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Notebook Stanton was Yankees' other hero out of bullpen
Updated: Friday October 27, 2000 2:25 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Mike Stanton was the picture of perfection for the New York Yankees in the World Series. The left-handed reliever had an MVP-type performance, retiring all 13 batters he faced in the Series, including three in Thursday night's 4-2 title-clinching victory over the New York Mets in Game 5. Stanton pitched 4 1/3 innings and won in two of his four Subway Series appearances, including Game 5. He became the first reliever since Toronto's Duane Ward in 1992 to win twice in a World Series. "I was just, well it sounds kind of hokey, but I'm just glad to participate and have any kind of play in this game," said Stanton, who has been in nine consecutive postseasons -- the last four with the Yankees. Of the 13 batters Stanton set down, 12 were right-handed -- with the only lefty being Timo Perez, who was one of Stanton's seven strikeout victims. "It's no secret what I'm going to come at hitters with," Stanton said. "I just have to make quality pitches. I'm not worried about righty-lefty, but it's worked out well." He struggled late in the season, but was at his best when it mattered most for manager Joe Torre and the Yankees. "Well, I hate to say it, but I'm kind of known for doing that -- having a stretch during the season that I don't get anybody out," Stanton said. "But Joe, you can't say enough about Joe. He kept running me out there, and before too long I was able to work my way out of it." Mets outfielder Bubba Trammell faced Stanton three times in the Series, and like the rest of his teammates, was stymied by the left-hander. "He did a great job," Trammell said. "He's a great lefty out of their bullpen. He has been for a long time. It's not like we didn't know about him. He made great pitches. I just tip my cap to him." Subway souvenirsThe Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets will be commemorated at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Among the items being sent to the Hall of Fame for display are: Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez's shoes; the bat Jose Vizcaino used to deliver his Game 1-winning hit; the bat Luis Sojo used to win Game 5, which belonged to teammate Clay Bellinger; Mike Piazza's helmet; John Franco's hat; Al Leiter's spikes; and the Yankees' Game 1 lineup card. There was something Jeff Idelson, a vice president of the Hall of Fame, did not take. When he asked El Duque how he would like to be remembered by Cuban-Americans, the Yankees pitcher replied, "I'll give my right arm." Searching for a sparkThe New York Mets figured they'd try something different against the New York Yankees in Game 5. And they again fell short. Manager Bobby Valentine made three major lineup changes in Thursday night's 4-2 loss, benching shortstop Mike Bordick in favor of Kurt Abbott, batting Benny Agbayani in the leadoff spot, and replacing sparkplug Timo Perez in right field with Bubba Trammell. Bordick, acquired by the Mets in July to bolster the shortstop position, was 1-for-8 in the Series. Abbott went 1-for-3 in Game 5. Perez, a late-season call-up who immediately became a fan favorite for his hustle and fearless style of play, was 2-for-16 (.125) with one run scored in the leadoff spot. Valentine opted to put Agbayani, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI, at the top of the lineup. Trammell, who had three RBIs in three pinch-hit appearances in the Series, went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Game 5. Perez replaced Trammell in the ninth. "I wasn't surprised to see my name in the lineup, but I was happy," Trammell said. The Yankees also made a slight change to their lineup, dropping Derek Jeter to his normal No. 2 spot, despite his leadoff homer in Game 4. Jose Vizcaino led off instead and went 0-for-3. Jeter, who extended his World Series hitting streak to 14 games with a homer in the sixth, was 1-for-4. Drying outA night after the New York Yankees' locker room at Shea Stadium was flooded when a water pipe in the ceiling burst, things were almost back to normal. When firefighters opened a standpipe to douse a smoky trash container fire, pressure built up in a pipe above the clubhouse near the weights and hot tub and caused it to burst in the sixth inning Wednesday night. The Mets replaced the carpeting and put new ceiling tiles in, although the clubhouse was still a bit damp and humid. Even Yankees owner George Steinbrenner got into the cleanup Wednesday night, moving clubhouse furniture around to avoid further water damage. "Well there weren't too many of us in there," Steinbrenner said. "We had to move that furniture around. The Mets did a great job cleaning up. They've been great to us." Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson, who was in the clubhouse when the pipe burst, was also impressed with the cleanup. "I think they must have worked overnight because they did a really great job," Nelson said. "There's a few mosquitoes, so hopefully there isn't any of that West Nile stuff flying around." Around the horn
Members of the New York Mets 1986 World Series champions -- catcher Gary Carter, first baseman Keith Hernandez, outfielders Lenny Dykstra and Mookie Wilson, and pitcher Ron Darling -- took part in the ceremonial first pitch. ... Marc Anthony replaced the ill Aretha Franklin and sang the national anthem ... Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is tied with Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers for first place with six career World Series saves. ... Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams was 0-for-15 in the Series and hitless in his last 22 Series at-bats before homering in the second inning of Game 5 to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. He finished 2-for-3. ... Brian Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, was not at the game because his mother-in-law, Barbara Bresnan, died of a heart attack earlier Thursday.
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