NEW YORK -- Too bad for Shawn Green that he missed all the fun. Then again, he was several thousand miles from Shea Stadium and still managed to draw a big ovation.
Tom Glavine walked into the ballpark and said he won't need surgery on his left shoulder. Green became the everyday right fielder, acquired in a trade with Arizona. Former President Clinton visited the clubhouse, then Carlos Beltran hit a winning home run in the bottom of the ninth.
It began with the Mets saying they had completed all the paperwork needed to build their new ballpark, a 45,000-seat stadium reminiscent of old Ebbets Field that's set to open for the 2009 season.
By the afternoon, Glavine himself delivered his good diagnosis. Allaying fears that his season -- and career, possibly -- could be over because of a blood clot, he said he was OK.
About an hour before gametime, the Mets added a steady bat as they geared up for the postseason. The Diamondbacks sent Green and slightly more than $6.3 million to New York for Triple-A pitcher Evan MacLane.
The 33-year-old Green is a two-time All-Star and is hitting .283 with 11 home runs and 51 RBIs. He waived his no-trade clause to join a team that holds a 13 1/2-game lead over Philadelphia in the NL East.
"I'm definitely excited for the opportunity," Green said, speaking from San Francisco International Airport. "I really like the Mets' chances to go to the postseason and have a chance at the World Series."
"Had I played my whole career and never played in New York, I always would have wondered what it was like," he said. "At this stage in my career, it's a perfect fit."
"The Cardinals were always my favorite team," he said, watching them take batting practice. "Willie Mays was my favorite player, even though he played in New York, but the Cardinals were my team."
"I grew up listening to the Cardinals on the radio. I can remember doing my homework in grade school all the way through high school, listening to Harry Caray do their games."
At the ballpark merely as a fan, Clinton visited both clubhouses before the game. He played it coy when asked whether he rooted more for the Mets or Yankees. His wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is a New York senator.
Beltran hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning, putting a thrilling ending to a game of grand-slam derby between Albert Pujols and Delgado and capping the Mets' comeback from a 7-1 deficit.
Pujols hit a slam and a three-run homer for St. Louis, setting a career-high with seven RBIs. Delgado crunched a solo shot and slam to reach 400 lifetime homers.
The Mets won their fifth in a row overall and ninth straight at Shea. Booed at home for most of last season, Beltran took a joyride around the bases, tossing his helmet and jumping on the plate.
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