NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Bonilla (Two Homers) a Big Hit in Met Debut

The New York Mets’ $29-million man wasted no time starting to earn his pay.

Bobby Bonilla hit two home runs at St. Louis Monday night, including a two-run shot off Lee Smith in the 10th inning, to give the Mets a 4-2 victory over the Cardinals in their season opener.

Bonilla, who went three for five, said the five-year contract he signed with the Mets didn’t put pressure on him to produce.

“Everyone keeps bringing money up. I refuse to talk about money,” Bonilla said. “Pressure this, pressure that. I’m just playing the game I love, I happen to be in the city where I grew up and it’s pretty much a dream for me.”

Neither did he want to make a big deal of his big night.

“I was very fortunate tonight,” Bonilla said. “There’s a lot more games to be played here. I was a big part tonight, but somebody else will be a big part tomorrow and so on and so on.”

The victory made Jeff Torborg a winner in his managerial debut with New York, and gave the Mets their 16th victory in their last 18 season openers.

Smith, who led the major leagues with 47 saves, blew his first opportunity this year when he gave up a run in the ninth on two hits and pinch-hitter Mackey Sasser’s RBI grounder.

Felix Jose, right fielder for the Cardinals, sat out the game because of a strained right hamstring and probably won’t play in the four-game series.

Pittsburgh 2, Montreal 0--The Expos celebrated a new season with new uniforms. Their problem, however, was they ran into the Doug Drabek of old.

Drabek pitched like the Cy Young Award winner of 1990 with eight shutout innings, and the Pirates--shutout losers in their last two home openers--beat the Expos at Pittsburgh.

Drabek, winner of only one of his first seven decisions last year before finishing 15-14, gave up only five singles and also drove in a run in the Pirates’ two-run second inning. It was a performance right out of Drabek’s 22-6 season of 1990, when he estimates his own hitting helped him win five or six games.

The Pirates were held to four hits over seven innings by the Expos’ Dennis Martinez, but scored--and won--in their home opener for the first time since 1989. They lost, 2-0, to Chicago’s Greg Maddux in 1990 and, 7-0, last year to Montreal as Martinez and two relievers combined on a one-hitter.

The Expos, wearing their new, mostly red-and-blue road uniforms, had been 5-0 against Pittsburgh on opening day, and Martinez had won his last seven decisions in Three Rivers Stadium.

San Diego 4, Cincinnati 3--Darrin Jackson’s ninth-inning homer against Jose Rijo gave the Padres a victory at Cincinnati, ending the Reds’ streak of nine consecutive opening-day victories.

Rijo, 15-6 last year, gave up two homers in nine innings--a solo shot by Fred McGriff that put the Padres ahead, 3-2, in the sixth, and Jackson’s leadoff homer after the Reds had tied it in the seventh.

Bruce Hurst gave up seven hits and three runs in seven innings before yielding to Jose Melendez, who got the victory with one perfect inning.

Bip Roberts, traded by the Padres to the Reds over the winter, got into a shouting match with Hurst after stealing second in the seventh. The Reds’ Hal Morris was batting.

“It’s just something that goes back to the Padres,” said Roberts, still in an ugly mood after the game. “I stole second base. I’m excitable. I yelled at Hal, ‘Come on, let’s get him out of the game now.’ (Hurst) told me to shut up.”

When Morris flew out to end the inning, Hurst and Roberts again exchanged words. Hurst motioned to Roberts from the dugout as the second baseman took his position.

“If he wants to initiate it, that’s fine,” Roberts said. “I’m not going to back down. I told him to meet me on the field. I’m not stupid--I’m not going into the lion’s den.”

Hurst had no comment.