John Rocker still is talking the talk even after the Mets beat the Braves 3-2 last night at Shea Stadium and even after he surrendered the two-run single to John Olerud that put the Mets ahead in the eighth. And afterward, Rocker had this message for Mets and their fans: You’re still toast.
Asked how confident he was that the Braves would close out the series, now that they are leading by a 3-1 margin, Rocker said, “They’ve got to beat us three more times. They’ve only beat us four times all year – [I’m] pretty confident.”
When Rocker entered the game and charged out of the Braves’ bullpen like a snorting bull, a water bottle was hurled his way from the left-field stands. He dashed to the mound and continued to taunt the 55,872 rabid fans.
Rocker came on with two outs, Roger Cedeno on second, Melvin Mora on first and the Braves nursing a 2-1 lead. He completely ignored the runners as they stole second and third. Then Olerud bounced a 2-2 pitch up the middle.
Shortstop Ozzie Guillen, who had just replaced Walt Weiss in a double switch, was shading Olerud toward third because of Rocker’s power pitching. Guillen got a glove on the ball but the ball scooted into center field as both runners scored. Prior to the hit, Olerud had been 0-for-9 lifetime against Rocker with five strikeouts.
Of the hit, Rocker said, “That’s one of the more cheaper hits I’ve given up my entire life. It was an infield hit. It wasn’t like it was a double off the wall. I’m sure John is glad he got the hit and drove in two runs, but I don’t feel the least bit bad about my performance. The pitch was right where I wanted it, it was low and away, he was leaning out that way, it was a three-hop ground ball.
“I made a good pitch to him, we had him shaded toward left field and the ball hit off Ozzie’s glove. That ball is two inches to the left, Ozzie snowcones and throws him out. It’s just a game of inches.”
As for that water bottle missile that just missed, Rocker said, “That’s just typical here.” When it was pointed out that he was lucky it wasn’t a baseball, Rocker, who already has been hit with a baseball this year at Shea, said, “Probably will be tomorrow.”
In the Mets’ clubhouse Turk Wendell was saying the win was more satisfying coming off Rocker, and an hour after the game, hundreds of fans were circled around the Braves’ two buses, serenading the Braves with mocking chants of Rocker and Chipper Jones as a battalion of police officers guarded the Braves. In Rocker’s locker, by the way, was an NYPD baseball cap. Evidently he has made one friend in New York.
“I’ve pitched as well the last two days as I have all year,” Rocker said. “It’s not like I’ve let the fans get in my head and throw balls to the backstop and go 3-0 on every hitter and giving up long balls. I’m pitching well. They think they are in my head, but I’m really in their head.”
He wasn’t in the runners’ heads. “I wasn’t thinking about the runners at all, I was concentrating on the hitter and I really couldn’t tell you who was on first,” Rocker said. “I have a terrible pickoff move. If you make a mistake to Olerud and he hits one to the gap, they score two runs anyway.”
It was only a seeing-eye bouncer but it might as well have been a shot off the wall. And so, 30 years to the day when the Miracle Mets of 1969 completed their World Series victory over the Orioles, these Mets of another era snuck away with their own significant October win.