Sep 27, 2002 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Two teams that can’t wait for the season to end got a game wiped off the schedule Thursday night. The series finale between the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates was canceled because of steady rain and an unfavorable weather forecast. It will not be made up since there are no postseason implications for either club.

The Mets headed home for their season-ending series against the Atlanta Braves, and the Pirates went to Chicago for their final series against the Cubs.

Neither team will have a winning record, which isn’t a surprise for the Pirates, who are wrapping up a 10th straight losing season. But they’re guaranteed to improve last year’s 62-100 mark, potentially by as many as 14 wins.

“We’re headed in the right direction,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “I’m definitely happy with what we’ve done this year, but by no means am I satisfied. My goal is still to bring a championship team back to Pittsburgh and we still have a lot of work to do.”

The Mets thought they would be contenders again after an offseason that saw them add first baseman Mo Vaughn, second baseman Roberto Alomar, center fielder Roger Cedeno, right fielder Jeromy Burnitz and pitcher Shawn Estes to a team that finished six games out of first place last year.

Instead, the season has been a huge disappointment.

The Mets are in the midst of their first losing campaign since 1996, the new additions all had poor years and there’s been plenty of off-the-field turmoil.

Fred Wilpon completed his buyout of co-owner Nelson Doubleday on Aug. 23, ending their acrimonious partnership after 16 years, and a newspaper report last week said at least seven players smoked marijuana this season.

Wilpon recently said he was “personally embarrassed” by recent events and vowed to correct things.

The Pirates are looking to get more production in center field, right field and first base. They don’t have the budget to fill all those holes. Offered a choice of a leadoff-type hitter or a slugger, McClendon said the latter would top his wish list.

“I’d like to have a guy who can hit 30 to 40 home runs,” he said.

He could get one back next year. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez has had a lost season, falling well short of the numbers he posted last year, when he hit .300 with 34 home runs and 112 RBIs.

Ramirez is hitting .232 with 17 homers and 68 RBIs. He sprained his ankle during a fight in Milwaukee on April 17, missed two months and struggled after he returned.

The Pirates are taking no chances this winter. McClendon said Ramirez will be assigned a strength coach and nutritionist and the team’s medical staff will visit him in the Dominican Republic during the offseason to monitor his progress.

“It’s very important that he comes to camp in top shape,” McClendon said. “He’s a very proud individual and I know he’s totally committed to bounce back and have a monster season.”

The cancellation resulted in one change. McClendon scratched Kris Benson from his last scheduled start Saturday in Chicago. Benson was 9-6 with a 4.70 ERA in 25 starts as he returned from reconstructive elbow surgery to pitch for the first time since 2000.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with Kris,” McClendon said.

Salomon Torres, Kip Wells and Josh Fogg will start the three games in Chicago.

The Pirates final home attendance was 1,784,993, a decrease of 651,146 from their first season at PNC Park.