MIAMI (Ticker) -- Rickey Henderson homered twice and added a pair of
doubles and Bobby Jones allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings as
the New York Mets took the rubber game of a three-game series from the
Florida Marlins, 6-0.
Ironically, the game did not start off well for Henderson. Baseball's all-time
stolen base leader opened the contest with a walk and was picked off by
Florida starter Jesus Sanchez. But he homered in the third, doubled in the
fifth and seventh and capped his night by crushing another solo homer in the
eighth.
Henderson, who is the active leader in runs scored with 2,109, scored four
times. He also recorded his 10th two-homer game but first since July 22,
1993 when he was with Oakland.
After sputtering in an Opening Day loss on Monday, the Mets offense
continued to click. They recorded 13 hits for the second straight night and
their seven extra-base hits were one more than Tuesday.
Jones (1-0), a historically fast starter, was dominant in allowing just a double
and four singles. He walked one and struck out two. Dennis Cook tossed a
scoreless eighth, Armando Benitez got the first two batters in the ninth
before John Franco retired Bruce Aven to close the contest.
Sanchez (0-1) pitched in and out of trouble, surrendering two runs and six
hits over five innings. He walked three but helped himself with six strikeouts.
Henderson opened the scoring by leading off the third with his first homer of
the season and 267th of his career. New York tacked on another run in the
fifth when Jones singled and went to third on a double by Henderson.
After a groundout resulted in Jones being erased at the plate, Henderson
moved to third on a balk and scored on John Olerud's sacrifice fly.
The 40-year-old Henderson again got the Mets going in the seventh. After
leading off with a double, Henderson went to third on a bunt single by
Edgardo Alfonzo. Left-handed specialist Vic Darensbourg retired Olerud on
a pop out and Florida manager John Boles opted for Antonio Alfonseca.
Mike Piazza greeted Alfonseca with an RBI single for a three-run lead. One
out later, Robin Ventura pushed the lead to 5-0 with a sharp double into the
right-field corner.
Henderson's long homer with two out in the ninth capped the scoring.
Henderson homers twice for Mets
RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG
MIAMI (AP) -- The New York Mets' new leadoff hitter was a slugger
Wednesday night.
Rickey Henderson went 4-for-4, hitting two home runs and two doubles and
scoring four times, to lead New York past the Florida Marlins 6-0.
It was the 10th two-homer game for Henderson, 40, and his first since July
22, 1993, for Oakland against Boston.
"I've still got pop in the bat," said Henderson, who struggled in spring training.
"I knew my bat speed was still there."
Henderson walked in the first, then led off the third with a 417-homer to dead
center field. He doubled and scored in the fifth, doubled and scored in the
seventh and hit a solo homer in the eighth.
"If anybody can carry a team from the leadoff spot, it's him," teammate Mike
Piazza said.
Henderson, acquired during the Mets' winter spending spree, improved his
on-base percentage to .643 (9-for-14) in three games. He's hitting .545 with a
slugging percentage of 1.364.
"Let's bottle it up and keep it for a while," manager Bobby Valentine said.
"The guy has been a great player for a lot of years," Marlins manager John
Boles said. "He still has power. He still has speed. He might be around when
he's 50."
The only flaw in Henderson's performance came in the first inning, when he
was picked off first by Jesus Sanchez.
"I thought he had a balk move, to tell you the truth," Henderson said.
Later, from second base, Henderson rattled Sanchez into a costly balk.
"We're 1-1," Henderson said with a smile. "We evened it up."
Henderson signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract last winter, then hit just
.130 (7-for-54) in spring training.
"Maybe it shows that spring training statistics don't necessarily mean anything,"
Valentine said. "He just worked on the things he knew he had to work on."
"In spring training I was reaching out trying to hit the ball," Henderson said.
"Since the season started I've been more patient."
Henderson wasn't the only star Wednesday. Another Mets newcomer, Gold
Glove third baseman Robin Ventura, robbed Preston Wilson and Derrek Lee
of hits and doubled home two runs.
Bobby Jones (1-0), who had a 6.30 ERA in five spring training starts, pitched
seven shutout innings. He allowed five hits and walked one against a Marlins
lineup that totaled 35 home runs last year.
Dennis Cook, Armando Benitez and John Franco completed the six-hitter.
Sanchez (0-1) allowed six hits in five innings and left trailing 2-0.
The Mets broke the game open with three runs in the seventh. Henderson
doubled, took third on Edgardo Alfonzo's infield hit and scored on a
broken-bat single by Mike Piazza. Ventura then lined a double that landed on
the right-field foul line, making the score 5-0.
Sanchez's balk helped New York score in the fifth. Jones singled and took
third on a double by Henderson, then was tagged out at home on a groundout.
The balk advanced runners to second and third, and Henderson scored on a
sacrifice fly by John Olerud.
"It's always good to get off to a good start with a new team," Henderson said.
Notes: Henderson has 2,019 runs scored for his career, sixth best all-time. ...
Marlins right fielder Mark Kotsay missed the game with a bone bruise in his
left knee. He's expected to rejoin the lineup Friday against Philadelphia. ...
Bobby Bonilla went 0-for-4, dropping his lifetime average against the Marlins
to .213 (23-for-108). ... Sanchez tied for the major league lead with 12
pickoffs last year. ... Kevin Orie was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Jones in
the fourth, but he stayed in the game.
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