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NLCS notebook McGwire pinch-hits in fourth, flies out
Updated: Sunday October 15, 2000 2:24 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Mark McGwire didn't have to wait all afternoon for his one chance of the game. He made his pinch-hitting appearance early, in the fourth inning Saturday with the bases loaded, but failed to deliver. Batting for Ray Lankford, McGwire lofted a high fly ball to left that was caught for the third out. The Shea Stadium crowd was on its feet for McGwire's entire at-bat, but it was one of the few things they got to cheer as St. Louis defeated New York 8-2. The Mets still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Sunday. "Yes I was' surprised," Lankford said. "But it's understandable -- bases loaded, two outs. That was our chance to break the game open." Now, with the series far from over, there should be more intrigue as St. Louis manager Tony La Russa tries to find the exact right time to put McGwire in as a pinch-hitter. McGwire has tendinitis in his right knee and cannot play the field, reducing his role to a nightly cameo. "I'm actually surprised I'm doing this. If you had asked me a month ago if I'd be doing this, I'd have said no way. I'm pretty happy with the position I'm in right now," McGwire said. "I wish I had four or five at-bats a game to do what I do, but I only have one and I'm happy to do this." In Game 1, McGwire was ready with the Cardinals trailing by three runs in the eighth. Shawon Dunston batted with two outs and a runner on first, and McGwire would have hit had he got on, but Dunston lined out. In Game 2, McGwire got ready to hit three times, then finally drew an intentional walk after pinch-hitter J.D. Drew tied the game at 5 with an RBI double in the eighth. This time, Mets reliever Glendon Rusch got him to swing just a little beneath a ball in the strike zone, leading to a fly out instead of a grand slam. "It just hit the bottom part of the bat," McGwire said.
No world cupDon't count Mets manager Bobby Valentine among those looking to see an international World Cup in baseball. To him, the idea of using an All-Star team in international competition just doesn't seem right. "I think it's diametrically opposed to what the Asian culture thinks about as a team," he said. "I think the strength of their teams is that they work together and play together continuously. "They know each other, and their team is much stronger than the group of the kids. Therefore, their All-Star group, I don't think, is as strong as our All-Star group because our individuals are really the thing that separates us." Valentine also doesn't want to see too many Japanese players come to the major leagues. "My personal preference is to keep that league strong. I don't like when good players leave there and come here. I think the best thing for the world would be for them to maintain a strong league and keep getting better so there could be true world competition some day," Valentine said.
Decimated rotationNo one in the Cardinals' rotation missed a start until Aug. 20, when Andy Benes went on the disabled list with a knee injury. In the postseason, they've sprung a major leak. Garrett Stephenson (16-9) is out with an elbow injury after lasting only 3 2-3 innings in his lone playoff start, and Rick Ankiel has thrown seven wild pitches and walked nine in 3 1-3 innings. "I think it's something that if you're not careful, you would give in to it," La Russa said. "We're not going to give in to it." Another rookie, 27-year-old Britt Reames, likely will start Game 6 Wednesday if the series goes that far. Reames replaced Game 3 starter Benes in the rotation for a month and allowed one run in 4 1-3 innings of Game 2.
Quick TurnaroundCardinals 20-game winner Darryl Kile will go on three days' rest for the first time all year in Game 4 Sunday. He threw 83 pitches in seven innings of Game 1. "He couldn't have been set up better for it," La Russa said. "He's been protected all year long so he'd have that little extra for this time of the year." Kile didn't think the short rest would affect him. "I've been a guy that throws a lot all the time," he said. "I pretty much play catch every day."
Balls and strikesKeith Hernandez, who won the World Series as a member of both the Cardinals and Mets, threw out the first pitch. ... Among the Mets players getting the loudest ovations in pregame introductions were Benny Agbayani, Al Leiter and John Franco. The crowd also cheered for Ankiel, who threw seven pitches to the backstop in Game 2 and didn't make it out of the first inning. Ankiel playfully acknowledged the cheers with a wave of his cap. ... Edgardo Alfonzo extended his postseason hitting streak to nine games, the longest such streak in Mets history. ... Agbayani has hit in eight straight games. ... The gametime temperature was 76 degrees on a gorgeous October afternoon.
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