p	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Alfonzo 2b	4	0	2	1	0	0	.298
Olerud 1b	4	0	1	0	0	0	.315
Piazza c	4	1	1	0	0	2	.324
Ventura 3b	4	0	0	0	0	0	.276
McRae cf	3	1	1	2	1	1	.260
Agbayani rf-lf	4	1	2	1	0	0	.400
ROrdonez ss	3	1	2	0	0	0	.269
Hershiser p	2	1	1	0	0	0	.174
Cook p		0	0	0	0	0	0	--
c-Cedeno ph-rf	1	0	0	0	0	0	.309
	Totals	33	5	11	5	1	4


Boston		000 101 200--4  8 0
New York	000 032 00x--5 11 1
a-announced for Corsi in the 7th. b-walked for Jefferson in the 7th. c-grounded out for Cook in the 7th.

1-ran for Stanley in the 7th.

E--ROrdonez (4). LOB--Boston 8, New York 5. 2B--JnValentin (16), O'Leary (14), Garciaparra (15), Piazza (11). 3B--Offerman (6). HR--McRae (7) off Corsi; O'Leary (12) off Hershiser; Agbayani (10) off Portugal. RBIs--Offerman (23), Varitek (23), O'Leary 2 (37), Henderson (8), Alfonzo (32), McRae 2 (22), Agbayani (17). SF--Varitek. GIDP--Hershiser.

DP--Boston 2 (Offerman, Frye and Daubach), (O'Leary and Offerman).

Boston			IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Portugal L, 3-5		5	8	4	4	0	3	78	5.89
Corsi			1	2	1	1	0	0	13	5.25
Bullinger		2/3	1	0	0	0	0	11	0.00
Cormier			1/3	0	0	0	0	0	3	4.34
Wakefield		1	0	0	0	1	1	16	5.40

New York		IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Hershiser W, 6-5	6	6	4	4	2	5	77	5.54
Cook			1	0	0	0	1	1	19	2.86
McMichael		1	1	0	0	0	2	18	0.00
Wendell S, 2		1	1	0	0	0	1	14	2.84
Portugal pitched to 1 batter in the 6th, Hershiser pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

Inherited runners-scored--Corsi 1-1, Cormier 1-0, Cook 2-2.

T--2:42. A--46,473 (55,777).



E-mail to Sports Editor


Text Site Directory:
[News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!]
[Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor]
[Stylebook] [Feedback]



© 1999 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
https://archives.starbulletin.com