NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Rockies Take the Long Way in Beating Mets in New Park

It wasn’t exactly what either manager hoped for, given the pitching problems all of the major league clubs will face after a shortened spring training, but it was everything the folks were looking for on opening night at Coors Field in Denver.

A bit of trivia here: The Colorado Rockies’ 11-9 victory over the New York Mets in 14 innings Wednesday night marked the longest debut game for any big league ballpark used this century.

Dante Bichette, atoning for a misplay in left field in the top of the 14th, won it with a three-run home run with one out.

It was the longest game in the Rockies’ history, and tied the NL record for any season opener. Two AL openers have gone 15 innings.

A crowd of 47,228, undeterred by five inches of snow that fell in the morning, watched the game that took 4 hours 47 minutes.

Things heated up, though, when replacement umpire Terry Bovey ejected Manager Dallas Green and Bobby Bonilla of the Mets in the 11th inning.

Larry Walker, in his first game for the Rockies, had three doubles and drove in three runs. Brett Butler, in his first game for the Mets, scored three runs and made a sparkling catch in center field.

The Mets took a 9-8 lead in the 14th. Ricky Otero singled in his first major league at-bat and scored when Joe Orsulak’s fly ball dropped behind Bichette for a double.

“Finally in the 14th, I told our guys: Forget scoring one run, get two so we don’t have to go back out there,” Colorado Manager Don Baylor said.

The Rockies responded when Joe Girardi singled, Andres Galarraga reached on third baseman Tim Bogar’s error and Bichette homered off loser Mike Remlinger.

Houston 10, San Diego 2--Tony Gwynn passed out hats to fans, the Famous Chicken was back for the first time since 1991 and baseball returned to San Diego in its usual way--with a loss.

Jeff Bagwell, the National League’s MVP, hit a home run and drove in three runs. Former Padres Derek Bell and Phil Plantier, traded to Houston in an 11-player deal during the winter, homered for their new club.

The victory went to Doug Drabek, who was making his fifth opening-day start in six seasons. He worked five innings, allowing one run and five hits.

Montreal 6, Pittsburgh 2--A pleasant enough evening turned ugly at Pittsburgh, where fans kept their pennants--given away at the gate--but threw the sticks on the field after the Pirates made three errors in a bizarre fifth inning in which Roberto Kelly came around to score on his own infield single.

The game was delayed 17 minutes.

Darrin Fletcher homered and Jeff Fassero pitched five effective innings for Montreal.

With the Expos leading, 2-1, Kelly’s infield single was thrown away by third baseman Jeff King and then by right fielder Orlando Merced, allowing three runs to score. Kelly ended up scoring when Merced’s off-line throw bounced away from catcher Mark Parent.

The fans booed at first, then began tossing sticks, quickly covering the area around the two dugouts and the outfield warning track. Jay Bell, usually a fan favorite but jeered as the Pirate union representative, was clearly angry with the display and was the first player to leave the field.

Atlanta 12, San Francisco 5--Fred McGriff homered twice and drove in five runs for the Braves at Atlanta, where the crowd included Felicia Shotkoski, widow of Braves replacement pitcher Dave Shotkoski, who was shot and killed in an attempted robbery during spring training. She attended at the invitation of the Braves.

McGriff had four hits and combined with David Justice for consecutive home runs in the eighth inning. The Braves finished with 17 hits, including six in a row to start the game against losing pitcher Terry Mulholland.

Greg Maddux, the three-time Cy Young winner, retired the first 11 Giants. He pitched five innings and allowed only one hit, a solo home run by J.R. Phillips.

Phillips’ homer was the first run Maddux had given up in three opening-day starts, a span of 20 2/3 innings.

Chicago 7, Cincinnati 1--Jim Bullinger pitched six shutout innings in his first opening-day start and Brian McRae had three hits for the Cubs at Cincinnati.

Bullinger allowed only five hits over six innings.

With the bases loaded and one out in the third, Bullinger went to a full count on Ron Gant, then threw him a fastball inside. Gant dribbled it back to the mound for the start of a double play.

That was it for the Reds, whose only run came on Barry Larkin’s leadoff homer in the eighth inning off Mike Perez.

McRae, traded by Kansas City to Chicago earlier this month, had a triple, single and run-scoring double that capped a four-run sixth inning.

Jose Rijo, who didn’t allow a run all spring, gave up six hits and five runs in 5 1/3 innings to fall to 1-2 on opening day.

St. Louis 7, Philadelphia 6--Scott Cooper, traded to the Cardinals from Boston earlier this month, singled home the tying and winning runs as they rallied from five runs down to win at home.

Cooper, a lifelong St. Louis resident, finished with three hits and four RBIs in his first game for the Cardinals.

St. Louis victimized Norm Charlton, who missed all of last season after undergoing elbow surgery.

Bernard Gilkey led off the ninth inning with a single, and Charlton walked Ozzie Smith and Ray Lankford on four pitches each. Cooper singled and Smith scored the winning run from second base on a close play, making a winner of reliever Rene Arocha.