Tom Glavine claims he doesn’t think of himself as the Mets’ stopper, and said he’d much rather be perpetuating long winning streaks. But he realized just how important yesterday’s game was, and knowing how much the club needed a gritty win, that’s just what he gave them.
After Saturday’s gut-wrenching loss – another Armando Benitez special – Glavine provided the kind of scrappy win the Mets needed. Despite twice jamming his fingers and colliding with an umpire, he pitched seven strong innings and helped with his bat in a 7-4 win over Florida.
“It’s big for the psyche,” said Glavine (3-1). “We’re trying to get things going. Tough games like [Saturday], that hurts more than most. It can be a setback. That’s the great thing about this Game; when something goes bad today you have a chance to do something about it tomorrow.”
He did something about it, giving up just three runs in seven innings, getting all the key outs he absolutely had to have, and figuring prominently in both of the Mets’ rallies.
Just two pitches in, he jammed his finger fielding a comebacker. Then he jammed his middle finger in the third when he ran into first first base ump Bill Hohn while chasing down a grounder that Mo Vaughn misplayed.
“It was full-contact,” Glavine quipped. “I felt like I was playing hockey again.”
Yesterday, he was a mucker again. He shook off the tingling sensation in his finger to pitch well. He’d snapped the Mets six-game slide with a 3-1 win on Tuesday, and he played the role of stopper again.
“That’s why he’s our No. 1 starter; he’s capable of doing it,” Art Howe said. “His demeanor is outstanding. Put his name behind pro in the dictionary.”
After giving up consecutive singles to lead off the fourth, Glavine escaped. He fell behind 2-0 in the fifth but he helped the Mets knot it in the bottom of the inning with his RBI groundout.
After falling behind 3-2 in the Sixth, Howe told Glavine he was being pulled after seven. But when the Mets tied it on Vance Wilson’s leadoff homer and Rey Sanchez singled, Howe sent Glavine up to hit for himself.
Pitcher Vladimir Nunez bobbled Glavine’s sacrifice bunt, and the lefty ending up coming around to score on Mo Vaughn’s single in a five-run inning that made him the winner.
“You’re always aware of what your club is doing and that some games are bigger than others,” Glavine said. “I needed to stay within myself and do what I did: give our offense an opportunity to win the game and they did.”
