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Thursday, October 5, 2000

PacBell’s
screaming fans
taunt Agbayani

But Benny doesn't listen
and goes 1-for-3 in
Game 1 of playoffs

---

By Wes Nakama
Special to the Star-Bulletin

SAN FRANCISCO -- Thousands of fans waived towels and cheered from their seats. A high school band blasted out tunes on the field. And Benny Agbayani and his teammates came marching in.

But this was not St. Louis Crusader football, and this was bigger than the Prep Bowl.

It was Game 1 of the National League Division Series, and Agbayani, a former all-state receiver for St. Louis, was the starting left fielder for the New York Mets yesterday. Instead of catching touchdown passes and trying to block Waianae defenders at Aloha Stadium, he was chasing down pop flies hit by San Francisco Giants and trying to drill fastballs from Livan Hernandez in front of 40,430 screaming fans.

"Those games were fun," Agbayani said of the Prep Bowls, "but this is my job. This is how I make a living."

Agbayani's duty yesterday was a challenging one, batting in the leadoff spot against a pitcher (Hernandez) who was named Most Valuable Player of both the NL Championship Series and World Series in 1997. But Agbayani did it commendably, going 1-for-3 with a walk, although he did strike out swinging twice on sliders.

Hernandez was tough on most of the New York players, allowing only five hits and one run over 7 2/3 innings in a 5-1 win.

"He was just hitting spots, doing everything he needed to do," Agbayani said.

On defense, Agbayani made three catches without an error. Left field at Pacific Bell Park played tougher than usual because of swirling winds and direct sunlight.

That Agbayani was in the starting lineup at all is an indication of the job he did for the Mets this season -- especially after much talk of an early season send-down to the minors that never happened.

He batted .289 with 15 home runs and 60 runs batted in, all career highs for the 28-year-old in his third major-league season. The numbers could have been greater had he not been slowed by a pulled right hamstring which kept him out of the lineup in the final week.

But he was back on the job yesterday, much to the delight of New York manager Bobby Valentine.

"Benny has been one of our most consistent hitters all year," said Valentine, a former Hawaii Islander. "I think it's important for our team to have him in there."

Agbayani said the hamstring, which was wrapped up after the game, feels fine now. He said he could have played in the final week if necessary, but the Mets' postseason chances were all but secured.

"I was just waiting for the playoffs," Agbayani said.

By returning to action yesterday, Agbayani exposed himself to jeers and verbal harassment from fans in left field who constantly tried to remind him of an error he committed against the Giants at Shea Stadium on Aug. 12.

That error -- which drew national attention -- involved Agbayani giving a ball to a fan after making a catch for the second out.

At Pac Bell on Wednesday, fans in left field tried to fool Agbayani by yelling false numbers of outs, and some along the foul line even asked for the ball after he twice made catches for the first out.

"I wasn't listening to them," Agbayani said.

No, he was too busy doing his job.

---

San Francisco takes
a giant step forward

Forget about the past, Bonds goes
2-for-3 to lead Giants to 5-1 win

---

Greg Beacham
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds wore a broad smile when he stepped into the on-deck circle in the first inning.

He might have had an inkling his playoff luck was about to change.

Bonds, the three-time MVP whose career has been defined by regular-season prowess and postseason futility, kicked off his latest playoff appearance with an RBI triple and a key single in the San Francisco Giants' 5-1 victory over the New York Mets in the opener of their NL series.

For Bonds, a 2-for-3 performance was an early answer to his critics. He hit .200 in four previous seasons in the playoffs, but he had the fourth multihit playoff game of his career.

"You should stop dwelling about the past with Barry," Jeff Kent said. "This is a new team and a new year."

If its first playoff game is any indication, this new team has what it takes to win in October. Livan Hernandez held the Mets to five hits for 7 2/3 innings, and Ellis Burks hit a three-run homer as the Giants gave manager Dusty Baker and Pacific Bell Park their first postseason wins.

But none of the Giants gave particular credit for the win to one player.

Kent said Bonds' standout game was no more important than Billy Mueller getting two hits or Burks' homer. "This is a team. We don't depend on just one or two guys."

After the game, Bonds eschewed a trip to the postgame interview room and answered only a few questions at his locker before leaving with his young son.He blames the media for blowing his postseason struggles out of proportion.

"I don't want to get into the past. That's history," Bonds said.

"We're starting over here."

Bonds couldn't have imagined a new start much better than this.

His two-out triple -- which came after he took a close 2-2 pitch -- during San Francisco's four-run third inning ricocheted crazily off the wall in right, scoring Mueller and setting the table for Burks' three-run homer.

That was all Hernandez needed.

He pitched strong into the eighth inning before handing the game over to setup man Felix Rodriguez and closer Robb Nen.

"Livan was phenomenal. He's been doing it for us now for quite awhile," Bonds said.

"You've got to go with your big dog in the big games, and it's him."

Bonds also singled in the first to keep a rally going. He even stole second base after being walked in the seventh inning.

"(Bonds) was very focused and determined and poised," Baker said.

"He just played his normal game. ... He hit the ball good three times, and he got a couple of hits. It was just a Barry Bonds-type game."

Mets starter Mike Hampton, 9-0 previously against the Giants, got into a bases-loaded jam in the sixth with two strikeouts, and was lifted for Turk Wendell.

GIANTS 5, METS 1

NEW YORK					SAN FRANCISCO
	ab	r	h	bi		ab	r	h	bi
Agbayani lf	3	0	1	0	Benard cf	4	0	0	0
Cook p	0	0	0	0	RDavis ph	1	0	0	0
RAWhite p	0	0	0	0	Nen p	0	0	0	0
McEwing lf	0	0	0	0	Mueller 3b	5	2	2	0
LHarris ph	1	0	0	0	Bonds lf	3	1	2	1
Payton cf	3	0	0	1	Kent 2b	3	1	1	1
Alfonzo 2b	4	0	1	0	Burks rf	3	1	1	3
Piazza c	3	0	0	0	Aurilia ss	4	0	2	0
Ventura 3b	4	0	0	0	Snow 1b	3	0	1	0
Zeile 1b	3	0	1	0	Estalella c	4	0	0	0
DeBell rf	1	0	0	0	LHernandez p	3	0	0	0
Hamilton rf	2	0	0	0	FARodrigz p	0	0	0	0
Rusch p	0	0	0	0	Crespo ph	1	0	1	0
Bordick ss	3	1	1	0	CMurray cf	0	0	0	0
Hampton p	2	0	1	0
Wendell p	0	0	0	0
Perez rf	2	0	0	0
Totals	31	1	5	1	Totals	34	5	10	5

New York	001	000	000--1
San Francisco	104	000	00x--5

LOB--New York 9, San Francisco 9. 2B--Zeile (1), Mueller (1), Aurilia (1). 3B--Bonds (1). HR--Burks (1). SB--Bonds (1). SF--Payton.

New York

	ip	h	r	er	bb	so
Hampton L,0-1	5 1/3	6	5	5	3	2
Wendell	2/3	0	0	0	0	2
Cook	2/3	0	0	0	1	1
RAWhite	2/3	4	0	0	0	0
Rusch	2/3	0	0	0	0	2

San Francisco

	ip	h	r	er	bb	so
LHernandez W,1-0	7 2/3	5	1	1	5	5
FARodriguez	1/3	0	0	0	0	1
Nen	1	0	0	0	0	0

Umpires--Home, Kellogg; First, Cederstrom; Second, Montague; Third, Morrison; Left, Young; Right, Barrett, Ted.

T--3:06. A--40,430.

DIVISION PLAYOFF SERIES

American League

All Times HST

Chicago vs. Seattle
Tuesday
Seattle 7, Chicago 4, 10 innings
Yesterday
Seattle 5, Chicago 2 (Seattle leads series, 2-0)
Tomorrow
Chicago (Baldwin 14-7) at Seattle (Sele 17-10), 10:07 a.m. (ESPN)
Saturday
Chicago at Seattle, 10:18 a.m. (FOX), if necessary
Sunday,
Seattle at Chicago, 10:07 a.m. (ESPN) or 2 p.m. (FOX), if necessary (2 p.m. if Giants-Mets and Athletics-Yankees are over)

Oakland vs. New York
Tuesday
Oakland 5, New York 3
Yesterday
New York 4, Oakland 0 (series tied 1-1)
Tomorrow
Oakland (Hudson 20-6) at New York (Hernandez 12-13), 2:08 p.m. (NBC)
Saturday
Oakland (Zito 7-4) at New York (Clemens 13-8), 1:38 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday
New York at Oakland, 2 p.m. (FOX), if necessary

National League

All Times HST

San Francisco vs. New York
Yesterday
San Francisco 5, New York 1, San Francisco leads series 1-0
Today
New York (Leiter 16-8) at San Francisco (Estes 15-6), 2:18 p.m. (FOX)
Saturday
San Francisco (Ortiz 13-12) at New York (Reed 11-5), 7:07 a.m. (ESPN) or 10:18 a.m. (FOX) (becomes 10:18 a.m. if White Sox-Mariners is a sweep)
Sunday
San Francisco at New York, 10:07 a.m. (ESPN) or 2 p.m. (FOX), if necessary (becomes night game if Athletics-Yankees is over)
Monday
New York at San Francisco, 2:18 p.m. (FOX), if necessary

St. Louis vs. Atlanta
Tuesday
St. Louis 7, Atlanta 5 (St. Louis leads series, 1-0)
Today
Atlanta (Glavine 21-9) at St. Louis (Kile 20-9), 10:07 a.m. (ESPN)
Saturday,
St. Louis (Stephenson 16-9, An.Benes 12-9 or Hentgen 15-12) at Atlanta (Ashby 12-13), 7:07 a.m. (ESPN)
Sunday
St. Louis at Atlanta, 7:07 a.m. (ESPN) or 2 p.m. (FOX), if necessary (becomes night game if all other series are over)
Monday
Atlanta at St. Louis, 10:07 a.m. (ESPN) or 2:18 p.m. (FOX), if necessary (becomes night game if Giants-Mets is over)