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Tuesday, October 24, 2000

Mets’ Agbayani:
‘We’re going to
battle every day
we’re out there’

The former St. Louis School
and Hawaii Pacific University
standout has hit safely in
every playoff game

---

By Ben DiPietro
Special to the Star-Bulletin

NEW YORK -- With their backs to the wall, the New York Mets are hoping to channel their anger over the Mike Piazza incident with Roger Clemens into aggressive play on the field that will get them a win in tonight's Game 3 and back into the Subway Series with the Yankees.

As most Mets talk about how they would have handled the situation if Clemens had tossed a bat in their direction, Benny Agbayani was more interested in building off the ninth inning rally the Mets staged in Sunday's 6-5 Game 2 loss.

WORLD SERIES (FOX-TV, All times HST) Saturday, Oct. 21 N.Y. Yankees 4, N.Y. Mets 3, 12 innings Sunday, Oct. 22 N.Y. Yankees 6, N.Y. Mets 5, N.Y. Yankees lead series 2-0 Today N.Y. Yankees (Hernandez 12-13) at N.Y. Mets (Reed 11-5), 2:18 p.m. Tomorrow N.Y. Yankees (Neagle 7-7) at N.Y. Mets (B.J. Jones 11-6), 2:18 p.m. Thursday N.Y. Yankees at N.Y. Mets, 2:18 p.m., if necessary Saturday N.Y. Mets at N.Y. Yankees, 2 p.m., if necessary Sunday N.Y. Mets at N.Y. Yankees, 3 p.m., if necessary

Down 6-0 entering the ninth, the Mets slammed two homers to climb back within a run, and sent the tying run to the plate, only to see reserve shortstop Kurt Abbott take a called third strike to end the game and the rally.

Although they came up short, Agbayani said the rally provides some positive feelings to build on for Game 3.

"That inning, even though we fell short, was important for us," said Agbayani, whose ninth inning single kept his streak alive of getting a hit in every playoff game.

Even more encouraging was the fact that the Mets rallied with the Yankees ace closer, Mariano Rivera, on the hill.

Having shown they can hit Rivera, Agbayani thinks that can help the Mets should they see Rivera again in the Series.

"To do that against their closer, the best in the business, should give us some confidence," said Agbayani, who is batting .375 with three hits in eight World Series at-bats.

For the Mets to win, Agbayani said they need to tune out what's happened in the first two games and just keep playing hard.

"We haven't quit all season and we showed there that we're not about to now," he said.

It's the first team to win four games, and the Mets only have won two so far, Agbayani said.

"We're going to battle every day we're out there," Agbayani told KHON-TV.

"It's not like we're throwing in the towel."