NEW YORK – Gary Sheffield crossed home plate and thrust his arms in the air after unleashing his 500th homer with another vicious swing, and then the surly slugger was humbled by the site of his new Mets teammates pouring out of the dugout.
Sheffield was greeted with hugs and high fives after becoming the 25th player to reach the milestone with a tying homer in the seventh inning Friday. The party switched focus in the bottom of the ninth when Luis Castillo hit a two-out, run-scoring single to give the Mets a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
“I was so excited that, you know, when I looked over to the dugout, those were the guys,” said Sheffield, who signed with New York on April 4 after being released by Detroit four days earlier. “I appreciate every one of those guys. They’ve been very special to me.”
Ryan Braun hit a three-run homer to give Milwaukee a 4-3 lead in the sixth before Sheffield homered off Mitch Stetter, who was facing his first batter in relief of starter Dave Bush.
Sheffield, a nine-time All-Star, was on as a pinch hitter and sent a full-count pitch an estimated 385 feet for his first hit of the season.
“Just to join that 500 club, you know. Now I can say I’m in the club and, you know, it’s like getting your degree. Nobody can never take that away from you,” Sheffield said.
After squandering a bases-loaded opportunity in the eighth, Carlos Delgado doubled off Seth McClung (0-1) to start the ninth. Delgado scored on Castillo’s single to short, when a diving J.J. Hardy, a Sabino High grad, couldn’t deliver the throw to first in time to get Castillo.
Other games
Cubs 8, Cardinals 7: At Chicago, after striking out three times earlier in the game, Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to rally Chicago past St. Louis.
Pirates 3, Braves 0: At Pittsburgh, Paul Maholm combined with two relievers on a six-hitter and Pittsburgh handed Atlanta its fourth straight loss.
Padres 8, Phillies 7: At Philadelphia, Canyon del Oro High grad Scott Hairston homered and hit a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning, helping San Diego overcome a six-run deficit.
Marlins 3, Nationals 2, 10 innings: At Washington, Jeremy Hermida hit an RBI infield single in the 10th inning to lift Florida to its fifth straight win.
Reds 2, Astros 1: At Houston, Ramon Hernandez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to lift Cincinnati.
Dodgers 4, Rockies 3: At Los Angeles, Mark Loretta capped a four-run seventh inning with a go-ahead RBI single.
AL: Yankees top Indians
NEW YORK – Derek Jeter broke an eighth-inning tie with the Yankees’ fifth solo home run, and New York beat the Cleveland Indians 6-5 Friday for its first win at the new Yankee Stadium
Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano also connected as New York avoided dropping the first two games at its new home. Cano become the first player to reach the new stadium’s second deck.
Other games
Athletics 8, Blue Jays 5: At Toronto, Matt Holliday hit a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning, Bobby Crosby drove in three runs and Oakland beat Toronto.
Rays 6, White Sox 5: At St. Petersburg, Fla., Ben Zobrist hit a pinch-hit grand slam and Carlos Pena homered for the fifth time in six days to help Tampa Bay past Chicago.
Red Sox 10, Orioles 8: At Boston, Jason Bay and J.D. Drew homered to help Boston overcome a seven-run deficit.
Royals 12, Rangers 3: At Arlington, Texas, Gil Meche pitched into the seventh without allowing a run, Mark Teahen went 5-for-6 with a homer and Kansas City beat Texas.
Twins 11, Angels 9: At Minneapolis, Jason Kubel completed the ninth cycle in Twins history with a dramatic go-ahead grand slam to cap a seven-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning, lifting Minnesota past Los Angeles.
Mariners 6, Tigers 3: At Seattle, Felix Hernandez survived early struggles and surging Seattle used a five-run fifth inning to win for the seventh time in eight games.