New York-- For the second straight day, the Mets had their fans thinking a win might be in the offing. For the second straight day, the ninth inning proved to contribute to their downfall.
The Pittsburgh Pirates scored two runs in the ninth to take a 4-3 lead, the Mets countered with a run in their half of the ninth on a Ron Hunt home run to tie it, but the Pirates enjoyed a four-run uprising in the 10th to finish off the Mets, 8-4 at Shea Stadium.
The Pirates had six hits in the 10th, all singles, including three run-scoring singles in a row after two were out.
The Pirates banged out eight hits over the last two innings of the game, after only mustering six prior to that.
The Mets (1-3) lost their third straight game.
Bill Mazeroski tripled in the ninth off Willard Hunter, scoring two runs, erasing a 3-2 deficit and putting the Bucs on top, 4-3.
But Hunt lasered a pitch from Al McBean into the left field seats in the Mets' half of the ninth to tie the contest.
Unfortunately, the Pirates countered that (and then some) with a four-run 10th inning with most of the damage done against Hunter, who gave up five runs in one and one-third inning of work.
Hunt's game-tying ninth inning homer wasn't enough to avoid another tough loss
The Mets went ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, thanks to a two-out, two-run double by Amado Samuel.
Willie Stargell's two-run homer in the fourth inning for the Pirates was the only scoring until the Mets scratched out a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
The Mets will wrap up the weekend series with the Bucs on Sunday afternoon.
"Two tough losses in a row," the Mets' Hunt said afterward. "We just have to shake them off. It's too early to get too down over a couple of losses."
Larry Bearnarth was an emergency starter for the Mets after Galen Cisco woke up with arm soreness. Bearnarth's third career start against 101 relief appearances lasted a surprising five innings. Bearnarth surrendered just three hits and two runs.
"He helped us out a lot," Mets manager Casey Stengel said of Bearnarth. "Cisco came to the park and said he couldn't pitch. That's a nice thing for a manager to hear, I tell you."
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Mets record: 1-3, .250 (Last 10: 1-3; streak: L-3); Actual: 0-4
Home: 0-2; Away: 1-1
Runs scored: 14
Runs against: 22
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