Local News

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Chris Woodward lined a go-ahead double in the 11th inning and scored on Jose Reyes' single, lifting the New York Mets to a 9-7 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

Barry Bonds hit a tying pinch-hit two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth for the 711th of his career to force extra innings. The slugger sent a 2-1 pitch from Billy Wagner into the seats in left-center for his third homer of the year and second in as many games.


Box Score
San Francisco Giants Team Page
Barry Bonds Home Run Tracker

It was Bonds' fourth career pinch-hit homer and first career homer against Wagner, who became the 418th pitcher to surrender a homer to Bonds -- and blew his second save in the process. Bonds hadn't had a pinch-hit homer since Aug. 23, 2001, at Montreal.

He remained in the game to play left field in the 10th to chants of "Barry! Barry!" and looked like he had a hard time chasing down Woodward's double off loser Scott Munter (0-1) that scored Ramon Castro. Bonds hit a game-ending flyout in the 11th.

Darren Oliver (1-0) got the final out in the 10th and worked the 11th for the win, and the Mets took two of three in the second series of their 10-game trip.

Pinch-hitter Julio Franco had given the Mets the lead with a two-run single in the eighth and then stole a base with still speedy 47-year-old leg. David Wright's RBI double scored Franco from second.

Carlos Delgado splashed a home run into McCovey Cove for his ninth of the season, tying the franchise mark for the month of April that Dave Kingman accomplished in 1976.

While Franco became the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run last Thursday at San Diego -- and he's batting .400 -- he was only the second-oldest to steal a base, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Arlie Latham swiped a bag in 1909 for the New York Giants at age 49.

Moises Alou hit a tying single in the seventh for one of his two RBIs and three hits that also included a run-scoring double, spoiling a gutsy effort by Mets starter Brian Bannister.

Bannister hobbled home with the go-ahead run despite the pain of a strained right hamstring in the sixth that put the rookie pitcher in position for the win following five strong innings on the mound before the injury.

Bannister, who had followed his fourth-inning two-run double with another double, went 2-0 in his first four starts and had the lead again when he hurt himself running the bases.

He began limping as he approached third base on Kaz Matsui's RBI double and somehow made it home before falling to the ground after touching the plate.

Bannister, 2-0 over his first five starts, made it 4-3. He allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings, struck out two and walked one.

He had to be helped off the field and left to a warm applause.

The Giants rejiggered their rotation to get Matt Morris back on the mound three days after he was ejected Sunday at Colorado after only eight pitches for plunking two of the five batters he faced, but he didn't have his best stuff.

Delgado's solo shot gave the Mets homers into the water for the second straight game after Cliff Floyd did it in New York's 4-1 victory Tuesday night. It was the 13th splash-hit homer by a San Francisco opponent. The Giants have done it 40 times -- 31 by Bonds.

Randy Winn ended an 0-for-17 slump with his first-inning single batting in the No. 3 hole for the first time this season instead of his regular leadoff spot. He singled again in the third.

Bonds was not in the starting lineup after playing the first two games of the series and hitting career homer No. 710 on Tuesday night. After Thursday's off-day, manager Felipe Alou hopes the slugger will play both Friday and Sunday against Arizona -- and possibly Saturday, too.

Notes:@ The Mets signed OF Michael Tucker to a minor league deal and he was scheduled to report to the team's extended spring training team in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Wednesday. Tucker was released by the Washington Nationals on March 30 after spending last season with the Giants and Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .239 with five home runs and 36 RBIs last year. ... Vizquel batted leadoff in Winn's place. ... Winn batted third for the 63rd time in his career. ... San Francisco moved winless ace Jason Schmidt back to Friday to give him extra time and get Morris his outing. ... Reyes stole two bases a day after swiping the 100th of his career.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)