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Friday, July 14, 2000
Red Sox get the
By Pat Bigold
best of Mets, Agbayani
Star-BulletinBOSTON, Mass. -- For all that Hawaii's Benny Agbayani has experienced as a New York Mets starter the past two seasons, he knows that he still has a lot to learn in major league baseball.
Such as, how to bat against Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox and how to deal with the configurations of Fenway Park.
The solution to the first problem will have to come in postseason or in another season.
Last night, in his first exposure to the Cy Young Award winner, he went hitless. The Red Sox rallied in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 win.
Agbayani will have more time to get acquainted with the short left field he's assigned to patrol, and the fabled "Green Monster" wall, as the Mets play two more games in Fenway Park today and tomorrow.
The first time Agbayani stood in against Martinez, he said he was puzzled as to why the Dominican right-hander was pitching him inside.
The two had never faced each other before.
"He was throwing everything in on me," said Agbayani, who popped out to center on the second pitch. "The next time I faced him, he was still working me in," he said.
The first three pitches were high and tight. But before working the count full on Agbayani, Martinez went outside.
"He threw me everything away and I walked," he said.
The last time Agbayani came up against Martinez, he became one of the Red Sox ace's 10 strikeout victims.
"He got me on fastballs on the outside corner," he said. In his final appearance of the night, Agbayani got on base a second time when he took a fastball on the left tricep from Boston reliever and winner Rich Garces in the ninth.
"He got me square but it's OK," Agbayani said.
