The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t want to see New York again so soon. After snow on April 9 forced a postponement, the scheduled makeup game was considered far too quick a turnaround for the visitors.
“I didn’t like this [the rescheduled date],” lamented Dodgers manager Davey Johnson to the Los Angeles Times, displeased with the second Big Apple visit in three weeks.
But if the Dodgers sought any sympathizers, the Mets — who had already logged many miles in a short span and soon would embark on another circuitous road trip — were not among them.
Once their current 10-game homestand wrapped up, the New Yorkers would fly to Denver, then San Francisco, then Miami before coming back to the Big Apple. Not exactly an efficient travel plan.
The week-and-a-half long stay at Shea Stadium had allowed the Mets to find their footing and appear more like a team ready to return to the World Series for the first time since 1986 — when Johnson manned the home dugout, not the opposing one.
Davey wasn’t the only familiar face reappearing in Flushing. There was fellow ’86 champ Kevin Elster as well as recent record-setting Met, Todd Hundley, who laid claim to the franchise single-season home run mark since 1996.
Each played a role on an afternoon far warmer, drier, and sunnier than it was 22 days earlier. Hundley accounted for the entirety of the Dodgers’ three hits against starter Pat Mahomes and a trio from the Mets bullpen. New York’s attack was muzzled too, and a scoreless tie carried into the bottom of the ninth.
With none out and runners on first and second, Jay Payton grounded to Elster at shortstop. Hoping to get the lead runner, Elster threw to third baseman Adrian Beltre. But Beltre had trouble locating the bag with his foot as he backpedaled, and instead tried to tag Melvin Mora.
Third base umpire Gerry Davis said no. Johnson raced out of the dugout in protest, chucking his chewing tobacco to the ground and getting tossed from the game. Davey’s irritations would only get worse.
Mora would soon be cut down at home on a forceout, but Matt Franco‘s bases-loaded grounder off the glove of reliever Terry Adams brought in pinch-runner Jon Nunnally for the game’s lone run.
“When I hit it, I thought it was a double play,” Franco said. “I was relieved to see it tip off his glove.”
The victory marked the eighth straight for the Mets, a streak that would continue a night later when the Reds came to town.
But the game itself was almost a subplot to the real storyline — one that interested Mets fans more than players. The Reds’ most prolific new acquisition was nearly New York’s. The Seattle Mariners had a trade in place the previous winter to send the superstar center fielder to Queens. Except Junior nixed the deal.
When Griffey made his Shea debut, Shea let him have it — booing him before each plate appearance and cheering loudly when he struck out looking to finish off the Mets’ 6-5 victory on April 25.
Satisfaction gave way to frustration for the remainder of the series, as Mets bats went silent in losses of 12-1 and 2-1, respectively. Fortunately, the team’s first stop on its serpentine road trip was the thin, cool air of Denver and Coors Field — a park renowned for offensive indulgence. Pitchers and purists just call it offensive.
Baseball? More like pinball.
The three games against the Rockies lived up to the stadium’s reputation. The Mets scored 32 runs on 50 hits over three games over the weekend series while winning twice.
The most egregious display of Colorado baseball’s worst qualities occurred in the Sunday finale. New York took a touchdown-sized lead into the bottom of the seventh and then an 11-3 advantage an inning later. Al Leiter, already at a disadvantage thanks to the atmosphere, was put in further harm by the Mets defense. An error by Rey Ordonez (his sixth on the year already) and a miscue by Nunnally helped to forge a six-run Rockies eighth.
Leiter had departed before the inning was over. He was credited with six runs allowed, a borderline Cy Young performance by Coors’ standards. The bullpen’s efforts to protect an 11-5 lead nearly evaporated. Turk Wendell loaded the bases. Then Dennis Cook surrendered a grand slam to Tom Goodwin — just this 14th homer in 10 big-league seasons.
Five more runs would be tacked on — including Alfonzo’s tenth hit in 13 at-bats — as the Mets survived, 14-11.
As the team left the Rockies’ five-year-old home and headed further west to check out the newest digs of the San Francisco Giants, Pac Bell Park, its manager acknowledged the beauty of the city but the unsightly nature about how games are played there.
“I’m glad we’re not coming back here,” Bobby Valentine said.
