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April 30, 2006 Tom Glavine The Mets already lead the NL East by seven games over Atlanta and Philadelphia, their largest cushion since finishing the 1988 season ahead by 15 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Tom Glavine improved to 3-9 in 14 starts against Atlanta, his major league home from 1987-2002. One night after former Braves player Julio Franco was greeted with a standing ovation, Glavine received a mix of cheers and boos when introduced before the game and before each at-bat. Carlos Delgado struck out four times. Paul Lo Duca hit his first homer with the Mets. April 29, 2006 Mets 1B Julio Franco received a standing ovation when he came up as a pinch hitter in the eighth. The 47-year-old Franco, who played for the Braves from 2001-05, stepped out of the box and tipped his helmet. Then he hit into a double play. Pedro Martinez (5-0) pitched four-hit ball over seven innings, a dominating performance that was marred only by Chipper Jones' two-run homer in the sixth on an 0-2 pitch. The 5-0 start matches the second-best of his career, surpassed only by eight straight wins to start the 1997 season. MLB suspends Mets pitcher Yusaku Iriki Yusaku Iriki Major League Baseball suspended Mets Minor League pitcher Yusaku Iriki 50 games, effective Friday, for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball's joint drug policy. Iriki, 33, began the season with the Triple-A Norfolk affiliate and was removed from the 40-man roster April 17 when the club designated him for assignment. When he cleared waivers, he was signed assigned to the Norfolk roster. Iriki's performance didn't suggest enhancement. He had a 1-2 record and 3.74 ERA in four starts. He has allowed 31 baserunners in 21 2/3 innings. In a prepared statement released here Friday, the Mets said they are "obviously disappointed that a member of pour organization has tested positive" and they are "fully supportive of the MLB policy." April 28, 2006 The Mets placed right-hander Brian Bannister on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring and recalled outfielder Victor Diaz from Triple-A Norfolk. While Kazuo Matsui hasn't been an overwhelming force since he replaced injured Anderson Hernandez at second base, he has performed well in his first seven games, maintaining a high level of play. While pitching for the Mets, Dwight Gooden won his first five starts in 1988 and Frank Viola won his first seven two years later. Pedro Martinez had 5-0 records through his first starts with the Red Sox in 1997 and 2000. Carlos Delgado pushed his RBI total to 20 with a sacrifice fly. The most RBIs in April by a Met is 26, by Jeff Kent in 1994. April 27, 2006 Jose Reyes stole two bases a day after swiping the 100th of his career. Billy Wagner pitched to Barry Bonds and gave up a tying ninth-inning homer. It was Bonds' fourth career pinch-homer. Wagner became the 418th pitcher to surrender a homer to Bonds. 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 legs. 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. April 26, 2006 Giants C Mike Matheny committed his first error of the season in the first when he tried to throw out Jose Reyes stealing second and sailed a ball into center that allowed Reyes to reach third. The steal was the 100th of Reyes' career. April 25, 2006 Carlos Beltran Mets OF Carlos Beltran, who celebrated his 29th birthday, did not start for the fourth straight game because of discomfort in his right hamstring. April 24, 2006 Victor Zambrano gave up five runs and seven hits in four innings. He hasn't lasted more than five innings in any of his three starts. He struck out one and walked three. April 23, 2006 Carlos Delgado home run was the 377th of his career, which ties him for 57th on the career list with Norm Cash. Delgado's eight homers in April is one home run shy of tying Dave Kingman, who holds the franchise record for homers in April in 1976. Pedro Martinez (4-0) allowed just one run and two hits and reached double digits in strikeouts for the 105th time in his career. April 22, 2006 The Padres went 3-for-3 in stolen bases against Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca, who has thrown out just one runner in 18 attempts. April 21, 2006 Kazuo Matsui hit another notable homer for the Mets. His inside-the-park homer leading off the third made this the third straight year he's homered in his first at-bat of the season. The last player to do that was Ken Griffey Jr. from 1997-99, while with Seattle. Julio Franco became the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run when he connected for a two-run, pinch-hit shot in the eighth inning Thursday night to help the New York Mets rally for a 7-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Mets CF Carlos Beltran returned to the lineup after missing the last four games with a strained right hamstring, but felt discomfort and left the game after the fourth inning. Cliff Floyd played for the first time since leaving Monday's game against Atlanta with a strained rib cage. Mike Piazza faced the Mets for the first time since leaving New York as a free agent in the offseason. He played with the Mets for 7 1/2 seasons. Crackhead Bell Arrested Derek Bell Former New York Met Derek Bell has been charged with felony cocaine possession, police said Thursday. Bell, 37, a onetime outfielder, was pulled over for a traffic violation, Tampa police said. "He was found with a crack pipe in the back seat of his car which was still warm," police spokesman Larry McKinnon said. Bell is also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, McKinnon said. Bell allegedly later told police the items were his. He was being held in jail on $2,500 US bail. It was unclear if he had an attorney. Bell was first drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1987 and won the World Series with the team in 1992. He last signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000. He also played for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. April 20, 2006 Kaz Matsui The Mets plan to activate 2B Kaz Matsui in time for Thursday night's game in San Diego. The Mets played without ailing center fielder Carlos Beltran, left fielder Cliff Floyd and rookie second baseman Anderson Hernandez, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list after the game. Hernandez had an MRI that showed a bulging disc in his back. Tim Hudson improved to 4-0 with a 1.70 ERA in five starts against the Mets. April 19, 2006 Booed all night by the crowd of 30,322, Victor Zambrano (1-1) gave up seven runs, all with two outs and seven hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out four. "They call it a New York minute. They've got about a minute's worth of patience," Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson said. "That's part of the industry." Mets 1B Carlos Delgado went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, ending his 11-game hitting streak. April 18, 2006 Pedro Martinez became the seventh current major league pitcher with 200 victories, and New York edged the Braves 4-3. The other current major league pitchers with 200 wins are Greg Maddux (320), Tom Glavine (277), Randy Johnson (265), David Wells (227), Mike Mussina (225) and Jamie Moyer (205). Roger Clemens has 341 victories but has not pitched this season and has not said if he intends to return or retire. Carlos Delgado extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Delgado is 14-for-27 (.519) lifetime against Jorge Sosa with seven homers and 14 RBIs. April 17, 2006 Brian Bannister threw 81 pitches in the first three innings work. April 16, 2006 The sellout crowd of 55,831 was a Mets' record for a Saturday afternoon home game. Before the game, the teams honored Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947. His widow, Rachel Robinson, walked to the mound as part of the tribute. New fan whipping boy Jorge Julio was beat up again in the eighth. Some fans chanted "Bring Back Benson!" -- a reference to the offseason trade that brought him to New York for Kris Benson. Julio said he didn't hear the jeers, but some of his teammates took offense. April 15, 2006 Tom Glavine's second-inning strikeout of Hall was the 2,363rd of his career and moved him past Charlie Hough into 38th place. It was the 13th time Glavine has struck out 10 or more batters in a game. 2B Kazuo Matsui went 1-for-4 and committed an error playing for the Class-A St. Lucie Mets. Matsui is rehabbing a sprained right knee. April 14, 2006 The Mets hit three homers in an inning for the first time since April 19, 2005, at Philadelphia. Victor Zambrano (1-0) allowed three runs in five innings in his first start of the season. April 13, 2006 Frank Robinson and Mets manager Willie Randolph confirmed that they had been warned by umpires that brushbacks and hit batters would be scrutinized whenever these two teams play for the rest of the season. April 12, 2006 Mets 3B David Wright has at least one RBI in each of the Mets' first six games, a club record to start a season. Rookie Brian Bannister shut down Washington's struggling offense again for his first major league victory. April 11, 2006 Mateo Tests Positive Waner Mateo, a right-hander on the Mets' A-ball Hagerstown team, has been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for a "performance-enhancing substance." Mateo was one of four minor league pitchers suspended yesterday for violating baseball's new minor league drug progam. Also suspended were Ryan Rafferty of the Royals and two pitchers from the Reds organization - Ramon Ramirez and Justin Mallet. Mallet was penalized for testing positive for a drug of abuse. The others tested positive for performance-enhancing substances. The penalty this year for an initial positive test was increased from 15 games to 50 for players with minor league contracts. For major leaguers, the punishment was upped from 10 to 50 games. April 10, 2006 Tom Glavine is 15-18 in 41 starts against Florida. He has not beaten the Marlins since April 20, 2003. April 9, 2006 Rain forced postponement of Saturday's game between the Florida Marlins and New York Mets and a matchup of left-handers Dontrelle Willis and Tom Glavine. The game was rescheduled as part of a July 8 doubleheader. The rainout pushed the two lefties back a day, and they now are scheduled to pitch on Sunday. April 8, 2006 Steve Trachsel threw 98 pitches, 63 for strikes. Trachsel retired the last nine batters he faced after Jacobs' homer. Trachsel (1-0) also hit an RBI double in the fourth inning, the 10,000th double in Mets history. April 7, 2006 Pedro Martinez's fifth-inning pitch grazed Jose Guillen on the arm. Guillen pointed his bat at Martinez and went halfway to the mound. April 6, 2006 The Mets unveiled a computer model of their new home, which will be built next to Shea Stadium, the Mets' home since 1964. The new open-air stadium will honor New York City and the Mets' baseball history. The new facility is part of a revitalization of the Flushing, N.Y., area. Billy Wagner entered in the ninth to protect a 4-3 lead, but Zimmerman led off and drove a 3-2 fastball over the left-field fence to tie it. Braden Looper was heard cheering in St. Louis along with John Franco on a Staten Island landfill. Brian Bannister, the son of former big league pitcher Floyd Bannister, got his first major league start 30 years after his dad was the No. 1 pick in the 1976 amateur draft by Houston out of Arizona State. April 5, 2006 Darren Oliver didn't expect to be at Shea Stadium for Opening Day, but an injury to Victor Zambrano opened up the spot for the veteran left-handed reliever. April 4, 2006 The Mets won on Opening Day for the 28th time in their 45-year history and enabled Tom Glavine to gain the 276th victory of his career. Billy Wagner ran in from the bullpen to Metallica's "Enter Sandman," the same anthem Mariano Rivera has across town with the Yankees. Newcomer Xavier Nady went 4-for-4. Richie Hebner went 4-for-4 in 1979 in his game as a Met. Tom Glavine (1995 World Series MVP) and Livian Hernandez (1997) have now combined for 386 career wins, the most of any opposing opening-day starters this year. April 3, 2006 With Victor Zambrano still recovering from a left hamstring injury suffered in his final Grapefruit League appearance, the Mets that rookie Brian Bannister will step into the rotation against the Nationals, making his Major League debut. April 2, 2006 Billy Wagner made a successful return to the mound, just two days before the Mets are scheduled to open their season at home against the Nationals. The closer was relieved to be back in action, allowing two singles in one scoreless inning. April 1, 2006 For the first time, the Mets will hold an exclusive "Mets Workout Day at Shea" on Sunday for season ticket and ticket plan holders to watch the Mets' final preparation for the 2006 season. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the Mets scheduled to take batting practice at 12:30 p.m. Mr. Met was on hand to help unveil the world's largest inflatable New York Mets cap in conjunction with New Era, the maker and marketer of Major League Baseball's official uniform cap. The inflatable cap has been strategically positioned atop a water tower by the 59th Street Bridge. The cap's dimensions are size 61 1/4 -- 14 feet tall and 16 feet wide. To kick off the 2006 season, New Era has created the world's largest inflatable New York Mets and New York Yankees baseball caps ever produced. Throughout the course of the next month, a total of two Mets and two Yankees caps will be strategically positioned where New York City baseball fans can appreciate their team's colors. New Era, which has been the official on-field cap for MLB since 1994, plans to open its first flagship retail location in early May in downtown New York.