Victory Over Mets Special to Astros

Larry Dierker sensed this one wasn’t just another game. The Houston Astros needed to show some backbone, especially to themselves.

“I think this was a character-building type of win,” the Astro manager said after Tuesday night’s 5-1, 10-inning victory over the New York Mets.

After losing in the bottom of the ninth in Monday’s series opener, the Astros won when Ricky Gutierrez singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and Jeff Bagwell followed with a three-run homer.

“We may have to face them in the playoffs if we make it,” said Astro starter Mike Hampton, who combined with Billy Wagner (3-1) on a five-hitter.

Houston increased its NL Central lead to 1 1/2 games over second-place Cincinnati.

New York dropped 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Braves in the NL East but remained 2 1/2 games ahead of Cincinnati in the wild-card race.

A sign of the Mets’ tension was when starter Masato Yoshii, despite giving up only one run and five hits, threw his glove at the bench when he came out after 7 1/3 innings.

“I wasn’t angry at anyone. I was just frustrated,” Yoshii said through a translator. “If I was able to get three guys out easily in that inning, we might have had a better chance of winning that game.”

Bagwell’s three RBIs made him the Astros’ career leader with 943, one more than current Houston first-base coach Jose Cruz.

Hampton, trying for his 17th win, gave up only Mike Piazza’s seventh-inning homer, his 31st.