Matsui is day-to-day with a strained right hamstring, and the Mets purchased the contract of top infield prospect Anderson Hernandez from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday in response. To open up a spot on the 40-man roster, the Mets designated Dae-Sung Koo for assignment.

Hearing of her son's promotion made Hernandez's mother a happy lady.

"She went crazy," Hernandez said. "She said, 'Everything I want, you give it to me.'"

Hernandez was in New York getting his wrist checked out and also to receive a Sterling Award at Shea on Sunday for individual achievement in the Minors. He split his season between Double-A Binghamton (66 games) and Triple-A Norfolk (66 games). He won the award for his play in Binghamton, where he batted .330 with 46 runs scored, seven home runs, 14 doubles, a triple, 11 stolen bases and 24 RBIs.

The performance was Hernandez's best all-around showing in five Minor League seasons, and the 22-year-old quickly identified the source of his progress: "A little patience," Hernandez said. "I don't swing like crazy anymore."

Hernandez, a former shortstop, said he played only two games at second base prior to this season, and those came during winter ball in the Dominican Republic. He worked with Minor League Coordinator Edgar Alfonso on making the switch, and said he feels comfortable there now.

Hernandez wasn't told the nature of his role with the Mets, and manager Willie Randolph said it's not likely Hernandez will debut before Tuesday. Randolph acknowledged that he wanted to see Hernandez play, but not before he was in game shape.

"It's tough enough to play the game, [let alone] having a rookie come up when he hasn't played in a week," Randolph said.

The youth movement is officially on in the Mets' infield. Hernandez will likely slot in with David Wright, Jose Reyes and Mike Jacobs -- which means the Mets will regularly start four players 24 or younger the rest of the way.

Strained: Randolph said that he wasn't sure of the extent of Matsui's injury, hinting that the language barrier jumbled the conversation. He said Matsui told him the injury first surfaced a few days ago, worsened on his bunt in the first inning Friday and again tightened up while running out an infield single in the eighth inning.

Still tippin': A day after his two-run home run off John Smoltz boosted the Mets past the Braves, Jacobs was modest about the accomplishment, but still basking in its afterglow.

"It's just exciting to face a guy like that, and obviously, hitting a home run's pretty cool," Jacobs said. "I think the biggest thing is what it meant for us yesterday. Just to be a part of that was awesome."

Jacobs said that Pedro Martinez gave him a hard time, joking postgame that Jacobs should run off and call his mother. Jacobs did -- though not right away -- and she said that she saw the game on television, and several people called her in regards to the homer.

Feeling wooden: Chris Woodward has missed two games after his right calf tightened up on him Tuesday, when he hit into a double play in the eighth inning of the Mets' 4-2 loss to the Nationals. Woodward said that he wouldn't have been able to run out a ball in play the last two games, but told Randolph he was available in an emergency Saturday.

Mets history -- Sept. 18: In the final baseball game ever played at the Polo Grounds, the Phillies defeated the Mets, 5-1, on this date in 1963. Merely 1,752 fans attended. Jim Hickman hit the last home run in the historic ballpark. Chris Short pitched a complete game and threw the last pitch. Ted Schreiber made the final out, hitting into a double play. The Phillies' double play combination was second baseman Cookie Rojas and shortstop Bobby Wine, two future Mets coaches. Those were, of course, the Days of Wine and Rojas.

Nine years later on this date, Jon Matlack pitched the fourth shutout of his rookie season, a five-hitter in a 1-0 victory over the Pirates at Shea. Duffy Dyer's single with one out in the ninth against Nelson Briles scored Rusty Staub from second base. Matlack, who finished with a 15-10 record and 2.32 ERA, became the second Mets player voted National League Rookie of the Year -- Tom Seaver was the first, in 1967. ... Trailing, 4-1, in the ninth inning, the Mets scored five times and then allowed a run in the bottom of the ninth before beating the Pirates, 6-5, at Three Rivers Stadium on this date in 1973. Don Hahn's bases loaded single with one out against Dave Guisti drove in the last two runs. The Mets still were in fourth place, 2 1/2 games from first, and their winning percentage still was lower than .500. But the victory was the first in a seven-game winning streak that carried the Mets to first place.

On this date in 1975, Rusty Staub hits a two-run home run to become the first Met to drive in 100 runs, and Dave Kingman hits his 35th home run to break Frank Thomas' single-season home run reord, set in 1962. ... Jesse Orosco earned his first Major League save, the first of his 107 with the Mets, on this date in 1981, pitching three innings in an 8-1 victory against the Cardinals at Shea. ... Ten years later in this date, Howard Johnson pushed his career hit total to 1,000 with a single, one of the Mets' five hits in nine innings against Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux at Shea.

Rey Ordonez hit the only grand slam of his career in the Mets' 11-1 victory in Philadelphia on this date in 1999. ... Armando Benitez gained his 40th save on this date in 2001. He finished with 43, two more than his 2000 total. He remains the only Mets pitcher with 40 or more saves in a season.

On deck: Tom Glavine gets his last chance of 2005 to beat the Braves for the second time in his career. Glavine (10-13, 3.88 ERA) has avoided losses in two of his four starts against the Braves this season. But his record is 0-2, and his career record against them now is 1-8 in 11 starts. Glavine has pitched well enough to win his last two starts against them -- two runs in 14 1/3 innings -- but those are the two no-decisions, both Mets losses. His ERA since the All-Star break is 2.59, but his record in 12 starts is 4-6.

John Thomson (3-4, 4.76 ERA) pitches for the Braves.