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Posted: Sunday, 18 May 2008 4:59PM

Coleman's Corner: What A Relief
New York, NY (WFAN)  -- That breeze you might have felt wafting from Yankee Stadium late Saturday afternoon was the collective sigh of relief coming from the New York Mets locker room. Their 7-4 victory over the Yanks was one they really needed. In arguably their most important win of the season, they did all the little things right and silenced their critics, or at least a lot of them, for a day.

We'll see what Sunday night brings.

The biggest play of the game came early. With the Yankees already up 2-0 on Derek Jeter's home run in the first, Johnny Damon singled to lead off the third, then Bobby Abreu doubled into right-center field. Yanks third base coach Bobby Meacham tried to score Damon from first, but the PERFECT RELAY - Church to Castillo to Schneider, who blocked the plate beautifully with his left foot, nailed Damon at the plate. Instead of second and third, nobody out, with Jeter at the plate - the Mets escaped the inning unscathed and then took the lead for good with a 3 spot in the top of the fourth.

Jose Reyes started slow, finished strong. Reyes homered in the 7th and singled in the 8th. When Jeter doubled in the Yankees' 8th, he had some words of encouragement for Reyes - keep pushing, keep grinding, don't get down on yourself - Jeter is simply a class act, the kind of player you love to compete against.

Carlos Delgado started even slower, but also finished strong. Delgado's first 3 AB were downright ugly - two strikeouts and a bases-loaded pop out. But he singled in the 7th and had a great at-bat against Joba Chamberlain in the 9th, an RBI single that plated Carlos Beltran.

Ironic moment of the day - did anyone else notice that Delgado was the only player from either team that was on the field - standing at rapt attention behind the pitcher's mound - while "God Bless America" was played in the middle of the 7th inning?

Beltran had a big day - three hits including a triple. He also had a "Beltran steal" - stealing third base with 2 out in the 5th just before Delgado struck out. Ho-hum. Way to help the team.

David Wright was on his game - three hits including his 8th homer, 2 RBI, 2 runs and a stolen base. Very Wright-like.

Where exactly was Luis Castillo going trying to steal third with the lefty-hitting Church at the plate in the 8th? Dumb plays like that have doomed the Mets in other games.

Billy Wagner provided the perfect ending, a 4-out save for his 9th of the year. Wagner truly appreciated Willie bringing him on to get Matsui in the 8th, even if it was the proper thing to do. When Wagner arrived at the mound, he did something I'd never seen before. With Willie on top of the mound waiting to hand him the ball, Wagner stopped at the base, glove over mouth, and talked to Delgado for a good 30 seconds. What was said? Patching things up? All is forgiven, let's stick together and move forward and nail down this win? No, that's for the movies - like I thought, it was about positioning for Matsui, who did indeed ground to the right side for an easy 4-3. It looked more dramatic than it was.

C U Sunday night

Eddie C.

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