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Hairston hits walk-off homer in Padres' extra-inning win

Jun 8, 2008 - 6:32 AM By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Scott Hairston is showing a knack for late-inning dramatics.

Hairston hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to lift the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 triumph over the New York Mets on Saturday night in the third of a four-game set on Saturday.

Mike Adams (1-0) worked a scoreless 10th to pick up the victory for the Padres, who became the first team in

major league history to win four straight games by a 2-1 margin.

"They had the big boys up in the lineup," Adams said. "I'd by lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous there, but I battled through it and got those three big outs."

Pedro Feliciano (0-2) entered the game in the 10th and promptly served up the decisive blast to Hairston, who sent a 3-1 offering just over the left-center field wall.

"It was just one of those pitches where I got out over the plate," Hairston said. "The way our starting piching and relief pitching is throwing has been great. It gives us a lot of confidence, especially late in the ballgame. It's a great feeling."

It was Hairston's ninth home run of the year and third of the walk-off variety since he joined the Padres last season.

"We've seen that over the course of the time (Hairston) has been a Padre," San Diego manager Bud Black said. "He's got that type of swing. He's got some strength in his swing, he's got some power. It has shown up a number of times late in the game."

The Mets took an early lead against San Diego starter Cha Seung Baek when Endy Chavez's sacrifice fly plated Carlos Beltran for a 1-0 advantage.

Michael Barrett belted his first home run as a member of the Padres in the fifth against Mets starter Oliver Perez to even the score at 1-1.

San Diego mounted an unusual rally in the sixth when Perez hit both Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brian Giles with pitches, and reliever Joe Smith followed by plunking the first batter he faced, Khalil Greene, to load the bases. But, Smith recovered to retire pinch hitter Tony Clark and escape the jam unscathed.

The three hit batters in the inning tied a modern major league record (since 1900) that has occured 34 times previously.

Perez lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits. The former Padres lefthander struck out five and walked two batters.

Baek yielded a run and seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts over six frames in his second start for San Diego since being acquired via trade.

"We can't get anything going momentum-wise offensively," Mets third baseman David Wright said. "It's obviously frustrating offensively when you're playing such good defense and getting such good pitching to go out there and lose three straight games, 2-1."

Carlos Delgado collected three hits for the Mets, who have dropped three straight games.

"We couldn't get a hit with runners in scoring position for the third straight game," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "We need to get the offense going. We've been very inconsisent. These guys have to step up."