The stylish left-hander earned his 300th victory Sunday night with nervous family and friends looking on from near the Mets’ dugout on the first-base side.
Glavine left with a five-run lead after 6 1/3 innings, and New York’s bullpen held on for a 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
“I think the feeling right now is probably relief,” Glavine said. “At some point in time, I don’t know when, the historic side of it will sink in. I know the company I’m in, and I’m as proud as can be to be in that company.”
Six days earlier in his first try for No. 300, Glavine (10-6) left with a one-run lead at Milwaukee only to watch his bullpen blow it.
He left Sunday after Angel Pagan doubled on his 102nd pitch, getting a high five from manager Willie Randolph on the mound and a standing ovation as he left the field.
Guillermo Mota came in and gave up a single to Jason Kendall, Pedro Feliciano then relieved and gave up an RBI grounder to pinch-hitter Jacque Jones. Fontenot’s double made it a 5-3 game, bringing on Aaron Heilman, who retired Ryan Theirot on an inning-ending flyout.
There was big news for the Cubs, too,
Kerry Wood pitched the seventh in his first major league appearance since June 6, 2006 after a long bout of shoulder problems. The crowd began chanting “Ker-ry! Ker-ry!” and Wood retired Lo Duca on the first pitch he threw as even more flashbulbs began going off. Wood allowed one hit in a scoreless inning.
Chicago had an early threat against Glavine in the third but instead it ended with a leg injury on the basepaths for Chicago star Alfonso Soriano.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella said Soriano will be sidelined at least two weeks and up to a month.
“It’s going to be a tough loss. I don’t know what we’ll do,” Piniella said. “Losing Soriano is the toughest thing about this homestand.”
Entering with a .231 batting average this season, Glavine showed his prowess with the bat, hitting a two-out RBI single in the second to put the Mets ahead.
Run-scoring doubles by Delgado and Shawn Green off Jason Marquis (8-7), Glavine’s former Atlanta teammate, made it 3-0 in the fifth. Reyes had a run-scoring single that chased Marquis in the sixth and scored on Delgado’s groundout.
Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez hit back-to-back two-out doubles in the bottom half.
Notes:@ Lo Duca returned after missing six games with a tender hamstring. ... The Cubs are 10-17 against left-handed starters. ... After Soriano was hurt, Cliff Floyd moved from right field to left field, Mark DeRosa went from second base to right field and Fontenot entered the game to play second. ... Marquis gave up five runs and nine hits in 5 1-3 innings.
