Bell, Mets Ring Up Padres

Derek Bell wasn't in New York last year when the Mets put together a season full of dramatic finishes.

In his first game for New York at Shea Stadium, Bell provided the Mets one to start their 2000 home season, hitting a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning for a 2-1 win Monday over the San Diego Padres.

"I think he might have seen the highlight video on the screen and wanted to get himself on it soon," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "He's got a highlight now."

Bell gave a well-rested Al Leiter (1-0) the win he hit the first pitch he saw from Donne Wall (0-1) over the fence in left-center to break a 1-1 tie with two outs in the eighth.

"It was unbelievable," Bell said of the reaction. "I'd seen it on TV and when I played against them. It was an awesome feeling. It's something I've always wanted to do."

Bell came to New York in December from Houston in the Mike Hampton trade. Many Mets fans criticized the deal, which sent two young players, hard-throwing Octavio Dotel and speedy Roger Cedeno, to the Astros for a pitcher who could become a free agent after the season and an overpaid outfielder on the down side of his career.

But Houston agree to trade their 22-game winner only if another team was willing to take Bell, who hit a career-low .236 last year and will make $5 million this season.

"I told them after the trade that if I'm a throw-in, they got a good deal," Bell said. "I can steal bases, drive in runs and steal bases."

And hit game-winning homers too.

The trade also took pressure off Leiter, who is no longer the Mets' ace. However, he pitched like a No. 1 starter in his first game since not retiring a batter in Game 6 of the NLCS against Atlanta last year.

The left-hander allowed one run, five hits and no walks in eight innings, striking out seven.

"Leiter is tough," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "When he is starting the third game for them you get an idea of how good they are."

Leiter didn't make the 7,200-mile trip from Port St. Lucie, Fla., to Tokyo for the season-opening two-game series against the Chicago Cubs and looked fresh because of it.

"I knew I had to pitch well because the guys kept reminding me they were jet-lagged," said Leiter, who gave up his only run in the second on a homer to Phil Nevin. "I tried to keep them in the game until they could finally break through."

The rest of the Mets, however, looked sluggish for six innings and trailed 1-0 before breaking through in the seventh against Sterling Hitchcock.

Edgardo Alfonzo walked to lead off the inning, advanced to third on Mike Piazza's hard single to left and scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Todd Zeile.

"I shouldn't have walked the leadoff man," Hitchcock said. "That's something I just can't do. That's what beat us."

Hitchcock, who struggled with injuries and his velocity in spring training, showed why Cleveland almost completed a deal for him last week. The trade died when Cleveland couldn't clear enough salary to take on the $6.1 million Hitchcock is scheduled to make this year.

"I think that's over," he said of the trade talks. "I don't really care to pursue it any further."

Armando Benitez pitched a perfect ninth for his first save.

Notes