[ MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ]
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL / ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York Mets pitcher Tyler Yates, left, of Kauai, and San Francisco Giants pitcher Jerome Williams, of Waipahu, each started and earned victories last night for their respective teams.
Local boys get big wins
Kauai's Yates earns his
first major league victory
as Mets defeat Expos
The excitement was evident in Tyler Yates' voice.
The rookie right-hander for the New York Mets was ecstatic after earning his first major league victory last night. Yates pitched 5 2/3 innings in a 4-1 win at Shea Stadium, then watched three members of the bullpen hold Montreal scoreless the rest of the game.
Tyler Yates by the numbers
Individual season statistics through yesterday's gamesRecord: 1-1
Innings pitched: 14.0
Hits: 16
Earned runs: 6
Home runs: 0
Walks: 5
Strikeouts: 7
ERA: 3.86
Even more important to Yates than the personal win was that it came at a good time for the Mets.
"The biggest thing for me was stopping our three-game losing streak," Yates said. "I'm happy with the way I performed. I think this will give my teammates more confidence in me, that I can go out and win games for them."
The Kauai High School graduate and former Hawaii-Hilo pitcher said he didn't feel any extra pressure after his first big-league win. He knew if he went out and produced a quality start, the first victory would come eventually because of confidence he has in the Mets' bullpen.
Yates threw 59 strikes among his 97 pitches. He got the Expos to ground out nine times and retired seven batters on fly balls.
"I just try to go out and throw strikes on every pitch and throw a ball when I want to," he said. "I try to put a batter away as fast as I can and that doesn't always mean striking them out. I don't want them to get good wood on a pitch."
Yates had worked on some mechanical adjustments with pitching coach Rick Peterson after his previous start against Atlanta that ended up being his first major league loss.
"We worked a lot on keeping my head still (during delivery) and not overthrowing. We want to let my arm work and let the ball fly," Yates said. "We agreed on a lot of things, worked on those things, and it paid off tonight. I have to discipline myself to keep my head still. If I can do that, then I'll be successful."
Yates said he used all his pitches -- fastball, slider and changeup -- and made sure he threw them for strikes.
"When you can throw all your pitches for strikes, that doesn't give the hitter a chance to eliminate a pitch. That was a big factor tonight," Yates said. "I did throw my curve once, but I don't throw it that much because I have trouble throwing it for strikes."
There also was another first for Yates last night. He got his first hit as a professional.
In the minors, pitchers rarely hit. Although, once the Mets converted Yates to a starting pitcher last year, he did get eight at-bats in the minors.
"It was a single between third and short on a fastball," said Yates, who was quite a hitter in high school. "It's hard not seeing pitches for six years. You lose your timing and swing, but I've been working with (N.Y. batting coach) Denny Walling on that."
Yates is already a TV star -- at least at the Poipu Beach Broiler on Kauai. That's because his father owns the place and installed a satellite dish 1 1/2 years ago.
"We got it when we opened, hoping it would happen," Gary Yates said last night.
Gary Yates and his wife were at Shea Stadium for the win along with Tyler's girlfriend, Liezel. He called the restaurant, where he said 50 people had gathered for the game. It coincided with happy hour because of the time difference -- $3.50 margaritas and $2 beers.
"Am I touching the ground or what?" Gary Yates said in the Mets clubhouse. "It's probably as big a thrill for me as it is for him."
After the game, the 26-year-old right-hander had the lineup card and two balls: the one that ended the game and the one from his first career hit, in the fourth inning.
"It's a pretty good feeling," he said. "It's probably the most fun I've had playing baseball thus far."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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Williams takes no-hitter
into the fifth en route to
his second win of season
Barry Bonds keeps drawing most of the attention with his recent homer barrage. But unlike over the weekend, when the San Francisco Giants lost three to the hated Los Angeles Dodgers, career home run No. 666 for Bonds came in a 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres.
Jerome Williams by the numbers
Record: 2-1
Innings pitched: 18.2
Hits: 18
Earned runs: 9
Home runs: 2
Walks: 4
Strikeouts: 9
ERA: 4.34
A lot of the credit has to go to starting pitcher Jerome Williams. The Waipahu resident carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning of last night's game in San Francisco. He had to sit around for a while in the dugout as the bullpen made things interesting, but he finally got his second win of the season.
Bonds hit his 666th homer through a swirling mist over the center-field wall, but was reticent to discuss it with the media.
"Not today, y'all. I'm tired," Bonds said, shooing reporters away from his black leather recliner, where he watched highlights and talked on the phone.
Bonds has homered in six consecutive games with an at-bat -- he was intentionally walked as a pinch hitter Wednesday -- and connected for the first time this season against the Padres after failing to hit a longball in three games at Petco Park in the season's first week.
He got his major league-leading eighth homer this season one batter after Marquis Grissom hit a two-run shot to left, the first time this season the Giants have hit back-to-back homers.
"If I remember, he was supposed to be worried about something," manager Felipe Alou said, referring to a steroid controversy surrounding Bonds and his personal trainer. "He feels good. He's out there every day. He's going to be there the next few days. ... None of Barry's home runs surprise me."
Williams' (2-1) no-hit bid was broken up on Khalil Greene's one-out double to left-center. Williams still got out of the inning unscathed and pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing one run and four hits, striking out four and walking two.
It was the best outing yet for Williams, whose shaky spring certainly had some fans a little nervous. But the 22-year-old right-hander received a standing ovation as he walked off the mound after giving way to Wayne Franklin in the seventh.
Alou said before the game the cool conditions Monday were ideal for a sinkerball pitcher such as Williams, who last season as a rookie went 7-5 with a 3.30 ERA, third-lowest among NL rookies.
"I do horrible in rain," Williams said, smiling when told what the skipper had said. "I just had to fight through it. ... It feels like I'm kind of back to last year when I won five straight. I feel really confident."
Matt Herges got the first two outs of the ninth before running into trouble. He gave up three straight hits, including Sean Burroughs' bloop single that glanced off the glove of charging center fielder Grissom, allowing Terrence Long to score from second. Mark Loretta followed Burroughs with a single to chase Herges.
Jason Christiansen entered and allowed an RBI single to Brian Giles and the Giants went to Jim Brower. Brower got Phil Nevin to ground out to first, converting his first save opportunity.
