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Wells digs deep to beat the Mets

New York Mets' Jeromy Burnitz breaks his bat in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York on Friday. Burnitz was out at first. PHOTO: AP

More than 55,000 people paid to sweat in the thick air at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. It was 86 degrees at game time, not sweltering, but not really comfortable, either. The man who had to work the hardest in it was David Wells. He did not enjoy the assignment.

The Yankees edged the Mets, 6-4, in the opening game of the second round of the subway series. They have won 21 of the 33 regular-season meetings between the two teams since interleague play began in 1997, and they have won all three matchups this season. A day-night, two-ballpark doubleheader awaits Saturday.

Wells improved his record to 10-2, but the Yankees' real pitching star was Chris Hammond, who handcuffed the Mets in the seventh and eighth innings. With closer Mariano Rivera getting the game off, Dan Miceli finished off the Mets for his first save since joining the Yankees in a trade with Cleveland on Wednesday.

Miceli walked the leadoff hitter, the aggressive Timo Perez, but he recovered with help from his defense. Roger Cedeno bunted, and first baseman Jason Giambi scooped up Jorge Posada's throw for the first out. Third baseman Robin Ventura avoided a collision with Derek Jeter and the ball boy to catch Roberto Alomar's foul pop up for the second out.

Ty Wigginton followed with a sharp grounder to third, and Ventura's throw to first pulled Giambi off the bag. Giambi jumped for the ball and slapped the tag on Wigginton, who slid feet-first into the bag, for the final out.

Wells, Hammond and Miceli made the Yankees' early burst of scoring off rookie Jae Seo stand up. Seo has been the Mets' best starter this season, improving his command even as his velocity has dipped a bit since spring training. But he gave up six runs, the most in his brief major league career. Seo worked five and a third innings and allowed nine hits.

Wells grew up in the comfortable climate of San Diego, and his first two major league teams were in Toronto and Detroit, where the weather is often cold. He loves pitching in cool weather but has never adjusted to working in heat, and it was muggy at game time.

When Cedeno tapped a leadoff single past Ventura, Wells threw up his hands. It established a pattern for the Mets' hits and Wells' reactions. After a groundout advanced Cedeno to second, Wigginton rolled a run-scoring single to left. A bloop single by Jason Phillips scored Wigginton.

The Mets had 12 hits in the first six innings, but few were hit hard. Ventura let a couple of grounders sneak by him for hits, and Derek Jeter also showed limited range at shortstop.

In the second inning, Jeter dived to his left for a grounder that seemed to be within his reach. But it got past him for a single, scoring Jose Reyes, whose hustle turned a routine single to left-center into a double. After the inning, Wells whipped his glove against a dugout wall. Broken-bat grounders to third base started double plays to end the third and fourth innings. In the sixth, Wells dodged Jeromy Burnitz's bat when it shattered and spun toward him.

The 12 hits Wells allowed were just one shy of his career high.
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