| | ATLANTA -- Even before the game, Darryl Hamilton knew
something was wrong with Rickey Henderson.
The usually loquacious Henderson wasn't jabbering with his
teammates before the New York Mets played Game 2 of the NL
Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.
|  | | Rickey Henderson leaves the field after being pulled in the second inning. |
And after Henderson was taken out in the middle of the second
inning with nausea and light headedness, everyone knew the Mets'
sparkplug wasn't right.
"Before the game he said he had a migraine," Hamilton said
after the Mets lost 4-3 and fell behind 2-0 in the NLCS. "He
looked down. That's not Rickey. Usually he's pumping everyone up.
It got worse in the first couple of innings."
Henderson was lying on his back in the runway behind the Mets'
dugout with ice packs on his head before coming to bat in the
second inning. He told manager Bobby Valentine that he had the
stomach flu.
Henderson was late to the on-deck circle before coming to bat
with runners on second and third and two out. He hit a grounder in
the hole between first and second that second baseman Bret Boone
fielded on the outfield grass and threw to pitcher Kevin Millwood
to just get Henderson.
Henderson, 0-for-6 in the series, jogged down the baseline with
a pained expression on his face. He went out to play left field in
the bottom of the inning but looked ill.
He slowly fielded two hits to left and didn't engage in his
usual banter with the fans.
"He really looked down," Bobby Bonilla said. "You knew there
was a problem when he wasn't having fun with the crowd."
In an unusual sight during the inning, Melvin Mora played catch
with Matt Franco in the dugout to loosen up his arm as the Mets
were concerned about Henderson.
"I've never done that. I've never ever warmed up in the
dugout," Mora said. "They told me to get loose quick because I
might need to make a throw on a hit."
With two runners on and a 2-0 count on Walt Weiss, Valentine and
trainer Fred Hina ran out to check on Henderson. Hamilton, who was
in center, and right fielder Roger Cedeno also came over to check
on their teammate.
After a brief discussion, Henderson was taken out of the game
and replaced by Mora, who hit his first career homer in the fifth
inning to give New York a 2-0 lead.
"I have to be ready for anything," Mora said. "I never know
when I'm going to get in the ballgame."
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ALSO SEE
Mets vs. Braves series page
Perez plays hero as Braves edge Mets 4-3
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