PHILADELPHIA – The potential that’s been rumored about forever is being unleashed every day. The Mets needed some sort of spark and Jay Payton gave it to them last night.
In their 2-1, ninth inning victory over the Phillies in front of 14,552 cold fans at Veterans Stadium, a lot of guys contributed to ending the Mets’ three-game losing streak and giving them their much-needed fourth win in 10 outings.
Rick Reed, who couldn’t fall asleep until 5:30 a.m. yesterday morning and had a frozen right foot in the second inning from the cool weather – threw seven innings and his only blemish was a leadoff seventh-inning homer by Mike Lieberthal that barely cleared the left field wall.
Derek Bell played the best New York defense since the ’86 Giants. He looked like he should have a Gold Glove that he feels should have been his earlier in his career. He also collected three hits for the second consecutive night.
Dennis Cook earned his second win by recording one out to end the eighth. Armando Benitez nailed save number three in the bottom of the ninth. And, in the top of the ninth, Mike Piazza hit the game-winning double.
But Payton, most famous in New York for having as many injuries for each of his five tools and for his base-running mistake at the end of the ’98 season in Atlanta, made the biggest difference.
With two-out in the ninth, Piazza hit a 2-2 pitch into left center. Payton, who got on by singling to center, left first base with the speed of a Porsche.
Payton’s past base-running experience with Piazza wasn’t so fortunate back in ’98.
“I screwed up on the play,” said Payton, who was thrown out at third against the Braves with Piazza due up. “Any time you make a mistake, you put it in your file cabinet and go.”
By the time Ron Gant retrieved the ball in left center, Payton was flying. Cookie Rojas, the Mets’ third base coach, spun his arm around like a windmill.
“It’s all Cookie’s call,” Payton said. “I’m going hard. If Cookie waves me, I go. If he stops me, I stop, basically.”
Mickey Morandini came from second base to take the relay in left. Morandini turned and fired for home. But Payton’s legs were too fast and the slide, “It was a great slide,” Piazza said.
Payton – laying claim to even more playing time with three hits – eluded Lieberthal’s tag and the Mets took the 2-1 lead into the ninth. Benitez closed it out by striking out pinch-hitter Kevin Jordan.
“It is really nice,” said Benitez, echoing the view in the Mets’ clubhouse. “I like this. Everybody likes this.”
Every Met fan must like what Payton is doing. Besides the decisive play, he added three hits to raise his average to .381. The rumors about his potential may be true.
“The only question I ever had with Jay was whether or not he was going to get a chance to play,” manager Bobby Valentine said. “I don’t think when you have a lack of experience you can come off the bench and be a productive player.”
This may work out well, because the way Payton is playing it is going to be difficult to take him out of the lineup.
Al Leiter can build on this tonight in Pittsburgh when he takes his 1.13 ERA in against Jason Schmidt.
Reed pitched splendidly once again. His ERA actually rose to 0.79. Did the cold foot affect him?
“What do you think?” said Reed, who didn’t know why he couldn’t sleep.
Well, you only gave up one home run and that was it.
“You answered the question for me,” Reed responded.
Reed even provided the Mets’ first run of the game by driving in Bell on a sacrifice fly in fourth.
Last night, Bell played played the best right field at Veterans Stadium since Johnny Callison.
In the fifth, Lieberthal led off and looked like he might have a hit. The Phillies catcher connected on a sharp line drive toward the right-field line. However, Bell made a diving catch.