Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Monday, October 9, 2000
New York, NEW YORK -- Bobby J. Jones validated the faith his manager and teammates placed in him.
New York!
Jones tosses a one-hitter and
Mets eliminate Giants to earn
spot in the NLCS
against CardinalsBy Josh Dubow
Associated PressOne year after being left out of the postseason and four months after a minor league demotion, Jones made a name for himself and carved out a place in playoff lore.
Jones threw the sixth complete-game one-hitter in postseason history yesterday as the New York Mets eliminated the San Francisco Giants with a 4-0 win in Game 4 of their NL division series.
"At that time I was not helping the ballclub," Jones said of his two-week trip to Triple-A Norfolk in June. "After experiencing the playoffs last year and not being a part of it, I wanted to come back in the best shape and have a great year."
Jones limited the Giants to a clean, fifth-inning double by Jeff Kent as the wild card Mets won the final three games of the series to avoid a cross-country trip and a decisive Game 5 in San Francisco.
By pitching the first one-hit shutout in the postseason since Boston's Jim Lonborg beat St. Louis in the 1967 World Series, Jones gave New York two days off before opening the NLCS in St. Louis on Wednesday.
The Mets were 6-3 against the Cardinals this season.
The Giants (97-65), who finished with the best record in the majors, had their magical season end with a whimper, in part because Barry Bonds was a postseason bust again.
Bonds dropped to 0-5 in playoff series -- three with Pittsburgh, two with the Giants -- with a .196 batting average overall. Fittingly, the three-time MVP made the final out of the series, hitting a fly ball to center field that left him 3-for-17 against the Mets.
Fireworks shot out from behind the center-field fence and the Mets shot out of their dugout to mob Jones on the infield. The Baha Men's "Who Let The Dogs Out" -- the song that blared throughout Pacific Bell Park when San Francisco clinched the NL West -- played as Bonds and the Giants glumly walked to the clubhouse.
"I'll keep trying," Bonds said.
After a few minutes, a leaping Lenny Harris led the Mets to a celebration in the clubhouse. Jones' teammates chanted his name as they doused each other with champagne.
"I'm so happy for Bobby Jones," Al Leiter said. "I'm so proud of him. To go out and pitch the best game of his life and dismiss all the critics who thought this was a bad decision ... He went out and nailed it."
Shea Stadium was still filled with electricity from Saturday night's 3-2 New York win in 13 innings. The Mets picked up the momentum right away.
Jones struck out Bonds on a high fastball to end the first, drawing an ovation from a crowd ready for another celebration.
Robin Ventura gave them much more to cheer about in the bottom half. After Mark Gardner walked Piazza with two outs, Ventura turned on a first-pitch fastball and hit it off the scoreboard in right field for just his second hit in the series.
"He's an aggressive pitcher and tries to jump ahead," Ventura said. "I was a little lucky."
That would be all Jones needed, pitching his first shutout since 1997.
After struggling to a 1-3 record with a 10.19 ERA after eight starts, the right-hander was banished to the minors and bashed in the newspapers. He returned two weeks later and won 10 of his final 13 decisions.
"If he needed vindication, I'm glad he got it," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said.
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The New York Yankees are old and slow and ragged and flawed, and they are alive, through their force of will and experience and shared labor. Yankees prove that oldies are still
goodies as they hang on against the
A's to advance to the ALCSStar-Bulletin wire servcies
After scoring six runs in the first inning last night, the Yankees spent the rest of the evening circled around that lead, protecting it against repeated attacks, and they hung on to beat Oakland, 7-5, in Game 5 of the American League division series.
When Mariano Rivera, the last of four relievers called upon by Yankees manager Joe Torre after Andy Pettitte was knocked out in the fourth inning, retired Eric Chavez for the elusive 27th out, the Yankees charged the field in celebration.
Having shrugged off their crippling late-season slump to defeat the Athletics, three games to two, the Yankees advance to play Seattle in the AL Championship Series, which begins tomorrow at Yankee Stadium. Torre probably does not know who will start Game 1 for his team, but after losing the first game of this series and flying back and forth across the country before the Yankees finally beat the Athletics, he doesn't care -- not for one day, anyway.
The Yankees, trying to become the first team to win three straight World Series titles since the 1972-74 A's, wrapped up their series hours after the New York Mets completed their ouster of the San Francisco Giants in an NL division series.
"A lot of people were trying to say that our run was over, but you're not going to beat us that easily," Derek Jeter said. "We're still the champs until someone beats us."
Chuck Knoblauch's return to the lineup sparked a six-run first inning, and the maligned New York bullpen came through with 5 1/3 scoreless innings, leading the Yankees to victory and completing a Big Apple playoff sweep of the Bay Area.
Mike Stanton strolled through the Yankees' clubhouse minutes later, dripping with champagne and waving a bottle of bubbly in his left hand.
"Who said we're too old? We're just old enough!" yelled Stanton, who got the win with two innings of scoreless relief.
After Mariano Rivera got Eric Chavez to loop a foul pop to first baseman Tino Martinez for the final out, the emotionally drained Yankees congratulated each other on the field and then headed quickly into their clubhouse for champagne showers.
There was a huge sense of relief for New York, especially after two weeks of being written off as fallen champions.
"That's just playing in New York," Martinez said. "Obituaries are written every day if you have a bad day, so you just learn to not pay attention to it."
The Yankees, forced to fly across the country early yesterday morning to finish the series with the A's, headed back to New York late last night.
They open the AL championship series tomorrow, starting Denny Neagle against John Halama of the wild card Seattle Mariners, who were 6-4 against the Yankees this year.
Yankees starter Andy Pettitte was pulled after 3 2/3 innings, but the New York bullpen picked him up. Playing for keeps, manager Joe Torre even brought in Orlando Hernandez for his first pro relief appearance.
Rivera got the final five outs for his 16th postseason save, breaking the record he had shared with Dennis Eckersley since Friday night.
"We let them get a running start on us tonight, that's the difference in the ballgame," A's manager Art Howe said. "We battled back, got within two."
After ending the regular season with seven straight defeats, the Yankees were written off when they started this series with a loss at Oakland. An embarrassing 11-1 loss at home in Game 4 led to more condolences.
It took a half-inning, lasting 26 minutes, to lift the gloom.
METS 4, GIANTS 0
SAN FRANCISCO NEW YORK ab r h bi ab r h bi Benard cf 4 0 0 0 Perez rf 4 1 1 0 Mueller 3b 4 0 0 0 Alfonzo 2b 4 0 1 2 Bonds lf 4 0 0 0 Piazza c 3 1 0 0 Kent 2b 3 0 1 0 Vntura 3b 2 1 1 2 Burks rf 3 0 0 0 Agbayani lf 4 0 2 0 Snow 1b 2 0 0 0 McEwg lf 0 0 0 0 Aurilia ss 3 0 0 0 Payton cf 4 0 1 0 Mrbelli c 1 0 0 0 Zeile 1b 3 0 0 0 Crespo ph 1 0 0 0 Bordick ss 3 0 0 0 Estlella c 0 0 0 0 BJJons p 4 1 0 0 Grdner p 2 0 0 0 DHenry p 0 0 0 0 Embre p 0 0 0 0 RDavis ph 1 0 0 0 dl toro p 0 0 0 0 Totals 28 0 1 0 Totals 31 4 6 4
San Francisco 000 000 000--0 New York 200 020 00x--4 E--Aurilia (1). LOB--San Francisco 3, New York 8. 2B--Kent (1), Perez (1), Alfonzo (2), Agbayani (1). HR--Ventura (1). SB--Perez (1). CS--Payton (1).
San Francisco
ip h r er bb so Gardner L,0-1 4 1/3 4 4 4 2 5 DHenry 1 2/3 1 0 0 2 0 Embree 1 0 0 0 0 0 del toro 1 1 0 0 0 2
New York
ip h r er bb so BJJones W,1-0 9 1 0 0 2 5 HBP--by del toro (Bordick). WP--Gardner.
Umpires--Home, Gorman; First, Roe; Second, DiMuro, Mike; Third, Rieker; Left, Craft; Right, Crawford.
T--2:48. A--52,888.
YANKEES 7, ATHLETICS 5
NEW YORK OAKLAND ab r h bi ab r h bi Knblch dh 5 1 2 1 Long cf 3 1 0 0 Jeter ss 4 1 1 0 Fasano c 0 0 0 0 O’Neill rf 5 1 2 0 Velarde 2b 5 0 3 2 BeWms cf 4 0 0 1 JaGmb 1b 4 0 1 1 Justice lf 3 2 1 1 Saenz dh 4 0 1 1 Bllnger lf 0 0 0 0 Tejada ss 5 1 3 0 TMrtnz 1b 5 1 3 3 Chavez 3b 5 0 1 1 Posada c 4 1 1 0 Piatt rf 3 1 1 0 Sojo 2b 3 0 0 1 JeGmb rf 1 0 0 0 Brosius 3b 4 0 2 0 Grieve lf 4 0 0 0 RJHdz c 3 2 2 0 Stairs ph 1 0 1 0 Porter cf 0 0 0 0 Totals 37 7 12 7 Totals 38 5 13 5
New York 600 100 000--7 Oakland 021 200 000--5 LOB--New York 8, Oakland 10. 2B--O'Neill (1), TMartinez 2 (2), Chavez (3), Stairs (1). HR--Justice (1). SB--Knoblauch (1). SF--BeWilliams, Sojo, JaGiambi, Saenz.
New York
ip h r er bb so Pettitte 3 2/3 10 5 5 2 4 Stanton W,1-0 2 1 0 0 0 3 Nelson 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 2 OHernandez 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 MRivera S,3 1 2/3 1 0 0 0 1
Oakland
ip h r er bb so GHeredia L,1-1 1/3 4 6 6 2 0 Tam 2/3 2 0 0 0 0 Appier 4 4 1 1 1 6 Mecir 3 1 0 0 0 1 Isringhausen 1 1 0 0 0 1 Umpires--Home, Reed; First, Eddings; Second, Reliford; Third, Danley; Left, Reilly; Right, Winters.
T--3:50. A--41,170.
American League Division Series
Chicago vs. Seattle
Tuesday, Oct. 3
Seattle 7, Chicago 4, 10 innings
Wednesday, Oct. 4
Seattle 5, Chicago 2
Friday, Oct. 6
Seattle 2, Chicago 1, Seattle wins series 3-0
Oakland vs. New York
Tuesday, Oct. 3
Oakland 5, New York 3
Wednesday, Oct. 4
New York 4, Oakland 0
Friday, Oct. 6
New York 4, Oakland 2
Saturday, Oct. 7
Oakland 11, New York 1
Sunday, Oct. 8
New York 7, Oakland 5, New York wins series 3-2
National League
San Francisco vs. New York
Wednesday, Oct. 4
San Francisco 5, New York 1
Thursday, Oct. 5
New York 5, San Francisco 4, 10 innings
Saturday, Oct. 7
New York 3, San Francisco 2, 13 innings
Sunday, Oct. 8
New York 4, San Francisco 0, New York wins series 3-1.
St. Louis vs. Atlanta
Tuesday, Oct. 3
St. Louis 7, Atlanta 5
Thursday, Oct. 5
St. Louis 10, Atlanta 4
Saturday, Oct. 7
St. Louis 7, Atlanta 1, St. Louis wins series 3-0
Times HST League Championship Series
American League
(NBC)
Tomorrow
Seattle (Halama 14-9) at New York (Neagle 7-7), 2:12 p.m.
Wednesday
Seattle at New York, 10:09 a.m..
Friday
New York at Seattle, 2:12 p.m.
Saturday
New York at Seattle, 11:42 a.m.
Sunday
New York at Seattle, 10:09 a.m., if necessary
Oct. 17
Seattle at New York, 2:12 p.m., if necessary
Oct. 18
Seattle at New York, 2:12 p.m., if necessary
National League
(FOX)
Wednesday
New York (Hampton 15-11) at St. Louis (Kile 21-9), 2:18 p.m.
Thursday
New York at St. Louis, 2:18 p.m.
Saturday
St. Louis at New York, 10:18 a.m.
Sunday
St. Louis at New York, 2 p.m.
Oct. 16
St. Louis at New York, 2:18 p.m., if necessary
Oct. 18
New York at St. Louis, 10:18 a.m., if necessary
Oct. 19
New York at St. Louis, 2:18 p.m., if necessary
(FOX) World Series
Oct. 21
National League at American League, 2 p.m.
Oct. 22
NL at AL, 2 p.m.
Oct. 24
AL at NL, 2:18 p.m.
Oct. 25
AL at NL, 2:18 p.m.
Oct. 26
AL at NL, 2:18 p.m., if necessary
Oct. 28
NL at AL, 2 p.m., if necessary
Oct. 29
NL at AL, 2 p.m., if necessary
