Ventura, Mets Slam Brewers

In the Year of the Grand Slam, Robin Ventura did something that had never before been done.

Ventura became the first major leaguer to hit grand slams in both games of a doubleheader, leading the New York Mets to a sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night.

"You go up and think this can't happen again," Ventura said. "Grand slams don't happen that often because you don't get that many situations."

He hit his first slam against Jim Abbott in the first inning of the opener. He hit a 3-2 pitch high down the right-field line, just over the outstretched glove of Jeromy Burnitz, in an 11-10 win.

"As he went up I said to (coach) Bruce Benedict, `It is the year of the grand slam, how about us getting one,"' Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "Two pitches later, Robin hit one."

The second was nearly a replica. Steve Woodard (3-4) hit John Olerud to load the bases. Woodard was replaced by Horacio Estrada, who was making his major league debut.

Estrada's debut became historic. He fell behind Ventura 1-0 and then threw three tough curveballs that Ventura fouled off. After missing with two more pitches, Ventura hit another high fly to nearly the same spot in right, but Burnitz could only watch as it cleared the wall. The Mets won the game 10-1.

"It seems like there have been a ton of grand slams this season," Ventura's teammate Mike Piazza said. "But that's a good week, even a good month by most guy's standards."

Ventura also became the first player ever to twice hit two slams in a day. He had two slams in a game for the Chicago White Sox at Texas on Sept. 4, 1995. Ten players have done it once.

"This time was a little different because it effects two games," Ventura said. "The last time the game was out of hand. Here it helped us win twice. It was a good day for a doubleheader."

As Ventura came back to the dugout, his teammates started teasing him about what he would name the bat. Ventura said he hasn't chosen one yet.

"Robin likes to give the bat credit any time he hits a big homer," Valentine said. "So he likes to name them."

The two slams gave Ventura a total of 12 in his career, one behind Harold Baines for the active lead. Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr. also have 12.

Ventura is now batting .356 with 12 grand slams and 134 RBIs in 118 at-bats. He credits his approach with the bases loaded to Baines, his former teammate in Chicago.

"You zero down on one area more because you know they have to throw strikes," he said. "(Baines) was the best ever at it. When the bases were loaded you just knew he was going to get his pitch."

Ventura's slam was almost an afterthought in the opener, when Benny Agbayani went 4-for-4 with two homers and Roger Cedeno threw out Alex Ochoa at the plate to end the game.

Mike Piazza homered for the third straight game as the Mets stopped a three-game losing streak. Jermaine Allensworth added a pinch-hit homer in the second game as the Mets hit six homers on the day.

"The long ball killed us today," Brewers manager Phil Garner said. "Ventura's a good player; a real good player, but we're making him and Agbayani look a little too good."

The Mets led 11-9 with runners on first and second and two outs when pinch-hitter Sean Berry hit a high fly off John Franco to shallow right. Second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo got under the ball, but it bounced off his glove for an error, allowing Marquis Grissom to score.

Cedeno alertly picked up the ball and fired it to Piazza, who tagged out Ochoa who was several steps from the plate and gave himself up to end the game. Franco got his 12th save.

"That last play was exciting, wasn't it?" Valentine said.

Al Leiter (2-4) was staked to a 4-0 lead on Ventura's grand slam in the first, but he couldn't hold it. He allowed six runs five earned in five innings but still won his first game since April 22.

While Leiter continues to struggle allowing 24 earned runs in his last 22 innings Masato Yoshii (4-3) put together his fourth straight solid start in the second game. He allowed one run and eight hits in seven innings and is 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in his last four games.

The win was the 100th in major league history by a Japanese-born pitcher.

Abbott (0-5) lost his fifth consecutive start of the season despite laying down the first successful sacrifice bunt of his career in the third inning. He allowed seven runs six earned in 4 1-3 innings.

Jeff Cirillo hit a three-run homer in the opener and Jenkins hit a solo shot in the second game for Milwaukee.

Notes: Ventura is the 19th player to hit grand slams in consecutive games. Griffey was the last to do it, earlier this month. .... This is the third tme this season a player has hit two slams in one day. St. Louis' Fernando Tatis did it in one inning against Los Angeles on April 23 and Boston's Nomar Garciaparra did it May 10 against Seattle. ... Garner was ejected in the first inning of the second game for arguing a called third strike on Dave Nilsson. ... Agbayani was 10-for-13 in the series.

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