2000 National League Division Series
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season New York Mets (3) Bobby Valentine 94–68, .580, GB: 1 San Francisco Giants (1) Dusty Baker 97–65, .599, GA: 11
Dates	October 4 – 8
Television	ESPN (Games 1, 4) Fox (Games 2–3)
TV announcers	Jon Miller andJoe Morgan (Games 1, 4) Thom Brennaman andBob Brenly (Game 2) Joe Buck andTim McCarver (Game 3)
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Charley Steiner andDave Campbell
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season St. Louis Cardinals (3) Tony La Russa 95–67, .586, GA: 10 Atlanta Braves (0) Bobby Cox 95–67, .586, GA: 1
Dates	October 3 – 7
Television	ESPN
TV announcers	Jon Miller andBuck Martinez (Games 1, 3) Jon Miller andJoe Morgan (Game 2)
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Wayne Hagin andMark Grace
Umpires	Jeff Kellogg,Gary Cederstrom,Ed Montague,Dan Morrison,Larry Young,Ted Barrett (Giants–Mets, in San Francisco; Cardinals–Braves, in Atlanta) Rich Rieker,Terry Craft,Jerry Crawford,Brian Gorman,Rocky Roe,Mike DiMuro (Cardinals–Braves, in St. Louis; Giants–Mets, in Queens)
← 1999 NLDS 2001 →

The2000National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of theNational League side in Major League Baseball’s2000 postseason, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Sunday, October 8, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were:

• (1)San Francisco Giants (Western Division champions, 97–65) vs. (4)New York Mets (Wild Card, 94–68): Mets win series, 3–1.
• (2)St. Louis Cardinals (Central Division champions, 95–67) vs. (3)Atlanta Braves (Eastern Division champions, 95–67): Cardinals win series, 3–0.^[1]

The Cardinals and Mets went on to meet in theNL Championship Series (NLCS). The Mets beat the Cardinals four games to one to advance to the2000 World Series, where they would lose to theAmerican League championNew York Yankees in five games.^[2][3]

New York won the series, 3–1.

St. Louis won the series, 3–0.

Pacific Bell Park inSan Francisco

In the first ever playoff game at Pacific Bell Park, the Giants struck first in the bottom of the first whenJeff Kent followed a double and single with an RBI groundout offMike Hampton. Giants PitcherLiván Hernández allowed one run and five hits (on a walk in the third that tied the game) over a7+2⁄3 inning effort. In the bottom of the third,Bill Mueller singled with two outs and scored onBarry Bonds's triple to put the Giants back in front. After a walk, a three-run home run byEllis Burks capped the scoring at 5–1 as the Giants took a 1–0 series lead.

Pacific Bell Park inSan Francisco

In Game 2, the Mets loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch and two walks offShawn Estes whenTimo Perez's two-run single put them up 2–0. The Giants cut it to 2–1 in the bottom of the inning whenJeff Kent hit a leadoff single and scored onEllis Burks's double. Behind strong pitching fromAl Leiter and a two-out two-run home run fromEdgardo Alfonzo in the top of the ninth inning offFélix Rodríguez, the Mets carried a 4–1 lead into the last of the ninth. However, following a double byBarry Bonds and a single fromJeff Kent, pinch hitterJ. T. Snow hit a towering three-run home run off Mets relieverArmando Benítez to tie the game at four. The Mets would bounce back in the tenth inning, with RookieJay Payton singling homeDarryl Hamilton, who doubled with two outs, off Rodriguez. The Giants would threaten again, and had the tying run on with two out and Bonds at the plate, butJohn Franco struck out Bonds looking on a wicked 3–2 changeup, giving the Mets a heart-stopping 5–4 victory and a 1–1 series moving to New York.

Shea Stadium inQueens, New York

The series shifted to Shea Stadium with game 3 starting at 4:20 P.M. (Eastern time), Giants starting pitcherRuss Ortiz stifled the Mets early, and had a no-hitter entering the sixth inning. He was staked to a 2–0 lead thanks to two leadoff singles in the fourth offRick Reed, followed RBI singles fromBobby Estalella andMarvin Benard. In the sixth, the Mets broke through. After a walk and single, rookieTimo Pérez, forced into action due to a Game 1 injury to starting right fielderDerek Bell, blooped a single over third base to scoreMike Bordick and put the Mets on the scoreboard.

Two innings later, with the Mets still down by one run, pinch hitterLenny Harris barely beat out the return throw on what would have been an inning-ending double play offDoug Henry. The Giants brought in closerRobb Nen, who had not blown a save since July to faceEdgardo Alfonzo. However, Alfonzo ended that streak by ripping a double into the left field corner to score Harris and tie the game.

The game continued on into extra innings, where both teams mounted scoring threats, only to be turned away each time.

The game ended whenBenny Agbayani blasted a home run into the left field bleachers with one out in the thirteenth inning offAaron Fultz, capping another memorable postseason game at Shea Stadium and putting the Mets ahead in the series two games to one. Game three nail-biter lasted 5 hours and 22 minutes, it was the second longest playoff game by hours and minutes in Major League Baseball history at the time. Reliever Rick White earned the win for the Mets.

Agbayani hits it to deep left center...13th inning! Mets win game three!

Shea Stadium inQueens, New York

In perhaps the most unlikely great pitching performance in recent memory,Bobby Jones, the Mets' fourth starter, completely shut down the Giants offense, hurling a masterful one-hit shutout to clinch the series for the Mets. Mixing 85 MPH fastballs and 65 MPH curveballs, Jones thoroughly baffled Giant hitters all afternoon, setting down the side in order in eight of nine innings.Jeff Kent's leadoff double in the fifth inning would be the Giants' only hit. Jones would get all the offense he would need onRobin Ventura's two-run home run in the first inning offMark Gardner. The Mets padded their lead in the fifth onEdgardo Alfonso's two-run double. Jones gotBarry Bonds to fly out to center to end the game, and set off a raucous celebration at Shea Stadium.

Mets announcerBob Murphy would say following the final out,

The Mets have never had a better ball game pitched in their 39-year history!

The one-hitter set a Mets' record for fewest hits allowed in a post-season complete game, bestingJon Matlack's two-hitter in the1973 NLCS. It was also the fewest hits allowed in a League Division Series complete game untilRoy Halladay'sno-hitter in2010.

2000 NLDS(3–1):New York Mets overSan Francisco Giants

Busch Stadium (II) inSt. Louis, Missouri

It was a poorly pitched game for both starters, both of whom would last four innings or less.Greg Maddux facedRick Ankiel. In the bottom of the first, Maddux allowed four straight hits to lead off the inning, the last two of which scored a run each. An error onRay Lankford's ground ball allowed another run to score, then after a sacrifice bunt and intentional,Plácido Polanco's single aided by another error cleared the bases, making it 6–0 Cardinals. But the Braves would make a game of it in the top of the third when Ankiel's control slipped away. He walked Maddux andAndruw Jones, then threw four wild pitches to put them on second and third. Ankiel then threw another wild pitch on a ball four toAndrés Galarraga, walking him and letting Maddux score.Brian Jordan then hit an RBI single and after another wild pitch and walk loaded the bases,Walt Weiss's two-run single cut the Cardinals' lead to 6–4.Jim Edmonds's fourth-inning home run make it 7–4. After the fourth, Maddux was done. In the top of the ninth, an error and walk put runners on first and second offDave Veres before Jordan's RBI single cut the Cardinals' lead to 7–5 and put the tying runs on, but Veres retired the next two batters to end the game.Mike James would get the win in relief of Ankiel.

Busch Stadium (II) inSt. Louis, Missouri

Tom Glavine of the Braves facedDarryl Kile of the Cardinals. In the top of the first,Rafael Furcal drew a leadoff walk, moved second on a groundout, and scored onChipper Jones's single. After a double,Brian Jordan's RBI groundout made it 2–0 Braves, butWill Clark hit a three-run homer in the bottom half to put the Cards up for good.Carlos Hernández homered in the second, then in the third, the Cardinals loaded the bases on a single, double and hit-by-pitch beforeEric Davis's sacrifice fly scored a run, thenRay Lankford's two-run double gave the Cardinals a commanding 7–2 lead. Glavine was finished and the Braves changed pitchers five times. Next inning,Édgar Rentería walked, stole second and scored onJim Edmonds's double offAndy Ashby.John Burkett hitFernando Viña with a pitch leading off the sixth, then Edmonds's one-out RBI double made it 9–2 Cardinals. In the eighth,Andruw Jones hit a one-out home run offMike Timlin, then after Jones doubled, Jordan's RBI double made it 9–4 Cardinals, who got a run in the bottom half onMark McGwire's home run offMike Remlinger.Matt Morris pitched a scoreless ninth to give the Cardinals a 2–0 series lead.

Turner Field inAtlanta

The Cardinals sentGarrett Stephenson to the mound to finish off the Braves. The Braves' last hope wasKevin Millwood, who pitched a one-hitter in the playoffs the year before.Fernando Viña's leadoff home run in the first put the Cardinals up. In the bottom half,Rafael Furcal drew a leadoff walk, stole second, move to third on a groundout and scored onAndrés Galarraga's single to tie the game, but the Braves did not score again.Jim Edmonds's two-run homer into the Atlanta bullpen in the third put the Cards in front for good. Stephenson left the game in the fourth due to tendinitis that would eventually require him to get Tommy John surgery. In the fifth,Édgar Rentería walked with two outs, stole second, moved to third on a balk and scored on Edmonds' ground-rule double to knock Millwood out of the game. In the sixth,Terry Mulholland allowed a leadoff walk, single and sacrifice bunt,Plácido Polanco's fielder's choice offKerry Ligtenberg scored a run. Polanco stole second before Vina's two-run single offMike Remlinger capped the scoring at 7–1 Cardinals.Britt Reames won the game in relief as both teams would change pitchers four times.Paul Bako struck out againstDave Veres to end the series. The Cardinals' win in Game 3 put the Braves (who had won their first five NLDS matchups) out of the NLCS for the first time since 1990.

2000 NLDS(3–0):St. Louis Cardinals overAtlanta Braves

• NYM vs. SFG at Baseball-Reference
• STL vs. ATL at Baseball-Reference

• National League Division Series
• 2000 Major League Baseball season
• New York Mets postseason
• St. Louis Cardinals postseason
• San Francisco Giants postseason
• Atlanta Braves postseason
• 2000 in sports in Missouri
• 2000 in sports in New York City
• 2000 in sports in California
• 2000 in sports in Georgia (U.S. state)
• 2000 in Atlanta
• 2000 in San Francisco
• 2000 in St. Louis
• October 2000 sports events in the United States
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• Sports competitions in Queens, New York

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