National League Roundup : Elster Comes Through as Mets Sweep Cardinals

Since the Dodgers and Giants pulled their dastardly stunt and came West many years ago, the All-New York World Series disappeared. The last one was between the Dodgers and Yankees in 1956.

Before that the Yankees were in the World Series most of the time and often they played either the Dodgers or the Giants.

Although the Mets have made it into the World Series three times, they never faced the Yankees. As far as the Mets are concerned, the only question is whether the Yankees can make it a Subway Series this year.

The Mets are confident they will win the National League and do it easily. A three-game sweep of last year’s pennant winner, the St. Louis Cardinals, just tended to make them a little more certain.

Rookie shortstop Kevin Elster emerged from a 4-for-34 slump with a line single that scored Mookie Wilson from third with two out in the ninth inning Sunday at New York to give the Mets a 3-2 victory, their sixth win in a row.

It is the way the Mets swept the Cardinals that was impressive. Dwight Gooden was brilliant in the opener Friday night. In the last two, the Mets came from behind in the late innings.

Elster, almost the goat Saturday when he bumped into second baseman Tim Teufel causing Teufel to drop a pop fly and let two Cardinal runs score, was taken off the hook when Gary Carter hammered a two-run homer in the eighth to bring the Mets from behind.

Sunday, luckless Jose DeLeon had a 2-0 lead and a four-hitter until the Mets rallied in the eighth to tie. Three hits scored one run, and Kevin McReynolds’ bloop single off Todd Worrell tied it.

Elster was benched at the start of the game, but scored the tying run as a pinch-runner. In the ninth, a bad play by reliever Steve Peters set up the winning run. Wilson banged the ball off Peters’ shins to start the rally. Peters scrambled after it, and, although third baseman Terry Pendleton screamed at him not to throw, Peters hurled the ball into the stands, Wilson going to second. After a sacrifice, the Cardinals nearly escaped. Teufel lined to Pendleton, who just missed getting Wilson at third.

“If Teufel had walked, I might have batted for Elster,” Manager Davey Johnson said with a laugh. “I had confidence in Kevin.”

Although the Mets are merely tied with the hot Pittsburgh Pirates in the Eastern Division, they have Pendleton concerned.

“We have bounced back in 1985 and 1987,” he said. “We’ve got to start doing it again because these guys are trying to run away with it.

“The Mets aren’t even playing up to their potential yet. They can play better.”

Already, the Mets are building a feud with Manager Billy Martin of the Yankees. They are upset with Martin for the way he has talked about former teammate Rafael Santana. After a 17-9 loss to Toronto, Martin blamed an error by Santana for the loss.

“If he benches everyone for making an error he won’t have anyone left,” Darryl Strawberry said. “I don’t think much of Martin. I wouldn’t want to play for him.”

Pittsburgh 12, Chicago 7--The wind finally blew out at Wrigley Field, and it was the Pirates who made the most of it.

They hit four home runs, including a 475-foot blast by Barry Bonds that reached the upper section of the bleachers in left-center, and had 14 other hits, including a double and triple by Bonds.

Andy Van Slyke hit two home runs, and Bobby Bonilla hit the other as the Pirates (8-3) remained tied with the Mets for first place.

“I’ve never hit one that far,” Bonds said. “But in all fairness, the wind helped it a little.”

Until Sunday, it had been cold and the wind had been blowing in at Wrigley.

Houston 5, Cincinnati 3--It was many years ago that hard-throwing Nolan Ryan made a believer out of one of baseball’s best hitters, Pete Rose.

Now, Manager Pete Rose continues to admire the 41-year-old right-hander with the amazing arm.

“He’s really something,” Rose said after Ryan struck out nine Reds in eight innings. “He got stronger as the game progressed. His best inning was the eighth.”

Ryan didn’t just record his second victory without a loss, he had a two-run single in the second inning to break a 2-2 tie.

It so unnerved Cincinnati pitcher Danny Jackson that he balked twice, and Ryan scored the third run of the inning. After going to the dugout, Jackson yelled at umpire Eric Gregg and was ejected.

San Francisco 9, San Diego 4--Tony Gwynn, off to one of the worst starts in his seven-year career, was ejected for the first time as the Padres lost for the 8th time in 12 games.

Gwynn, hitting only .233, was tossed out for arguing a called strike with plate umpire Joe West in the third inning. Gwynn was so enraged, he shoved Manager Larry Bowa aside to get at West.

The Padres led, 4-3, until a single by Jeffrey Leonard and catcher Mark Parent’s bad throw enabled the Giants to score twice in the eighth. In the ninth, Bob Melvin hit a solo homer and Candy Maldonado hit one with two on.

Montreal 5, Philadelphia 2--Andres Galarraga drove in three runs with a single and a home run at Montreal and the Expos handed the slumping Phillies their seventh loss in a row.

Pascual Perez struck out eight and gave up just four hits in seven innings before Andy McGaffigan worked the last two innings.

Perez is 2-1 this season and is 9-1 since joining the Expos in the second half of last season.