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Beltran's bat, glove help Mets outlast Astros

Jul 8, 2007 - 6:14 AM HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Carlos Beltran used both his bat and his glove to propel the New York Mets to a long, hard-fought triumph.

Beltran had the key hit in a two-run 17th inning after making a spectacular catch to end a threat in the 14th as the Mets posted a 5-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday.

David Wright had four hits and drove in two runs and Carlos Delgado belted a two-run homer for New York, which had not played in game this long in 14 years.

It was the first time the Mets played at least 17 innings since September 29, 1993, when they needed 17 to beat St. Louis, 1-0.

With one out in the 17th inning of this one, Jose Reyes walked and went to third on a single by Ruben Gotay. Beltran then hit a run-scoring single to right field off rookie reliever Mark McLemore (0-1), giving the Mets a 4-3 lead.

"After not scoring for 12 or 13 innings, we were happy we were able to come through right there," Beltran said. "We needed to get on base and score some runs."

It was the first hit of the night for Beltran, who had previously gone 0-for-6. Wright followed with an RBI single to left for a 5-3 bulge.

"We felt very good that we were able to get that insurance run," Beltran said.

Aaron Sele (2-0), New York's seventh pitcher, worked two scoreless innings to get the win.

"I was just out there trying to get outs," Sele said. "The bullpen pitched well tonight and Carlos saved it all with that great catch out in center."

"What an awesome game," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "You don't ever want to lose games like this. When you start going through your (bullpen) and the game gets that long, you just have to win it."

Closer Billy Wagner worked around a hit in the bottom of the 17th to notch his 17th save in 18 opportunities.

Before the winning frame, the best chance either team had to score in extra innings came in the bottom of the 14th.

After Chris Burke was hit by a pitch by reliever Joe Smith to lead off, Mike Lamb walked with two outs, putting runners on the corners. Luke Scott then belted a drive to deep center that Beltran tracked down on the rising hill near the wall, making a catch while falling with his back to the plate to end the inning.

"When I was here with Houston, I took fly balls on that hill almost every day," Beltran said. "You can work on it every day, but you never know when that is going to happen in the game. Today it happened, and as soon as he hit the ball, I knew I was going to be able to get it. Thank God I was able to make the catch and save the game."

"I hit it hard," Scott said. "It's 436 feet out there to center and I hit it 433 feet. Considering the circumstance, that catch is about as good as it gets."

Astros rookie center fielder Hunter Pence, who has made several catches on what's known as "Tal's Hill" said it was one of the best catches he has ever seen.

"That was unbelievable," Pence said. "When (Scott) hit it, I thought it was a hit for sure based on where it was going."

Earlier, the game had been a pitchers' duel between veterans Tom Glavine and Woody Williams.

Seeking his 298th career win, Glavine was dominant except for a rough patch in the fourth.

The 41-year-old lefthander yielded three runs, five hits and a walk in seven innings. Glavine, who struck out one, has just one victory in his last eight starts.

Williams, who is tied for second in the National League with 10 losses, was effective except for a pair of homers he surrendered to Delgado and Wright.

The 40-year-old righthander allowed three runs, five hits and a walk in 7 2/3 innings. Williams, who also struck out six, was looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The Astros got out of a jam in the eighth inning, when Reyes hit a two-out single. Houston manager Phil Garner lifted Williams in favor of sinkerballer Chad Qualls, who allowed a single by Gotay.

But Beltran - a former Astro who was booed every time he batted or made a catch - struck out to end the threat.

Glavine and Williams breezed through the lineups over the first three innings before the Astros struck first.

With two outs in the fourth, Morgan Ensberg hit a two-run double off the left field wall. Burke followed with an RBI triple to right, giving the Astros a 3-0 lead.

Williams cruised through the first four innings, keeping New York hitless before running into trouble a frame later. After Wright led off with a base hit up the middle, Delgado belted a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall to cut the Mets' deficit to 3-2.

In the seventh, Wright led off by blasting a 2-0 fastball off Williams into the left field seats to knot the game at 3-3. It was the All-Star's 16th homer of the season.