Mets work overtime to get past Astros

Carlos Beltran hit a go-ahead single in the 17th inning after making a game-saving, circus catch and the New York Mets won their longest game since 1993, beating the Houston Astros, 5-3, Saturday night.

The 17 innings matched the most in the majors this season -- the Dodgers and Padres also played that many in April. This one took 5 hours 10 minutes.

Houston threatened to win it in the 14th, putting a runner on third with two out. Luke Scott hit a long drive to center field and Beltran, an All-Star familiar with playing in the park while with the Astros, ran up the grass hill and caught the ball while falling down.

In the 11th, Beltran ran a long way and jumped to catch Carlos Lee’s long drive to the wall in right-center.

Beltran was hitless in six at-bats before his key single. David Wright, whose solo homer in the seventh made it 3-3, followed with an RBI single.

It was the Mets’ longest game since beating St. Louis, 1-0, in 17 innings on Sept. 29, 1993. The Astros lost an 18-inning game against Pittsburgh last season.

These teams have played marathon games in the past. The Mets beat Houston, 7-6, in 16 innings at the Astrodome to win Game 6 of the 1986 NL championship series and advance to the World Series. In 1968, the Mets and Astros played a 24-inning game that Houston won, 1-0.