Piazza’s Homer Rockets Mets to Victory

Mike Piazza of the New York Mets stepped to the plate to face New York Yankee right-hander Roger Clemens with the score tied in the sixth inning Friday night at Shea Stadium.

Piazza won the duel, hitting a blast into the bleachers in left-center that gave the Mets a 5-2 victory in the opener of Subway Series Part II.

Piazza’s 18th homer earned him a standing ovation from the sellout crowd and he responded with a curtain call. Piazza is five for nine against Clemens with two homers, including one last month when the Mets ended Clemens’ league-record streak of 20 consecutive winning decisions.

“Against certain pitchers, you see the ball well,” Piazza said. “No matter how well he throws, I really see the ball well off Roger.”

Met pitcher Al Leiter (8-6) continued his impressive run that began last month against the Yankees. He gave up two runs and four hits in eight innings. After starting the season 2-5 with a 6.39 earned-run average, he has gone 6-1 with a 2.79 ERA.

After the Yankees tied the score, 2-2, in the top of the sixth, Edgardo Alfonzo opened the bottom of the inning with a bloop single to right and John Olerud walked, setting the stage for Piazza.

Clemens, who is 1-4 with a 6.35 ERA in five starts at Shea Stadium, gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings.

Philadelphia 4, Baltimore 2--Curt Schilling, supported by sparkling defense at Philadelphia, won his fifth consecutive start and tied Randy Johnson for the league lead with his seventh complete game.

Schilling (13-4), who also tied St. Louis’ Kent Bottenfield for the league lead in wins, gave up eight hits against the team he made his major league debut for in 1988. He struck out five and walked two.

Schilling retired the first 10 batters before Mike Bordick singled with one out in the fourth.

The Phillies (46-38) are eight games above .500 for the first time since 1995.

Boston 5, Atlanta 4--Damon Buford, Mike Stanley and Wilton Veras hit solo homers and Bret Saberhagen pitched 6 2/3 innings for the Red Sox at Atlanta.

Saberhagen (6-2) won his fourth consecutive start. Tim Wakefield pitched two innings for his 10th save in 11 chances.

Chipper Jones of the Braves homered for the fourth consecutive game. He has homered in seven of his last eight games after going 21 games without one.

Saberhagen gave up three earned runs and seven hits.

Texas 7, San Diego 2--Ivan Rodriguez, Ruben Mateo and Royce Clayton homered against Woody Williams at San Diego to lead the Rangers.

Rodriguez, voted the American League’s starting catcher for Tuesday night’s All-Star game, hit a solo shot with one out in the first inning, his 15th. Mateo, who came off the disabled list earlier in the day, homered leading off the fourth and Clayton hit a two-run shot with two out in the sixth.

Aaron Sele (8-6) took a shutout into the seventh before he was chased by two-out, run-scoring singles by Quilvio Veras and Reggie Sanders.

Cincinnati 3, Cleveland 2--Eddie Taubensee singled home two runs in the sixth inning, and Steve Avery and three relievers held the Indians to four hits at Jacobs Field.

Avery (6-7) limited the Indians to four hits in 5 1/3 innings before turning it over to the top bullpen in baseball. Stan Belinda, Dennys Reyes and All-Star rookie Scott Williamson combined for hitless relief over the final 3 2/3 innings.

Chicago White Sox 3, Chicago Cubs 2--Rookie Carlos Lee hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning at Comiskey Park as the White Sox improved to 4-0 this season against their cross-town rivals.

Ray Durham singled against Terry Adams (2-2) to lead off the ninth. Frank Thomas walked with one out and Magglio Ordonez hit a chopper up the middle, reaching when shortstop Manny Alexander threw wide to first.

Lee hit a fly ball to center field and Curtis Goodwin’s throw to the plate wasn’t in time to catch Durham.

Houston 6, Kansas City 5--Chris Holt threw only one pitch to record his first save, getting Mike Sweeney to ground into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded at Kansas City.

Holt was summoned after Carlos Beltran and Joe Randa, who went five for five, hit run-scoring singles and Johnny Damon walked.

Holt, with a 1-9 record this season, got Sweeney to hit into the double play, giving Jose Cabrera (1-0) his first major league victory.

Oakland 5, Arizona 2--Ben Grieve and Matt Stairs homered during a four-run fifth inning to lead the Athletics at Phoenix.

Gil Heredia (5-5) gave up eight hits in six innings, and Ramon Hernandez also homered for the A’s.

Diamondback starter Andy Benes (5-9) pitched out of bases-loaded jams in the third and fourth innings, but control problems caught up to him in the fifth.

Milwaukee 4, Detroit 1--The Brewers’ Jeromy Burnitz homered over the right-field roof at Tiger Stadium and Steve Woodard (10-5) won his sixth consecutive decision.

Dean Palmer homered for the Tigers.

Florida 11, Tampa Bay 4--Pitcher Livan Hernandez homered to key a five-run fifth inning for the Marlins at Miami.

Hernandez (5-8) hit his second home run of the season, tying the team record for pitchers set by Chris Hammond in 1993.

Hernandez pitched eight innings, giving up 11 hits and striking out seven.

Montreal 4, Toronto 3--Vladimir Guerrero hit a game-winning triple in the ninth inning at Montreal.

With the score tied, 3-3, Mike Mordecai singled against Graeme Lloyd (5-3) leading off the ninth and Guerrero hit a drive to left-center.

Minnesota 5, Pittsburgh 4--Brad Radke won for the first time in a month, and Torii Hunter and Todd Walker homered to lead the wins at Minneapolis.

Radke (6-7) had been 0-2 in four starts since beating Cincinnati June 8 and missed his scheduled turn Sunday because of a strained right groin. He gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings, retiring 14 of 15 in one stretch.