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Benches clear after Payton beaned
NEW YORK (AP) -- With the New York Mets just an inning away from winning the pennant, the NL Championship Series turned ugly. Jay Payton was beaned by Dave Veres of St. Louis in the eighth inning of New York's 7-0 pennant-winning victory Monday night, causing the benches to clear and helmeted police to go on the field. "There's only one person that ever knows the intent, but nobody's going to stand up and say they were throwing at somebody's head," Payton said. "That's suicide." With the Cardinals trailing by seven runs, Veres threw a high-and-tight pitch to Payton on an 0-2 count, then hit him above the left eye with the next pitch. "I'm not a headhunter by any means," said Veres, a seven-year veteran who turns 34 Saturday. "I didn't think anything was going to happen. I obviously wasn't trying to hurt anybody. I'm not that kind of a player. You understand his feelings. "Why would I hit you? Think about it. Nothing to prove right there. It's different if he's 9-for-10 off me or raking me." Payton, blood streaming from above his left eyebrow, immediately charged the mound and players and coaches ran on to the field from the dugouts and bullpens. "The reaction was instantaneous because the emotion was high," Mets first baseman Todd Zeile said. Payton said he didn't think Veres was throwing at him. "When you get hit in the head, it feels like a sucker punch," the rookie outfielder said. "I don't feel like there was probably any intent, but it's just one of those things. You get hit in the head, you want to get up and hit somebody." Mets manager Bobby Valentine spoke with Cardinals counterpart Tony La Russa about the beaning after the game. "When I met with Tony out on the field, Tony assured me on everything that's sacred that that was nothing more then an accident," Valentine said. While there was plenty of shoving, no significant punches appeared to be thrown. "It looked bad. There was absolutely no chance it was intentional," La Russa said. "It looked terrible, but cooler heads prevailed." Former Cardinal Joe McEwing pinch ran for Payton, and the game resumed after a delay of about 5 minutes. Payton was in the Mets dugout when the game ended, a band aid above the eye. Veres wondered what would happen at the end of the inning. "I was more worried walking off the field. That's why I kind of looked up," he said, "to make sure nobody was going to throw anything at me."
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