Mets 5 – Marlins 2
MIAMI – Hope gained a little more momentum last night. The Mets continued to build on their miracle by enlisting help from relievers who weren’t even in the majors to begin the season.
The reason the Mets cut the idle Braves’ lead to seven games was because of the work of Tom Martin, Jerrod Riggan and Grant Roberts.
Then closer Armando Benitez recorded the final four outs in the Mets’ 5-2 win over the Marlins in front of a sparse gathering at Pro Player Stadium.
It didn’t hurt either that Florida was miraculously bad. While the Marlins have lost 18 of 24, the Mets have won 15 of 19, including four straight.
The tragic number remained at 16 as the Mets moved to three games below .500 for the first time since May 7. Their first-place deficit is the smallest they’ve faced since May 10 when they were 6 ½ out.
The Phillies also won, so the Mets remained 4 ½ games out of second.
Mets’ starter Kevin Appier had trouble all night, putting runners in scoring position in five of the seven innings he pitched, but he allowed only a fourth-inning, two-run homer to Derrek Lee.
With one out in the seventh and the Mets up a run, Appier allowed a David Berg single and hit Alex Gonzalez. Bobby Valentine called on Martin to pitch to All-Star Cliff Floyd. The left-handed Martin, who entered with a 10.80 ERA, induced Floyd to pop out to short.
Riggan then came in and walked Preston Wilson on a 3-2 pitch before getting Mike Lowell on a hard liner to center. The bases were left loaded as Jay Payton made the play.
With one out in the eighth, Roberts walked Lee before John Mabry singled. With runners on first and third, Roberts struck out pinch-hitter Charles Johnson looking before Benitez came in to get Berg looking.
In the ninth, after a Timo Perez solo homer, the Mets received more help from the Marlins. With two out, Mike Piazza’s little looper – which should have been caught – dropped between Floyd and Gonzalez as they looked at each other.
Up a run in the sixth, the Marlins gave the Mets the lead. After Piazza’s one-out single, Robin Ventura hit a textbook double play ball right at second baseman Berg.
Trying to relay to shortstop Alex Gonzalez, Berg threw the ball into left field. Gonzalez barely tried to knock down the wide throw, instead choosing to try to decoy Piazza.
With runners on second and third, Todd Zeile grounded to first baseman Lee. Instead of trying to nail the tying run at the plate, Lee, who fielded the ball on the infield grass, flipped to Brad Penny at first.
Next, Payton smacked a go-ahead double to left, scoring Ventura.
To compound the Marlins’ mistakes, Kevin Millar was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double in the second and Wilson was gunned down trying to move from first to third on a groundout to Ventura in the fourth.
The Marlins struck first in the fourth when Lee smashed a two-run homer over the teal monster in left off Appier.
Appier – who drove in two runs in the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Marlins in his last start – learned from his nonsupport all year that it is good to do things himself.
In the fifth, Appier followed Rey Ordonez’ team-leading 23rd double with a soft liner into short center. Playing very shallow, Preston Wilson charged the ball and fired home as Ordonez scored without a play. This began last night’s comeback, which added to the feeling of an even bigger comeback.
With 21 games remaining, the Mets know how difficult their goal is. In fact, some guys are trying to avoid the standings.
“I’m not paying attention, because we’re not in nothing yet,” team captain John Franco said. “You get a little closer, then you start paying attention. You get too far ahead of yourself, that’s no good.”
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Comeback kids
The Mets have picked up six games on the Braves since the end of play on Aug. 18, but still have more than that much ground to make up. Here’s a look at some of the other great comebacks in baseball history.
1914 Boston Braves
Trailed New York Giants by 15 games on July 4, but finished by winning 34 of their last 44 games to blow by the Giants by a final margin of 10 ½ games. Swept Philadelphia Athletics in World Series.
1951 New York Giants
Fell to 13 ½ games behind Brooklyn Dodgers on Aug. 11, but went on 16-game winning streak to trim margin to six on Aug. 28. Teams finish tied at 96-58, the “the Giants win the pennant!” on Bobby Thomson’s homer in Game 3 of playoff series on Oct. 3. Lost World Series in six games to Yankees.
1964 St. Louis Cardinals
Trailed Phillies by 6 ½ games with two weeks to go, but Philadelphia lost 10 in a row to make it a four-team scramble to the finish, which St. Louis won with a 93-69 record. Cards then beat Yankees in seven in World Series.
1969 Mets
Miracle Mets went from ninth to first. Gil Hodges’ team was 9 ½ back on Aug. 13, then won 38 of next 49. Clinched NL East on Sept. 24 with win over Cardinals. Finished 100-62, then swept Braves in NL playoffs and beat Orioles in five in World Series.
1973 Mets
Yogi Berra’s Mets are in last place, 11 ½ games back on Aug. 5. But rallying behind Tug McGraw’s cry of “Ya Gotta Believe, ” they win 29 of final 43 games, clinching Oct. 1 with a win over the Cubs and finishing 82-79. Beat Big Red Machine in NLCS, lost in seven to A’s in World Series.
1978 Yankees
Trailed Red Sox by 14 games on July 17. Bob Lemon took over for Billy Martin on July 24 with team down 10 ½. The Yanks went on 12-2 run, then beat the Red Sox 13-2, 7-0 and 7-4 in the Boston Massacre to tie for lead. Sox actually came back from 1 ½-game deficit to force playoff, won by Yanks on Bucky Dent’s homer at Fenway. Beat Royals in ALCS, then Dodgers in six for title.