12 INNINGS
Marlins 3
Mets 2
The Mets are a team that comes along once in a lifetime. Once in a very long, miserable baseball lifetime.
Last night, the Flushing Nine broke a 91-year-old mark, setting the National League record for home futility by losing a doubleheader opener to Florida, 3-2, in 12 innings, for their 15th straight loss at Shea Stadium.
Armando Benitez blew a 2-1 ninth-inning lead by serving up a leadoff homer to Preston Wilson. Scott Strickland exploded upon the scene in the 12th and allowed the go-ahead run in the span of two batters.
“I don’t want to talk about frustration . . . ” manager Bobby Valentine said to begin his between-games press conference.
Apparently the Mets were not content to share the mark with the 1911 Boston Rustlers/Braves, as they moved a step closer to the major-league record of 20 straight home losses set by the 1953 St. Louis Browns.
In case you were wondering, 1953 was not the year the Browns employed the services of height-challenged Eddie Gaedel. But judging by the paltry attendance and poor performance by his team, Met owner Fred Wilpon might want to send out a midget.
The Mets were three outs away from snapping their 33-day winless drought at home when Benitez blew his fourth save this season. He threw a 95 mph fastball to Wilson only to see him turn it around and deposit it in the left-field seats.
Since July 20, Benitez has served up four leadoff homers, to Reggie Taylor, Russell Branyan, Craig Counsell and Wilson. Wilson’s 21st homer of the season tied the game at 2-2, and the teams played extra innings to extend the day even longer. The first pitch of the second game came at 9:10 p.m.
It was a postcard setting at Shea yesterday, though, and the postcard read, “The weather is beautiful. Wish you were here.”
At 5:10 p.m., the time of the doubleheader’s first pitch, there were approximately 400 fans in the stands, by the best estimate of reporters. At least one man wore a bag over his head.
With the U.S. Open across the street and real baseball over in The Bronx, there were other sporting choices. Condolences should go out to the adults who bought tickets for their families in February after GM Steve Phillips reshaped the roster. Many people thought the Mets would be a September contender, just like people once thought Olestra was a good idea.
How empty was it? When Florida pinch-hitter Tim Raines lost his bat into the stands behind the Mets dugout in the seventh inning of the opener, the lumber hit an empty seat, ricocheted about 10 rows and hit another empty seat.
“When I walked in from the bullpen, I noticed there weren’t a lot of people in the stands,” said Met starter John Thomson, who allowed one run over seven innings. “I didn’t know if it was because of the early start at 5 o’clock.”
Asked if the paltry crowd was unprecedented, Thomson said, “You’ve got to pitch in Montreal.”
To gauge how long the Mets’ home losing streak has been, look at what’s happened in the interim. The United States has flip-flopped about five times on whether or not to bomb Iraq, and rock frontman Axl Rose emerged from years of self-imposed seclusion with a reported facelift and a new version of his band Guns N’ Roses.
“It’s weird, is all I can say,” Thomson said. “It’s something I don’t think I’ve ever seen at any level.
“I don’t know. It’s one of those things you can’t explain.”