Mets Extend Season Opening Streak to 5, Defeat Barons 7-3

BOXSCORE: 1986 New York Mets At 2001 Birmingham Barons 4/9/2010

Mets AB R H RBI AVG Barons AB R H RBI AVG
E.Alfonzo 2B 5 1 2 1 .381 C.Bell LF 3 0 1 0 .200
K.Hernandez 1B 3 2 0 0 .211 S.Jones P 0 0 0 0 .000
C.Jones LF 4 1 3 1 .350 C-C.Torriente PH 0 0 0 0 .500
D.Strawberry RF 5 2 1 1 .292 D-O.Johnson PH 1 0 0 0 .000
C.Beltran CF 4 0 0 0 .167 W.Brown CF 3 1 0 0 .250
D.Wright 3B 5 0 3 3 .316 C.Smith RF 4 0 0 0 .368
T.Hundley C 5 0 0 0 .250 J.Gibson C 4 1 1 2 .524
J.Reyes SS 4 1 2 1 .278 M.Suttles 1B 3 1 1 1 .286
S.Fernandez P 3 0 0 0 .000 J.Beckwith 3B 4 0 2 0 .263
B-B.Agbayani PH 1 0 0 0 .000 R.Cannady 2B 4 0 1 0 .400
R.McDowell P 0 0 0 0 ---- D.Moore SS 3 0 0 0 .278
J.Orosco P 0 0 0 0 ---- W.Bell P 2 0 0 0 .000
A-S.Pennington PH,LF 1 0 0 0 .000
-- -- -- --- -- -- -- ---
Totals 39 7 11 7 Totals 32 3 6 3

A-Pinch Hit For Bell In 7th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Fernandez In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Jones In 9th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Torriente In 9th Inning

Mets............ 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 1 1 - 7 11 0
Barons.......... 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 3 6 1

Mets (5-0) IP H R ER BB SO HR PC ERA SCORESHEET
S.Fernandez WIN(1-0) 7 4 2 2 4 5 1 112 2.57 A1 D1
R.McDowell 1 2/3 2 1 1 1 0 1 30 5.40 D2 D9
J.Orosco SAVE(1st) 0 1/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.00 E1
Totals 9 6 3 3 5 6 2

Barons (2-3) IP H R ER BB SO HR PC ERA SCORESHEET
W.Bell LOSS(0-1) 7 8 5 4 3 4 0 133 5.14 A1 D6
S.Jones 2 3 2 2 1 3 0 33 6.23 D7
Totals 9 11 7 6 4 7 0

ATTENDANCE- 37,998 DATE- Friday, April 9th 2010 TIME- Night
UMPIRES- Bill Klem, Brian Runge, Eric Gregg, Cy Rigler
T- 3:20
LEFT ON BASE- Mets: 9 Barons: 7
DOUBLE PLAYS- Mets: 1 Barons: 0
ERRORS- J.Beckwith
DOUBLES- E.Alfonzo-2(4th), C.Jones(2nd), D.Wright(1st), R.Cannady(3rd)
HOME RUNS- J.Gibson(3rd), M.Suttles(2nd)
STOLEN BASES- J.Beckwith(1st)
WALKS- K.Hernandez-2, C.Jones, C.Beltran, C.Bell, W.Brown, M.Suttles, D.Moore,
S.Pennington
STRIKE OUTS- K.Hernandez, D.Strawberry-2, C.Beltran, T.Hundley-3, O.Johnson,
C.Smith, M.Suttles-2, J.Beckwith, R.Cannady
GIDP- C.Smith

At Rickwood Field the New York Mets easily handled the Birmingham Barons by
the score of 7 to 3, stretching their season opening winning streak to five. David Wright spearheaded the offense with three hits and 3 RBI.

Sid Fernandez(1-0) had a solid outing for New York. He allowed only 2 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks in 7 innings (both runs scoring on a Josh Gibson homerun). Birmingham was out-hit by New York, 11 hits to 6.

Fernandez was helped out by Jesse Orosco who recorded his 1st save. William
Bell(0-1) was charged with the loss. He pitched 7 innings and surrendered 5 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits and 3 walks.

The Barons got things started in the first inning. After a 1 out walk to Willard Brown, Gibson blasted his 3rd home run of the season to left-center field to put Birmingham up 2-0. Fernandez would settle down after that, only allowing 3 more hits through the seventh inning as the Baron offense "went to bed (in the words of rightfielder Chino Smith)" until the ninth.

The Mets went to work on Birmingam starter William Bell in the fourth. Keith Hernandez started things off with a walk. Cleon Jones lined a single to center. Then came the key play of the game-on a grounder to third by Darryl Strawberry, John Beckwith threw wide of the bag for an error. Carlos Beltran's shallow fly did not advance anyone, but Wright's single sure did-scoring two runs to tie the game and advancing Straw to third. Bell recovered to strike out Todd Hundley, but Jose Reyes lined a clutch two out single to right, putting the Mets up 3-2 and giving the Mets a lead they would not relinqish.

The Mets spent the rest of the evening playing "add-on". While El Sid kept the Barons at bay, the Mets extended their lead in the fifth. In an instant replay of the fourth, Hernandez drew a one out walk and Jones singled. Strawberry then singled to drive in the fourth New York run. In the seventh, doubles by Edghardo Alfonzo and Jones drove in the fifth Met run.

Bell came out for a pinch hitter in the seventh, but the Mets kept the heat on reliever Slim Jones. RBI doubles by Alfonzo in the 8th and Wright in the 9th added two more runs to the Amazins total, giving them a 7-2 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth.

The Barons finally woke up in the last of the ninth. Mule Suttles led off the ninth with a solo homerun (No. 2 for the Mule) off Roger McDowell, who had relieved Fernandez to start the eighth. Beckwith then singled. McDowell bore down and got the next two outs, but Art "Superman" Pennington kept the game alive for the Barons by drawing a walk. When Birmingham skipper Bruce Petway announced Cristobal Torriente as a pinch hitter for Slim Jones, Mets manager Bobby Valentine countered with lefty Orosco. Petway then went with righty Heavy Johnson instead, but Orosco fanned the stocky right handed power threat to end the game.

"These other teams better not let us get too far ahead" said Valentine after the game. "We keep this up, and it will look like 1986 all over again (referring to the world champion team that won 20 of their first 24 games and ran away with the NL East").

Petway stated his team was not down after the loss, but added "We've got the Mets two best starters coming up (Seaver and Gooden); we have to play better than this if we want to get back on the right side of things".


*** TOP OF INNING 1 ***
0 E.Alfonzo 3- 8 3 Pop Out b-0
1 K.Hernandez 1- 7 3 Fly Out b-0
2 C.Jones 4- 5 3 Fly Out b-0
*** BOTTOM OF INNING 1 ***
0 C.Bell 4- 4 4 Ground Out b-0
1 W.Brown 1- 7 5 Walk b-1
1 1 C.Smith 4- 8 6 Strike Out b-0
2 1 J.Gibson 1- 6 1 Home Run 1-H b-H
2 M.Suttles 3- 6 6 Strike Out b-0
*** TOP OF INNING 2 ***
0 D.Strawberr 4- 7 4 Strike Out b-0
1 C.Beltran 5-11 3 Fly Out b-0
2 D.Wright 2- 6 3 Single b-1
2 1 T.Hundley 6-11 6 Fly Out b-0
*** BOTTOM OF INNING 2 ***
0 J.Beckwith 5- 4 6 Fly Out b-0
1 R.Cannady 4- 8 5 Strike Out b-0
2 D.Moore 1- 5 4 Walk b-1
2 1 W.Bell 4-11 5 Fly Out b-0
*** TOP OF INNING 3 ***
0 J.Reyes 5 Ground Out b-0
1 S.Fernandez 3- 8 2 Ground Out b-0
2 E.Alfonzo 5- 7 4 Ground Out b-0
*** BOTTOM OF INNING 3 ***
0 C.Bell 2- 5 5 Walk b-1
0 1 W.Brown 3- 6 3 Fly Out b-0
1 1 C.Smith 1- 9 20 6 Line Out b-0
2 1 J.Gibson 6-10 4 Ground Out b-0
*** TOP OF INNING 4 ***
0 K.Hernandez 3- 5 5 Walk b-1
0 1 C.Jones 1- 8 4 Single 1-2 b-1
0 12 D.Strawberr 4- 4 6 1 Base Error - 3B 2-3 1-2 b-1
0 123 C.Beltran 4-10 6 Fly Out b-0
1 123 D.Wright 6- 9 18 1 Single 3-H 2-H 1-3 b-1
1 1 3 T.Hundley 1- 8 3 Strike Out b-0
2 1 3 J.Reyes 6- 9 7 4 Single 3-H 1-3 b-1
2 1 3 S.Fernandez 4- 5 5 Fly Out b-0
*** BOTTOM OF INNING 4 ***
0 M.Suttles 3- 4 5 Walk b-1
0 1 J.Beckwith 5 Single 1-3 b-1
0 1 3 1 Stolen Base 1-2
0 23 R.Cannady 1- 8 3 Fly Out b-0
1 23 D.Moore 3- 4 2 Pop Out b-0
2 23 W.Bell 5- 7 5 Ground Out b-0
*** TOP OF INNING 5 ***
0 E.Alfonzo 3- 8 5 Pop Out b-0
1 K.Hernandez 1- 3 5 Walk b-1
1 1 C.Jones 1- 6 4 5 Single 1-3 b-1
1 1 3 D.Strawberr 4- 9 8 2 Single 3-H 1-3 b-1
1 1 3 C.Beltran 2- 6 3 Strike Out b-0
2 1 3 D.Wright 4- 4 5 Ground Out b-0
*** BOTTOM OF INNING 5 ***
0 C.Bell 3- 6 2 Single b-1
0 1 W.Brown 2-11 4 Fly Out b-0
1 1 C.Smith 5- 7 3 Ground Out Double Play 1-o b-0
*** TOP OF INNING 6 ***
0 T.Hundley 3- 6 20 5 Ground Out b-0
1 J.Reyes 5- 2 14 5 Fly Out b-0
2 S.Fernandez 5- 8 3 Fly Out b-0
*** BOTTOM OF INNING 6 ***
0 J.Gibson 2- 3 1 Ground Out b-0
1 M.Suttles 5- 6 4 Strike Out b-0
2 J.Beckwith 6- 8 3 Strike Out b-0
*** TOP OF INNING 7 ***
0 E.Alfonzo 4- 9 8 6 Double b-2
0 2 K.Hernandez 5-10 5 Ground Out 2-3 b-0
1 3 C.Jones 1- 7 7 5 Double 3-H b-2
1 2 D.Strawberr 4- 7 3 Strike Out b-0
2 2 C.Beltran 0 Int Walk b-1
2 12 D.Wright 5- 7 6 Ground Out b-0
*** BOTTOM OF INNING 7 ***
0 R.Cannady 2- 8 16 3 Double b-2
0 2 D.Moore 6- 9 6 2 Line Out b-0
SUBSTITUTE PH- Superman Pennington
1 2 S.Penningto 3-10 3 Fly Out b-0
2 2 C.Bell 5- 7 6 Ground Out b-0
*** TOP OF INNING 8 ***
SUBSTITUTE P - Slim Jones
SUBSTITUTE LF- Superman Pennington
0 T.Hundley 1- 7 3 Strike Out b-0
1 J.Reyes 2- 8 3 Single b-1
SUBSTITUTE PH- Benny Agbayani
1 1 B.Agbayani 6- 3 3 Fly Out b-0
2 1 E.Alfonzo 2- 6 19 1 Double 1-H b-2
2 2 K.Hernandez 4- 8 4 Strike Out b-0
*** BOTTOM OF INNING 8 ***
SUBSTITUTE P - Roger McDowell
0 W.Brown 5- 7 5 Ground Out b-0
1 C.Smith 6- 6 3 Pop Out b-0
2 J.Gibson 6- 4 3 Fly Out b-0
*** TOP OF INNING 9 ***
0 C.Jones 3- 8 5 Walk b-1
0 1 D.Strawberr 1- 4 5 Force Play 1-o b-1
1 1 C.Beltran 4-10 2 Fly Out b-0
2 1 D.Wright 2- 6 3 Double 1-H b-2
2 2 T.Hundley 3- 5 4 Strike Out b-0
*** BOTTOM OF INNING 9 ***
0 M.Suttles 2-12 1 Home Run b-H
0 J.Beckwith 1- 8 16 4 Single b-1
0 1 R.Cannady 1- 9 2 Ground Out 1-2 b-0
1 2 D.Moore 4- 3 6 Fly Out b-0
2 2 S.Penningto 1- 8 6 Walk b-1
SUBSTITUTE PH- Cristobal Torriente
SUBSTITUTE P - Jesse Orosco
SUBSTITUTE PH- Oscar Heavy Johnson
2 12 O.Johnson 2- 8 3 Strike Out b-0