‘80 Amazin’s sweep 2000 Phightin’s to go 7-1

8/16-8/17 - Veterans Stadium
GAME 1 - Mets 7, Phillies 1
Aided by a 4 run offensive explosion Craig Swan took the mound with a heightened sense of confidence.  Having recovered from numerous arm surgeries and being plugged in the base of the spine by a catcher's throw Swann has been enigmatic at best.  The 1978 NL ERA champ was brilliant in 8 shutout innings of work.  He started the 9th, but gave up a leadoff homer to Bobby Abreu and was done for the day.  Neil Allen mopped up beautifully by not allowing another hit.  The Amazin's hit 3 homers on the day off of Phillie starter Andy Ashby and reliever Omar Daal.  Lee Mazilli hit his 3rd of the young season and watched his average balloon up to .563.  Mike Jorgensen and Stevie "Hendu" Henderson also homered as the Mets blew away the Phillies.

GAME 2 - Mets 13, Phillies 9
Both pitching staffs threw batting practice to the opposition today.  Ray Burris was awful for the Mets giving up 4 runs on 7 hits in 4 innings.  He was lifted for a pinch hitter (Claudell Washington) in the 5th, and the move paid immediate dividends thanks to a 2 run RBI single.  New York would score 8 runs in total that inning as 12 batters came to the plate.  Prior to Washington's pinch hit single Phillie manager Justin Ryan elected to intentionally walk Jerry Morales and Doug Flynn assuming that Burris was going to bat for himself.  New York would score 2 more runs in the 6th to go up 13-4, but reliever Tom Hausman would do his best to make the game interesting by giving up 5 runs to cut the Amazin's lead to 4.  Neil Allen would once again come on to finish out the game, this time with the game a bit closer.  Both teams would combine to post 30 hits and 22 runs. Abreu would hit his second homer in consecutive days.  Met catcher Alex Trevino would go 3 for 5 with an RBI.  "Hendu" would have 3 RBI's thanks to a bases clearing triple in that 8 run 5th.  Hausman would undeservedly get the win for his 4 inning stint where he gave up 5 runs on 9 hits.  Pat "the bat" Burrell, the self acknowledged "Met Killer" went 3 for 5 for the Phightin's.

8/18-8/19 - Shea Stadium
GAME 3 - Mets 6, Phillies 4
Bruce Chen was staked to a 2-0 lead even before he took the mound, but he just didn't have enough to keep the red hot Amazin's in check.  Bobby Abreu tripled home Mickey Morandini with 2 outs in the top of the first then scored on a single by Pat Burrell.  A Jerry Morales solo shot got New York on the board in the bottom of the 2nd.  A 2 run shot by Morales in the 4th followed a run scoring triple by Steve Hederson, which made it 4-2 Mets.  Lee Mazzilli and Joel Youngblood homered in the sixth to chase Chen from the game and make it 6-2.  Met starter Mark Bomback was solid after giving up 2 in the first until Ron Gant homered off of him to lead off the top of the 7th.  Bomback would give up a 1 out double to pinch hitter Travis Lee then struggle through a 10 pitch at bat before getting Doug Glanville to ground out hard to third.  Lefty specialist Ed Glynn would enter the game and get Morandini to line out to gold glove second baseman Doug Flynn for the final out of the inning.  Jeff Reardon would take over in the 8th and struggle, but survive.  A Mike Lieberthal long fly ball narrowly missed a homer and wound up being a sac fly.  Reardon would fan Gant to end the inning without any further damage.  Neil Allen would pitch a scoreless 9th for his 3rd save of the season and set the Amazin's up for a possible series sweep tomorrow.

GAME 4 - Mets 5, Phillies 1
The much maligned Pat Zachry finally emerged from the huge shadow cast upon him for being "the pitcher in the Tom Seaver trade".  Zach, who has spent 2 1/2 seasons trying to make everyone understand that he isn't Seaver and nobody could be Seaver.  Tonight he went 8 shutout innings before tiring in the 9th.  After walking Scott Rolen he was replaced by Ed Glynn, who served up a run scoring double to Met killer Pat "the Bat" Burrell.  Dyar Miller would get Desi Relaford to ground out sharpely to Flynn to end the game.  New York scored all their runs in consecutive innings (4th/5th) off of Robert Person, who was victimized by two key errors.  Frank Taveras led off the 4th and was able to reach first thanks to Morandini booting a slicing grounder.  After John Stearns grounded out Lee Mazzilli singled to left and wound up on second when Gant airmailed his throw to the plate in an attempt to nail the speedy Taveras.  Stevie "Hendu" Henderson doubled home Maz then scored on a squeeze bunt by an unlikely source, Claudell Washington.  A 3rd Phillie error would cost them a run in the 5th when Relaford booted a Doug Flynn grounder to put runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out.  Zachry bunted the runners up 90 feet and Taveras lined a single to right, which scored both runs.  Fans in the cheesesteak capital could have shut off Harry Kalas' broadcast at this point.  Met fans were delighted to get the "Happy Recap" from Bob Murphy as the Amazin's closed out their sweep of their rivals from 90 miles south.  As a reward for his great effort Zachry received a Citizens watch for being the guest on Kiner's Korner.