Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Edwin Diaz has been named the 2022 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year following a historic season for the New York Mets.

Diaz, who won the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award in 2018 while with the Seattle Mariners, joins Craig Kimbrel as the only players to win the Reliever of the Year Award in each league. It should come as no surprise that Diaz has officially been recognized as the best reliever in the NL given how dominant he was.

In what was a season for the ages, Diaz was prime time viewing every time he stepped on to the mound in 2022 with a stellar 1.31 ERA. He struck out 50.2% of the batters he faced and secured 32 saves in 35 opportunities. The righty struck out a ridiculous 118 batters in 62 innings, which amounts to a stunning 17.1 strikeouts per nine innings. That’s the highest single-season rate by any pitcher in MLB history with at least 60 innings pitched.

Diaz also held batters to a slash line of .160/.230/.216/.446 and he found a lot of success using his filthy slider, upping the usage to 51.8% with a run value of -22, which was the fifth best mark of any pitch in the major leagues last season. Diaz threw his electric slider 539 times and batters could only hit .114/.134/.154 against it with a whiff rate of 54.7% and a strikeout rate of 54.3%.

Diaz established himself as the best closer in all of baseball in 2022 and he was arguably one of the most important players for the Mets. He was absolutely money all season long and he was absolutely un-hittable at times. It continued a trend of the 28-year-old riding an upwards trajectory for the past couple of years. And, as a result of his dominance in 2022, Diaz signed a record-breaking five-year, $102 million deal earlier this offseason with the Mets determined to keep their elite shutdown arm in Queens. And the accolades keep on coming for Diaz with this latest honor.

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Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to being traded over to the New York Mets with Javier Báez from the Chicago Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline, right-hander Trevor Williams had almost entirely been a starter for his professional career.

Of the 119 games since his debut in 2016 through his last game with the Cubs in 2021, Williams had started 106 of them between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the aforementioned Cubs.

Williams, 30, made 10 appearances with the Mets down the stretch in 2021, three of which were starts. In 2022, the Mets continued to utilize the righty in a hybrid role, making nine starts and appearing in 21 games out of the pen.

In total, Williams made 30 appearances for a combined 89.2 innings pitched, posting a 3.21 ERA, 1.227 WHIP, and 0.6 fWAR. He was especially impressive out of the pen, where he recorded more than three outs in 14 of his 21 relief appearances and posted a 2.47 ERA.

Williams became the fourth Mets pitcher in club history to appear in 20+ games out of the pen, make 9+ starts, and post a sub-3.25 in a season, and first since Terry Leach in 1987.

One particular area of strength for Williams in 2022 was against right-handed hitters. Among 106 right-handed pitchers who faced a minimum 200 right-handed batters, Williams tied with Tony Gonsolin for the 13th-lowest ERA (2.72), tied with teammate Max Scherzer for the sixth-highest K% (31.7 percent), and posted the thirteenth-lowest opponent batting average (.209).

He services should be in high demand this offseason, where the San Diego-native will be hitting the free agent market for the second time in his career. With his ability to both start and relieve, Williams should be a suitor for plenty of teams who wish to add a veteran arm who can provide quality innings and has the ability to be a swingman.

While Williams and his camp wait to see who he’ll suit up for in 2023, Williams will be busy with his non-profit, Project 34.

While attending Arizona State University in 2011, Williams’ roommate and teammate on the baseball team, Cory Hahn (whose uniform number was 34), suffered a career-ending and life-changing spinal cord injury while sliding headfirst into second base. The non-profit’s mission is to assist individuals living with a spinal cord injury with the proper equipment and funding they need in order to live a more fulfilling life.

I had the privilege of speaking with Williams following the Mets’ exit in the Wild Card series, where he discussed getting traded to the Mets, his transition to pitching out of the pen, and his non-profit.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Williams: I grew up in San Diego, and I went to a lot of Padres games growing up. I got to see a lot of Tony Gwynn and Ken Caminiti, and Trevor Hoffman was a big hero of mine.

MMO: At what point during your development did you start primarily focusing on pitching?

Williams: Pitching wasn’t until college. I hit high school pitching very well, but I knew at the next level I wasn’t going to be a good hitter. It was in college that I made the distinction of being a pitcher only.

MMO: What are your memories from the 2013 Draft? Did you have an idea that the Miami Marlins were an interested party?

Williams: We had a good feeling I was going to go the first day. I didn’t know exactly where, and it wasn’t going to be the first half of the first round, but it was going to be anywhere between the second half of the first round to the end of the second round. We were waiting and seeing. We had a couple of hits from teams, and they ended up drafting other players.

We were shocked and excited at the same time that the Marlins picked me (with the 44th overall pick) without a phone call or anything. I got to see my name go across the board in real-time.

MMO: I remember your major league debut on September 7, 2016, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and how after the game your family was there to greet you. You and your dad had a wonderful moment where you hugged and gave him the game ball. What memories do you have from that day?

Williams: It was a special day for all of us. It was a very raw and emotional day because it was a culmination of all the hard work and dedication that my family has sacrificed and put into my baseball career. To share that moment with him (father) was very special.

MMO: In a podcast appearance you had in March 2021, you told the hosts that prior to signing with the Cubs as a free agent, you were close with another team before front office issues involving text messages occurred. Reading between the lines, is it safe to say you were close to signing with the Mets for 2021?

Williams: At that time, the only strong offer we had was from the Mets. It was at a point in the offseason where we didn’t know if we wanted to wait any longer, so they were definitely among the final few teams.

MMO: What was your initial reaction upon hearing the news that you and Javier Báez were traded to the Mets at the 2021 trade deadline?

Williams: It was exciting because at the time when we were traded over, it was at that point in the year where teams start making playoff pushes, and unfortunately last year we weren’t able to do that.

It was fun to get traded to a first-place team at that point, and it was fun to go from a team that wasn’t going to make it to the playoffs to a team that was fighting for a spot.

MMO: I’ve interviewed several current pitchers on the club, and they all rave about the work Jeremy Hefner has done as pitching coach. What’s your impressions of Hefner?

Williams: It was great meeting him for the first time when I got traded over. It was a pretty seamless transition. He knew what made me good, meaning what he could do to help me and help utilize my repertoire a little more. It’s easy to communicate with him, and he’s helped my career tremendously.

MMO: From 2019 through the 2021 season, you threw your slider at least 20 percent of the time each year. That changed in 2022, where your slider usage decreased to 11.7 percent. What was the reason for limiting your slider this season?

Williams: I think we recognized other pitches were better, and recognized that what makes my slider good is when I throw it less as opposed to throwing it more often.

We relied on other pitches more to not be so heavily reliant upon a four-seam and a slider and be a two-pitch guy. I’m not a two-pitch guy, and when I fall into that category, it doesn’t really give me much success.

MMO: On the flip side, you threw your four-seam fastball more than any other season in your major league career (52.8 percent). When looking at Run Value, your four-seamer was one of the best in the league (-12). Can you talk about why you felt like your four-seam fastball was so effective this season?

Baseball Savant

Williams: When I was young, I was told you have to pitch with your fastball and have to be able to throw it to any spot in the zone. You can’t just fall in love with down-and-away or up-and-in or down-the-middle. It’s a pitch that I will always go to, and I will live-and-die with that pitch. Being able to throw it to all four quadrants and coupling that with my sinker, changeup, slider, and curveball really makes every pitch better.

Like I said, when I throw my slider less, it makes my fastball better. When I throw my sinker more, it makes my slider and my changeup better. When I throw my curveball more, it makes the effectiveness of my changeup better.

I think utilizing all those pitches and using them in different sequencing to get the best out of that pitch was effective this year. In certain games I came into, we had opportunities to throw the fastball more, and instances where I only had to go one time through the lineup. I knew that I could just throw fastballs that you really didn’t need to set-up hitters for the second or third time through.

MMO: Looking at your average horizontal release point for 2022, you appeared to move closer to the third base-side of the rubber with your arm slot (-2.34 feet) compared to 2020 (-1.55 feet). Was there a reason for that mechanical change and how did that aid in your pitching?

Williams: I think 2020 was just an outlier. I was throwing more over the top, and I went back to feeling more athletic. What gives me more deception is having a lower, not necessarily arm angle, but lower approach angle in how I pitch. The lower that it is, you set the eyes kind of lower and it makes my 91-mph fastball look a little harder than it is.

MMO: Are you the type of player that readily utilizes tech and data?

Williams: Yeah, I think it’s a useful tool.

MMO: Do you approach the analysts for information? Do they approach you? How does that process work?

Williams: It’s really how much you want to put into it. We have different guys for infield positioning and why they do that. We have different people for opponent hitters; we have different people for pitching game plans. It’s however much you want to put into it and ask questions.

The biggest thing with the Mets is the communication within. It’s been super helpful the last year and a half to go to them any time that I wanted.

MMO: You have primarily been a starting pitcher for your entire professional career. How difficult was the transition to go from starter to a spot starter/long-man/reliever hybrid this season?

Williams: I prepare to pitch, whether that’s every fifth day or every day. There was a little bit of an adjustment for me this year, but I was able to rely on our bullpen coach and rely on other players who have been in a similar role that I’ve been in to pick their brain on what works and what doesn’t. It was tough at first, but the guys made it an easier transition for me.

MMO: Looking at your 2022 splits, your numbers at home were phenomenal (2.65 ERA compared to 4.08 on the road; 25.1 K% at home compared to 19.0% on the road). Was there anything about pitching at Citi Field that you felt was a strength?

Williams: Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head. I think there’s always comfort knowing that you’re pitching at your home mound; the routine doesn’t get thrown off as much.

I think generally pitchers have a better time throwing at home than they do throwing on the road.

MMO: On an individual level, you had a terrific season in every role that Buck Showalter asked of you. Obviously, the season didn’t end the way the organization or fans wanted it. When you look back on the 2022 season what stands out for you the most?

Williams: Man, we played really well and I’m proud of the guys for the resilience that we had all year. Winning 101 games is tough! Unfortunately, at the end of the day, we came up short. But that’s what makes baseball beautiful because at the end of the year, there’s only one team remaining.

I think there’s a lot to be proud of and I’m looking forward to seeing what the Mets do moving forward.

MMO: Would you welcome a return back to the Mets?

Williams: Yeah, one-hundred percent. I think there’s a lot of good in New York, especially with the Mets, and there’s a lot of things to look forward to. If I’m given the opportunity to come back to New York, I would welcome it and hopefully help the team out as much as I can.

MMO: In your final appearance of the season, you had Francisco Álvarez as your catcher. We know about his offensive profile but what did you think about his receiving skills?

Photo: Corey Sipkin, NY Post

Williams: It was really good! It was a good first date that we had together, and I think we were pretty much on the same page. We had a good meeting before the game on what I like to do and how I like to pitch.

He did his due diligence; he talked with [Tomás] Nido and [James] McCann to get a feel for the type of pitcher I am, and I thought it went really well.

MMO: You have a non-profit called Project 34. Can you talk about why and when you started it, and the foundation’s mission?

Williams: Our mission is to help individuals and families who are living with a spinal cord injury.

My roommate in college, his name is Cory Hahn, he broke his neck in 2011 in our freshman year at Arizona State. He is living with a spinal cord injury, and we both saw that there was a great need for that community, whether that’s financial aid for a new wheelchair, financial aid for proper physical therapy, truly anything that makes those living with an individual or an individual living with a spinal cord injury a more independent and fulfilling life.

We’ve been around for five years now and it’s been great getting to know people all around the country that have been impacted by Cory’s story. It’s an honor and privilege to be able to share Cory’s story and help people even if it’s just in a small way.

MMO: Are there any upcoming events you’d like to promote? And how can people get involved?

Williams: Every year we do a golf event, and an announcement will be made shortly on our social medias on when the date will be. That’s something to look out for and if you follow us on social media, it’s ProjThirtyFour, all spelled out.

MMO: Thanks so much for some time today, Trevor. Have a great offseason.

Williams: Thank you.

Follow Trevor Williams on Twitter, @MeLlamoTrevor

Follow Project 34 on Twitter, @ProjThirtyFour

Check out Trevor’s foundation, Project 34, here.

The post MMO Exclusive: Right-Handed Pitcher, Trevor Williams appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The San Diego Padres had won 188 straight games when leading after eight innings. The New York Mets hadn’t won in three games. Both streaks, one long-term and one short, ended with a swing by Mike Piazza — a game-winning two-run ninth-inning homer to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 walk-off victory.

Everything pointed to Trevor Hoffman, who converted on 53 of his 54 save opportunities in 1998, being his typically invincible self once again — especially against a Mets team that had failed to capitalize on several scoring chances throughout the game. Not only did New York leave 12 runners on base, but the small lead they generated was squandered by an otherwise reliable bullpen.

San Diego tied it at two in the eighth on a double by hitting wizard Tony Gwynn then took the lead on an RBI hit by Phil Nevin. Both runs came against Armando Benitez, who hadn’t allowed an opponent to score in his first 9.2 innings as a Met reliever.

Hoffman came in to protect the 3-2 Padre advantage in the ninth, but gave up a lead-off single to John Olerud. That brought up Piazza, the greatest hitting catcher ever who could go with any pitch — even to the opposite field — and with power. He was stuck in a 1-for-13 slump since coming off the disabled list a few days earlier. But on the first pitch, a high outside fastball, it was classic Piazza.

As it sailed over the right-center field fence with Shea Stadium in a frenzy, he raised both arms with the bat in his left hand.

It was the first time the Padres lost a game after leading through eight innings since July 24, 1996, a credit primarily due to Hoffman — the premier closer in the National League and a future Hall-of-Famer.

“Most of the time he’ll get the best of me,” Piazza said the closer who’d tally over 600 career saves. “I’ll enjoy this one. They are few and far between against him.”

The Mets held a 2-1 lead on the strength of an Olerud home run in the first and Edgardo Alfonzo‘s RBI double in the fourth. Al Leiter protected the lead by holding the Padres to just four hits and a run over seven innings, but his offense couldn’t build on it. The Mets loaded the bases in the fourth inning against Padres starter Sterling Hitchcock only to come up empty. New York also threatened in the fifth and sixth. But all the missed chances were forgotten once Piazza made contact on Hoffman’s ninth-inning pitch.

The post OTD 1999: Mike Piazza Walks It Off Against Trevor Hoffman appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Those of you who have followed me over the last 15+ years on MMO, are well aware of my disdain for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). I don’t really have anything against any of their individual writers, other than the clowns who held their votes against Mike Piazza. But as a voting body they are totally incompetent and I’m tired of all the shenanigans.

Of their many ridiculous and even laughable moves, one of their most egregious sins came in 2018, when they elected Trevor Hoffman into the Hall of Fame.

That’s not to say that the longtime San Diego closer was not worthy of induction, he most definitely was. However there was another closer on the ballot who was even more deserving of Cooperstown. A closer who was more dominant and who outshined and outperformed Hoffman in every way.  Of course I’m talking about former Met, Billy Wagner.

Now before you go and jump down my throat, let me first make my case and examine some of the facts.

I want to begin with a head-to-head look at their primary career numbers which by themselves clearly make a strong case for Wagner over Hoffman.

Wagner: 853 G, 2.31 ERA, 187 ERA+, 2.73 FIP, 0.998 WHIP, 11.9 SO/9, .187 BAA, 27.7 bWAR

Hoffman: 1,035 G, 2.87 ERA, 141 ERA+, 3.08 FIP, 1.058 WHIP, 9.4 SO/9, 2.11 BAA, 27.9 bWAR

There’s no way anyone can objectively look at those numbers and not come away thinking Wagner was clearly the most dominant of the two. He edges out Hoffman in almost every category, and completely annihilates him in ERA+, FIP and strikeouts-per-nine.

The only two categories in which Hoffman has a significant advantage over Wagner is in Appearances and Saves, arguably the most flawed statistic in baseball. But that’s an argument for another day.

Hoffman: 1,035 G, 601 Saves

Wagner:  853 G, 422 Saves

Also keep in mind that if Wags had not retired as early as he did, he probably narrows that gap considerably.

As a matter of fact, in his final season at age 38, Wagner delivered one of the best and most memorable seasons in his career.

In 71 appearances during the 2010 season Wagner posted a 1.43 ERA, 0.865 WHIP, .159 BAA and a 13.5 strikeout rate. Are you freaking kidding me?

Wagner decided to hang ’em up after that season, citing that he wanted to spend more time with his children – a noble gesture indeed – but he clearly had a ton of fuel left in the tank. Who says no?

When you consider their career WAR, Hoffman does have a slight edge, but he also pitched in 200 more games than Wagner. However when you examine their peak WAR as illustrated in Baseball Reference, it’s Wagner again who comes out on top.

Hoffman: 19.4 7yr-peak WAR

Wagner: 19.8 7yr-peak WAR

Not enough for you? There are some more notable achievements that strengthens Wagners case for Cooperstown.

☆ His 11.9 K/9 and 33.2% strikeout rate are both the highest in MLB history among pitchers with at least 800 innings pitched.

☆ His .187 opposing batting average is the lowest in MLB history among pitchers with 800+ innings pitched.

☆ Among all closers in the Hall of Fame, Wagner would rank second in ERA, ERA+, FIP, WHIP and K/9. Only the great Mariano Rivera bests Wagner in these categories.

Wagner also strutted his stuff with the New York Mets after signing a four-year, $43 million deal. One of the rare occasions that the Amazins got what they paid for and more from a free agent.

During the span of 2006 to 2009, all Billy managed to do was post a 2.37 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 1.054 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 in 183 appearances with 101 saves.

Let me close this by saying this was not intended to knock Trevor Hoffman who I thoroughly enjoyed watching in his illustrious career. But clearly, Billy Wagner has staked a claim on a Hall of Fame nod, and it’s high time that the BBWAA do their due diligence and set things straight.

Hey Cooperstown, here comes Billy the Kid.

The post Billy Wagner Has Stronger Case Than Trevor Hoffman For Cooperstown appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

It isn’t much of a surprise Mike Piazza regularly dealt with the occupational hazards that come with the territory of being a major league catcher.

As the 1999 postseason ratcheted up, Piazza’s strong but weary body broke down.

He was only able to produce one extra-base hit, albeit a dramatic homer in Game 6 of the NLCS.

As the Mets embarked on a second consecutive postseason berth, he again fought off nagging ailments.

But the game’s best hitting backstop seemed no worse for wear.

He came into the week having avoided serious injury from his tumble into the stands at Dodger Stadium.

This, not long after a knee strain caused a brief absence from the lineup.

And on August 26 at Shea, Piazza was felled by the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Jay Bell after a collision at home plate.

He laid on the ground for a few breathless seconds, got up, and innings later connected for his 33rd home run of the year.

Though rarely did his production lead to any Mets runs, Mike hit .444 from August 21-27 and reached base at a 55 percent clip.

His batting average for the season rose to .347 and his OPS improved to 1.072.

Piazza’s two hits had little effect in the opener at San Diego. Benny Agbayani appeared to have provided the biggest blow — a three-run homer in the sixth which brought New York within a run.

The Mets tied it in the seventh, but lost in the tenth as Dennis Cook‘s control — or lack thereof — became costly.

He walked the leadoff hitter, then allowed a two-out single and another free pass before finally walking ex-Met Dave Magadan to force in the game-winner.

The ailing Piazza wasn’t the only key player discomforted.

Edgardo Alfonzo suffered a groin strain and a stiff neck and he missed the remainder of the series in San Diego. Mike Hampton, meanwhile, couldn’t shake the stress fracture in his right ribs.

His absence was glaringly apparent on August 22, the day he was slated to start against the Padres if not for his injury.

In his place was Pat Mahomes — and it did not go well.

He allowed a grand slam to left field by Damian Jackson in the second. He gave up back-to-back homers into the second deck at spacious Qualcomm Stadium in the third.

The final damage: seven hits, five walks, 10 runs — in just four innings.

How bad did it get for the Mets? Derek Bell — outfielder Derek Bell — came on to pitch/mop up in what became a 16-1 blowout.

Bell didn’t fare any better than his predecessors, but that was certainly to be expected.

The Padres scored five runs against his assortment of BP fastballs. When he recorded the final out, he tipped his cap to the Qualcomm fans.

If anything, Bell spelled a depleted bullpen.

Turk Wendell, John Franco, and Armando Benitez had already been used, while Rick White and Dennis Cook worked two innings each the night before.

What the Mets needed most was to give their weary relief staff a rest.

Al Leiter did just that.

The durable left-hander worked eight full innings and matched a season-high with 12 strikeouts.

Another Damian Jackson home run in the first inning didn’t deter him, as he went on to retire the next 14 Padres in succession.

A 1-1 tie persisted until the top of the sixth, when San Diego starter Matt Clement plunked Mike Bordick with the bases loaded.

Catcher Wiki Gonzalez made another error on a potential double play of Leiter which let another run cross the plate.

Lenny Harris added more insurance with an RBI single.

The only member of the relief staff who was needed was Benitez, who nailed down the 4-1 victory with save No. 34.

Leiter, meanwhile, improved to 14-5 with a 3.08 ERA.

With the combination of Leiter’s lengthy outing plus a travel day back east, manager Bobby Valentine could feel comforted knowing he had fresh arms at his disposal.

However, it was the Diamondbacks’ main arm that presented the greatest concern for New York.

Arizona came to Shea aiming to close the game on the Mets, who held a 5.5-game lead in the Wild Card standings.

And it couldn’t ask for a better person to send to the mound.

Randy Johnson was on the verge of his second straight NL Cy Young Award.

He came into the contest sporting a 16-4 record, a 2.30 ERA, and 278 strikeouts.

But if any team felt a sense of confidence against the “Big Unit,” it was these Mets. After all, they tagged Johnson for seven runs in Game 1 of last year’s Division Series and made him look human on May 21, scoring five times (despite 13 Ks), thanks primarily to mighty mite Joe McEwing.

And on August 4, he took another loss while his defense did him no favors.

Mortal Johnson showed up once more on August 25.

The Mets tallied three runs in the second with the help of a Matt Williams error.

Todd Zeile and Jay Payton then delivered third-inning RBI hits that pushed New York’s lead to 6-0 and sent Randy to the clubhouse.

At 2.1 innings, it was his shortest outing of the year.

The Mets continued to hammer Arizona pitching, eventually thumping the D-Backs, 13-1.

After the offense came down to earth on Saturday (save for Piazza’s post-collision homer), the Mets bats remained relatively silent in the rubber game.

Luckily, Mike Hampton was healthy again.

He showed no ill-effects of the rib injury which put him out for 10 days.

In eight innings, he gave up just three hits and one run.

And thanks to Zeile’s tiebreaking hit in the seventh, he left with the lead.

Diamondback arms were nearly as effective, while the defense kept the Mets in check as well.

Steve Finley made a wonderful catch in center field nearly a year too late.

The Mets gladly accepted that trade-off of being robbed in August 2000 versus October 1999 when Todd Pratt homered to send the Mets past Arizona and into the NLCS.

If Arizona wanted to entertain ideas of returning to the postseason, it would have to overtake the Mets again.

But by claiming two of three versus the D-Backs, New York built it’s Wild Card lead back up to five-and-a-half with nearly a month remaining in the regular season.

The post Reliving The 2000 Mets: Piazza, Hampton Play Through Pain appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

By late May, the Mets had led the league in frequent flyer miles. Beginning on May 22 and continuing through the Memorial Day weekend, Bobby Valentine‘s group jettisoned to San Diego, then east to St. Louis before u-turning to Los Angeles.

The Padres team that welcomed the New Yorkers into Qualcomm Stadium was a lethargic 17-26 and already 10 games off the pace in the NL West. But the presence of the Mets apparently injected some life into the last-place Pads, who took two out of three.

New York’s offense (which ranked near the bottom among National League clubs) in the opener was thwarted by eight shutout innings of three-hit ball from Matt Clement. Glendon Rusch matched Clement frame-for-frame with the best start of his young career — allowing three hits and walking two. The Mets ultimately blinked in the eighth when John Franco relinquished a go-ahead RBI single by Ruben Rivera to break the scoreless tie. Trevor Hoffman encountered some difficulty as he tried to close the door, but the ninth-inning threat was squashed.

The bats were not much more in tune the next night, and required help from their biggest bat to rescue them. After seven consecutive starts behind the plate, Mike Piazza was granted the evening off, save for pinch-hitting duties. His services were needed in the tenth with the score tied at three. Hoffman was on the mound, looking to notch another shutout inning. After Mark Johnson delivered a two-out single, pinch-hitter Piazza made Trevor pay — a two-run blast to the opposite field which turned out to be the difference.

Relief returned to despair the next night, specifically when it came to the latest in a string of poor performances from Bobby Jones. This time, he let the Padres plate four in the second inning before departing after five and actually seeing his ERA lower to 9.68.

Jones was bailed out by a New York rally, but the bullpen yielded another eighth-inning run that allowed the Padres to take the rubber game.

If the Mets supplied energy to a once-lifeless club, there wasn’t much more they could do to help the St. Louis Cardinals — 28-18 and sitting atop the NL Central. Thanks to improved pitching, the addition of center fielder Jim Edmonds, along with the slugging of Mark McGwire, the Cards eyed a return to postseason play for the first time since 1996. But the Mets more resembled championship contenders after the three-game set at Busch Stadium was over. In a preview of how things would unfold in October, the Mets outscored the Redbirds 23-12, made one error compared to their opponent’s five, and swept St. Louis in a variety of ways.

Game 1: Mike Hampton had another strong outing, going eight innings and giving up two runs while supplying two singles and a sacrifice fly at the plate. Edgardo Alfonzo went 2-for-4 and Robin Ventura tallied three RBIs. The Mets, collectively, drew nine walks.

Game 2: New York jumped all over Andy Benes with a five-run first — highlighted by Ventura’s three-run homer and Zeile’s subsequent solo shot. The early surge of momentum washed away by the bottom half of the inning. Rick Reed strained a muscle in his side and mistakenly tried to pitch through the pain. The result was the Cardinals canceling out the deficit and overtaking New York with a lead that carried into the late innings. That slim advantage would be short-lived thanks to Zeile. The former Cardinal delivered a grand slam in the eighth. Piazza and Jay Payton help provided tack-on runs. The ninth-inning single by Piazza was his sixth time reaching base in six trips to the plate.

”We go through some periods where we’re chasing some pitches,” Ventura said, according to the New York Times. ”If we’re patient and seeing pitches, that just shows some trust in the people behind you in the lineup.”

Game 3: the Mets pecked away at St. Louis starter Darryl Kile with the extra-base hit. Zeile continued to stick it to his old ‘mates with a home run in the second. Alfonzo and Todd Pratt catch the long ball fever as well in the third and fourth innings, respectively. Joe McEwing doubled in Zeile to give Rusch (who had been receiving lousy run support up to this point) what, for him, constituted as a sizable 5-2 advantage in the sixth. The rookie lefty went seven to pick up his second win in as many outings.

The sweep offered the momentum the Mets could take in their quick return to the West Coast to take on the Dodgers.

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