126 - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 4, 1999
Astros clinch third straight division title
HOUSTON (AP) - The Astros aren't
done with the Astrodome just yet.
The Houston Astros won their third
straight NL Central title, routing the
Dodgers 9-4 yesterday as Mike Hampton
became the N's only 22-game winner.
In the Astrodome's final regular-season
game, Ken Caminiti put Houston ahead
with a bases-loaded walk in the first
inning.
Daryle Ward followed with a three-run
double and the Astros coasted, finally
shaking off the late-season challenge of the
Cincinnati Reds, who were still tied for
first before losing Saturday.
Pitching on three days' rest, Hampton
(22-4) allowed three hits in seven innings
and struck out eight, winning for the ninth
time in 10 decisions. He also set a team
single-season record for wins, topping Joe
Niekro's 21-1 1 record in 1979.
Houston will open the playoffs at
Atlanta or Arizona on Tuesday and will
return to the Astrodome for Game 3 Friday.
Last year, the Astros lost to San Diego 3-1
in the first round.
While the Astrodome was billed as the
"Eighth Wonder of the World" when it
opened in1965, Houston decided it needed
more luxury seats and a more intimate ball-
park. Next year, the Astros move to Enron
Field, a new $250 million stadium.
With a 12-game winning streak at the
start of September, Houston appeared to
gain control. But the Astros, who won the
division by 12 games last year, then strug-
gled, losing nine of their final 15.
This one didn't have quite the drama of
Houston's 1986 title clincher, a no-hitter by
Mike Scott on the final day of the season.
But there was plenty of pomp for the
52,033 fans to see.
Country music singer Charlie Pride
sang the national anthem and Astros presi-
dent Tal Smith, who oversaw construction
of the Astrodome, threw out a ceremonial
first pitch along with manager Larry
Dierker, a former Astros pitcher.
Los Angeles originally planned to start
Kevin Brown on three days' rest, then
decided against it after Brown (18-9) didn't
win Wednesday and lost the chance to win
20.
After striking out Craig Biggio leading
off the first, Robinson Checo (2-2) walked
four straight batters: Stan Javier, Jeff
Bagwell, Carl Everett and Caminiti. Ward
followed with a double to the right-center
field wall.
Raul Mondesi had an RBI single in the
third inning, but Houston made it 6-1 on
Caminiti's 13th homer in the third inning
and Tony Eusebio's RBI grounder in the
fifth.
Houston increased the lead to 9-1 in the
sixth on Javier's run-scoring double, Glen
Barker's RBI single and a run-scoring error
by pitcher Jamie Arnold.
an eOTO
Houston's Jeff Bagwell and Craig BIggio celebrate their 9-4 win over the Dodgers yesterday, clinching
them the National League Central Division title for the third straight year.
Let the Postseason begin
Mets win wild one, fly to
Cincy for one-game playoff
NEW YORK (AP) - Wild pitch, wild finish
and maybe wild card for the New York Mets.
Just days after being counted out of the play-
off chase, the Mets assured themselves at least a
tie for the NL wild card when Melvin Mora
scored on Brad Clontz's ninth-inning wild pitch
for a 2-1 win yesterday over the Pirates.
After blowing a four-game lead with 12 left,
the Mets began the final weekend two games
behind Cincinnati and Houston. But New York
swept three from the Pirates while the Reds lost
their first two games at Milwaukee.
The Mets jubilantly ran on the field after
Clontz's first 'pitch to Mike Piazza with the
bases loaded and one out skipped to the back-
stop.
"I guess it's kind of indicative of the season
we've had," Piazza said. "Everyone had us
buried six feet under"
But New York still did not know where it
would play next.
The start of Cincinnati's game at Milwaukee
was delayed by rain. The Reds eventually won,
forcing a one-game playoff today in Cincinnati.
"I had tears in my eyes in the bullpen" said
Mets reliever John Franco, who has never been
to the postseason in his 16-year career.
"Just to have the opportunity to play," he said.
"Three or four days ago, everybody counted us
out."
After losing their final five games last year to
fall one game short of a wild-card playoff, the
Mets lost seven in a row to blow their lead this
year. But by winning four of the last five, they
made certain their season would go on for at
least another day.
Mora, 4-for-30 in his career, hit a one-out sin-
gle off Greg Hansell (1-3) to right. With the
crowd chanting 'Let's go, Mets!" Edgardo
Alfonzo lined a single to right that sent Mora to
third.
Hansell intentionally walked John Olerud to
load the bases for Piazza, who led the NL this
year in grounding into double plays.
But that was never a factor when Clontz, who
briefly pitched for the Mets last year, threw
alow-and-outside pitch that catcher Joe Oliver
could not handle. The ball bounced onto the
screen behind home plate, allowing Mora to
score and sending the Mets pouring out of the
dugout and bullpen.
They mobbed Mora as he crossed the plate,
letting out all of the frustration of the past two
weeks that threatened to taint the entire season.
Policemen - some on horses - immediately
lined the field as the crowd stood and cheered
for more than 10 minutes.
Signs of the postseason were all around Shea
Stadium: The Mets arrived at the park Sunday
with their bags packed for a playoff trip; a plane
was waiting at nearby LaGuardia Airport to take
them to Cincinnati if need be; and the line for
postseason tickets, which had been nearly invis-
ible the past two days, stretched around the park.
The crowd of 50,111 - including 8,806
walkups - was into each pitch, having not wit-
nessed a game of this importance for the Mets in
Melvin Mora is greeted by Robin Ventura as he
crosses the plate with the winning run yester-
day after a Pittsburgh wild pitch.
11 years.
This was the most meaningful game for the
Mets since Oct. 12, 1988, when Orel Hershiser
pitched a five-hitter for Los Angeles to beat
New York 6-0 in the seventh game of the NL
Championship Series.
This time, Hershiser was on the Mets' side.
One of the best big-game pitchers of his era did-
n't disappoint.
Coming off the shortest start of his career,
having gotten only one out against Atlanta last
Tuesday, Hershiser allowed an RBI single with
two outs in the first inning to Kevin Young.
Hershiser didn't allow another hit until Al
Martin's one-out double in the sixth. He was
then lifted after 63 pitches.
Dennis Coo, Pat Mahomes, Turk Wendell
and Armando Benitez (4-3) finished with 3 2/3
innings of one-hit relief.
Pittsburgh's Kris Benson was just as tough.
The rookie right-hander, who pitched a six-hit-
ter to beat the Mets 5-1 on July 27, allowed one
unearned run in seven innings.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Home-field advantage will go to the two division
winners with the highest winning percentage dur-
ing the regular season (Games 1, 2 and 5). The
wild card team will never have home-field advan-
tage or play a team from its own division.
Tuesday, Oct. 5
Texas at New York, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)
Wednesday, Oct. 6
Boston at Cleveland, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)
Thursday, Oct. 7
Boston at Cleveland, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Texas at New York, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)
Saturday, Oct. 9
New York at Texas, time TBA
Cleveland at Boston, time TBA
Sunday, Oct. 10
New York at Texas, TBA
Cleveland at Boston, TBA
Monday, Oct. 11
Texas at New York, TBA
Boston at Cleveland, TBA
* if necessary
NATIONAL LEAGUE
With the Reds' victory over the Brewers in a rain-
delayed contest late last night, Cincinnati has
forced a one-game playoff with the New York
Mets for the N.L wildcard slot. The game is today
at 1:30 EST The current seeds:
1. Atlanta, 2. Arizona, 3. Houston, 4. Cin /N.Y
* Braves and Diamondbacks have clinched top
two seeds
'A' series = Houston or Cincinnati vs. Atlanta
'B' series = Houston, Cinn. or N.Y. vs. Arizona
Tuesday, Oct. 5
Game 1 of 'A' series: 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 1 of 'B' series: 11 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Wednesday, Oct. 6
Game 2 of 'A' series: 4 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 2 of 'B' series: 11 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Friday, Oct. 7
Game 3 of 'A' series, TBA
Game 3 of 'B' series, TBA
Saturday, Oct. 9
Game 4* of 'A' series
Game 4* of 'B' series
Sunday, Oct. 10
Game 5 of 'A' series
Game 5 of 'B' series
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Dean B. Joseph White
Nuclear Weapons Abolition
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8
University of Michigan - Rackham Amphitheater, 4th Floor
915 East Washington -'Ann Arbor
vites you to the Inaugural Event of the
muel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute
for Entrepreneurial Studies
and the
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1:30 pm
1:45 pm
Opening Statement
Ingrid Sheldon, Mayor, City of Ann Arbor
The Current Dangers of Nuclear Weapons:
Steps to a More Secure Planet
Speaker: Bruce Blair, Brookings Institution
.
mfflmajwamw
42nd Annual Business Leadership Award Ceremonies
Keynote Speaker and Business Leadership Award Recipient
SAMUEL ZELL
Chairman of the board of Equity Group Investments, Inc.
Tuesday October 5, 1999
4:30 PM
University of Michigan Business School
Clayton G. Hale Auditorium
Assembl Hall
Corner of Hill and Tappan Streets
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Award Presentation and Question and Answers to follow
3:00 pm Environmental and Public Health
Hazards of Nuclear Weapons
Production and Testing
Speakers: Arjun Makhijani, Institute for Energy &
Environmental Research and Keith Lewis, Council
Member, Serpent River First Nation (tentative)
4:45 pm Dinner Recess
7:15 pm Opening Statement
Nancy Cantor, Provost and Executive Vice President
for Academic Affairs, University of Michigan
7:30 pm The Case Against
Nuclear Weapons Abolition
Speaker: Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Hoover Institution
at Stanford University
8:15 pm The Need for International Agreements
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Speaker: Merav Datan, International Physicians for the
Prevention of Nuclear war
9:00pm Panel Discussion
Panelists: Blair, Makhijani, Bueno de Mesquita, Datan
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For more information on the Friday, October 8 Community Forum and related events
from October 4-11, see web site: www.nuclearabolition.research.umich.edu
Reception follows in the lobby
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--MEN& np
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