Remembering Mets History: (2000) Mike Piazza Has A Career High Five Hit Night

Friday April 14th 2000: It was still early in the season for the eventual NL Champions, but these Mets were showing they could hit & score runs all along. 

The reigning NL Wild Card Champs were led by future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza & tonight was one of his big nights as he had a career best five hit games.

Bobby Valentines Mets (5-5) visited Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium to face Gene Lamont's Pirates (4-5).

It was to be a long four hour & ten-minute affair that would go twelve innings before being decided.

The starting pitchers for the night were the Mets Al Leiter & the Pirates Jason Schmidt.

After a scoreless first inning, Mike Piazza led off the top of the 2nd with a base hit, his first of the night. He would advance on a single from Joe Nunnaly but left stranded at third base.

In the bottom of the 2nd, the Pirates Will Cordero led off with a HR giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead. In the top of the 3rd Rickey Henderson & Derek Bell singled for the Mets. With Henderson on third, Edgardo Alfonso hit a sac fly to tie up the game. Piazza would draw a walk in his second at bat but left on base as the inning soon ended.

The score remained tied until the top of the 5th. With one out Edgardo Alfonso tripled in the gap on left center. Piazza then came up & doubled bringing in the Mets second run with his second hit of the day.

The Pirates tied it in the home 5th after Jason Kendall singled & scored on Riskey Henderson's outfield error.

With the score still tied in the top of the 7th, Mike Piazza collected his fourth hit of the day a HR to right field. It was his second HR of the season. Robin Ventura followed going back-to-back to give the Mets a 4-2 lead.

In the bottom of the 8th with Leiter still pitching, Kevin Young homered to make it a 4-3 game.

Al Leiter went 7.2 innings allowing three runs, two earned on six hits. He struck out six while walking three. Turk Wendell came on to close out the 8th inning. 

Armando Benitez came on for the 9th inning and in a much too familiar scene blew a one run lead sending the game to extra innings. After he had struck out the first two batters, he couldn't close the door as Jason Kendall doubled & Pat Mears followed with the game tying triple.

From there it was John Franco who would pitch two scoreless innings in the 10th & 11th. In the bottom of the 11thJason Kendall reached on an error by Robin Ventura but he was caught trying to steal off Mike Piazza. Franco hit Pat Mears with a pitch & then retired Jose Silva on a ground ball.

The Pirates got scoreless relief innings from Marc Wilkins (8th) Scott Sauerbeck (9th) & Mike Williams (10th).

As the game went to the top of the 12th inning, the Mets attacked Pirate reliever Jose Silva. Rey Ordonez singled then pinch hitter Benny Agbayani doubled to left field. With two on, Melvin Mora singled up the middle bringing in both runs putting the Mets ahead 6-4.

Edgardo Alfonzo then drew a walk. The big man of the night, Mike Pizza came up & hit his second HR of the night. A long shot to straight away centerfield giving the Mets an 8-4 lead.

It was Piazza's fifth hit of the night & his second HR as
he had driven in four runs, scored two runs & drew a walk raising his early season average to .350. 

The HR was his third on the season where he would go on to hit 38 HRs bat .324 drive in 113 run & lead the Mets to the NL Pennant. 

Dennis Cook came on to close it in the bottom of the 12th. He walked Kevin Young to start the inning then with one out threw a wild pitch. He gave up hits to Warren Moris & Mike Benjamin making it an 8-5 ball game final.