Mets' bullpen gives out in Game 7
NEW YORK (AP) - A shaky rotation did just fine for the New York Mets in the NL championship series.
The bullpen - that's what cost them a trip to the World Series. Aaron Heilman, dependable so many times during the regular season, gave up a two-run homer to Yadier Molina in the ninth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 3-1 Thursday night in Game 7 of the NL championship series.
"It's unfortunate when you feel like you made a mistake and it comes back to hurt you," Heilman said in front of his locker in a somber Mets clubhouse, just minutes after the final out.
Relief pitching was supposed to be the Mets' strength.
Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez may have been missing because of injuries, but the bullpen was there to get New York through.
Instead, it did the Mets in.
Billy Wagner gave up a go-ahead, ninth-inning home run to So Taguchi in Game 2 after Guillermo Mota wasted a two-run lead. Heilman allowed the home run that ended the Mets' season, sending St. Louis on to a World Series matchup with Detroit.
In Game 2, with the score tied in the ninth, Mets manager Willie Randolph brought in his closer. On Thursday, he left in his setup man.
"I thought Aaron had a nice eighth inning. He was throwing the ball pretty well," Randolph said. "With all the righties coming up, I thought we could get another inning with him and bring in Billy after that."
Wagner, who had a 16.88 ERA in the series and a 9.53 ERA in the post-season didn't think his shaky performances caused Randolph to lose confidence.
"I can't imagine. You get this far in the season, you can't decide you're not going to use this guy or that guy," he said.
John Maine had come through with the big win in Game 6. Oliver Perez did his job in Game 7, handing the ball to the bullpen with the score tied 1-all.
Chad Bradford retired the side in order in the seventh. Heilman got through the eighth unscathed and struck out Jim Edmonds leading off the ninth.
But after getting ahead of Scott Rolen 0-2, Heilman gave up a single on his ninth pitch to the All-Star third baseman. His next pitch, a changeup, went sailing over the left-field wall, too high and too far for even Endy Chavez to run down.
"I was just trying to throw it down and away," Heilman said. "Instead, it stayed right over the middle of the plate."
The Mets would load the bases in the ninth only to have Carlos Beltran take a called third strike that ended the game.
Wagner, who had warmed up in the bullpen, never got in.
The crowd filtered out, stunned.
In the end, there was just no relief.
