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Mets Top Yanks 6-5 for First Series Sweep

Posted on: Sunday, 4 July 2004, 06:00 CDT

NEW YORK - Ty Wigginton's second homer snapped an eighth-inning tie, Richard Hidalgo connected for the fourth straight game and the New York Mets finished off their first Subway Series sweep with a 6-5 victory over the Yankees on Sunday.

The surprising Mets took four of six from their crosstown rivals this year after going 0-6 in 2003. It's the first time they've won the season series since interleague play began in 1997.

As Braden Looper got the last three outs in the ninth, Mets fans among the sellout crowd of 55,437 chanted "Sweep! Sweep!" That surely wasn't the present Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was hoping for on his 74th birthday.

The Yankees played the game under protest after Jorge Posada was called out when he was hit while running from first to second on Miguel Cairo's eighth-inning grounder. Mets first baseman Mike Piazza had dived for the ball in front of Posada.

Bernie Williams homered and drove in three runs for the Yankees, who came to Shea Stadium off an emotional three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

Orber Moreno (2-1) got the win despite giving up Posada's tying single in the eighth

Wigginton hit a two-run shot in the second to put the Mets ahead 3-0, but the bullpen blew a pair of leads. With the score tied at 5, Wigginton sent a drive over the left-field fence off Tom Gordon (2-3) leading off the eighth for his 10th homer this season, his third in two games.

The Yankees rallied for two runs in the seventh, tying it at 4 on Derek Jeter's RBI single off Ricky Bottalico.

Hidalgo homered off Felix Heredia in the seventh to give the Mets a 5-4 lead, but Hideki Matsui opened the eighth with a double and scored on Posada's single.

Posada was erased on Cairo's disputed grounder, and Moreno struck out pinch-hitter Jason Giambi to end the inning.

Looper finished for his 16th save in 18 chances, pushing the Mets two games over .500 for the first time since Aug. 3, 2002. They have won four in a row and 13 of 19 overall.

The Mets had never done better than a split of the season series against the Yankees, much less a sweep of any individual series. But they scored 27 runs the past three days and everything went their way - Piazza even turned a 3-6-3 double play in the second inning.

Jeter, still playing with a bandage on his chin and a welt on his face from his fearless dive into the stands Thursday night, went 3-for-5 to raise his average to a season-high .278.

Alex Rodriguez was 0-for-4 and has just one hit in his last 21 at-bats, dropping his average to .273.

Hidalgo tied a Mets record by homering in his fourth straight game, accomplished eight times before. He also connected in four consecutive games Sept. 19-22, 2000, with Houston.

The Mets built a 4-1 lead against Javier Vazquez, who walked a season-high five in five innings.

Piazza hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and the Mets went ahead 3-0 on Wigginton's first home run. Williams' 10th homer cut it to 3-1 in the third.

A throwing error by Rodriguez at third base helped the Mets score an unearned run in the bottom half on Jason Phillips' sacrifice fly

Cairo scored from second on Williams' RBI single off Wigginton's glove at second base in the fifth.

The Yankees tied it at 4 by scoring two runs on four consecutive singles in the seventh. Williams and Jeter each had an RBI.

Mets starter Jae Seo allowed two runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. Vazquez gave up four runs - three earned - and six hits.

Notes:@ Wigginton had first career multihomer game. ... Torre hopes Giambi (intestinal parasites) can return to the starting lineup Monday or Tuesday against Detroit. He will probably be the DH when he first comes back. ... Mets 2B Jose Reyes, batting .158 since coming off the disabled list June 19, did not start because of a tight right hamstring but is expected to play Monday night in Philadelphia. ... Mets SS Kaz Matsui made his 17th error but turned three double plays. ... The Yankees lead the Mets 26-16 in the interleague series.

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