Henderson Jacks 2 In Mets Win

The New York Mets' new leadoff hitter was a slugger Wednesday night.

Rickey Henderson went 4-for-4, hitting two home runs and two doubles and scoring four times, to lead New York past the Florida Marlins 6-0.

It was the 10th two-homer game for Henderson, 40, and his first since July 22, 1993, for Oakland against Boston.

"I've still got pop in the bat," said Henderson, who struggled in spring training. "I knew my bat speed was still there."

Henderson walked in the first, then led off the third with a 417-homer to dead center field. He doubled and scored in the fifth, doubled and scored in the seventh and hit a solo homer in the eighth.

"If anybody can carry a team from the leadoff spot, it's him," teammate Mike Piazza said.

Henderson, acquired during the Mets' winter spending spree, improved his on-base percentage to .643 (9-for-14) in three games. He's hitting .545 with a slugging percentage of 1.364.

"Let's bottle it up and keep it for a while," manager Bobby Valentine said.

"The guy has been a great player for a lot of years," Marlins manager John Boles said. "He still has power. He still has speed. He might be around when he's 50."

The only flaw in Henderson's performance came in the first inning, when he was picked off first by Jesus Sanchez.

"I thought he had a balk move, to tell you the truth," Henderson said.

Later, from second base, Henderson rattled Sanchez into a costly balk.

"Were 1-1," Henderson said with a smile. "We evened it up."

Henderson signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract last winter, then hit just .130 (7-for-54) in spring training.

"Maybe it shows that spring training statistics don't necessarily mean anything," Valentine said. "He just worked on the things he knew he had to work on."

"In spring training I was reaching out trying to hit the ball," Henderson said. "Since the season started I've been more patient."

Henderson wasn't the only star Wednesday. Another Mets newcomer, Gold Glove third baseman Robin Ventura, robbed Preston Wilson and Derrek Lee of hits and doubled home two runs.

Bobby Jones (1-0), who had a 6.30 ERA in five spring training starts, pitched seven shutout innings. He allowed five hits and walked one against a Marlins lineup that totaled 35 home runs last year.

Dennis Cook, Armando Benitez and John Franco completed the six-hitter.

Sanchez (0-1) allowed six hits in five innings and left trailing 2-0.

The Mets broke the game open with three runs in the seventh. Henderson doubled, took third on Edgardo Alfonzo's infield hit and scored on a broken-bat single by Piazza. Ventura then lined a double that landed on the right-field foul line, making the score 5-0.

Sanchez's balk helped New York score in the fifth. Jones singled and took third on a double by Henderson, then was tagged out at home on a groundout. The balk advanced runners to second and third, and Henderson scored on a sacrifice fly by John Olerud.

"It's always good to get off to a good start with a new team," Henderson said.

Notes

• Henderson has 2,019 runs scored for his career, sixth best all-time.
• Marlins right fielder Mark Kotsay missed the game with a bone bruise in his left knee. He's expected to rejoin the lineup Friday against Philadelphia.
• Bobby Bonilla went 0-for-4, dropping his lifetime average against the Marlins to .213 (23-for-108).
• Sanchez tied for the major league lead with 12 pickoffs last year.
• Kevin Orie was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Jones in the fourth, but he stayed in the game.

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