To be frank, the Mets had Game 1 of this Subway Series won Saturday night. For eight and a third innings, they had out-Yankeed the Yankees.

Mets closer Armando Benitez stalks off the mound after blowing the save in the ninth.(AP)

But then a bad thing happened for the Mets. Armando Benitez, the closer with the high-octane heat, found himself stuck in a recurring nightmare. By the end of the night, the entire Mets team felt like they had lived a bad dream. They left the Bronx 4-3 losers in a 12-inning marathon that was entertainment at its highest.

The game was, for all practical purposes, lost in the bottom of the ninth, when Benitez melted down in a playoff game. It's something he has done countless times before. Usually, it was when he wore the Baltimore Orioles uniform. But even at this more mature stage of his career, there are times the pressure overcomes him.

This time it was the World Series, and the hard-throwing Benitez couldn't take it.

After Benitez got Jorge Posada to start the inning, Paul O'Neill worked Benitez through a grueling 10-pitch at bat. The savvy O'Neill wasted every pitch he didn't like, and then finally drew a walk. Then he surrendered singles to Luis Polonia and Jose Vizcaino. Chuck Knoblauch tied it at 3-3 with a sacrifice fly to left.

These are players Benitez, with his 98-mph gas, should be able to blow by at such a pivotal point. If the Mets are going to become a championship team in this next week, Benitez must became a championship closer.

Benitez now has three saves in nine playoff opportunities. By comparison, the Yankees' Mariano Rivera is 17-for-18.

There is something to be said for the good and bad experiences of a playoff relief pitcher. The Yankee relievers, from Jeff Nelson to Mike Stanton to Rivera, have an inner confidence that they are going to get the job done because they almost always have.

Benitez doesn't have that look in his eyes.

"Experience is a funny thing, it can work either way," said Stanton. "If you perform well in the postseason, it can help you. If you haven't, it can make you press and do the opposite."

So instead of taking a lead in this massively hyped Series, the Mets have done the opposite.

Benitez almost cost the Mets Game 2 of the Division Series when J.T. Snow hit a game-tying, three-run homer off him in San Francisco. Fortunately for Benitez's psyche, the Mets came back to win that one and had been rolling along until Benitez's rough Saturday night in the Bronx.

Now they hope he can pick up the pieces. One thing they can't get by with is a closer with no confidence.

"I didn't do my job," said Benitez. "I felt good, but I have no excuse. I walked O'Neill and the other guys just beat me. It's over. I don't have to remember this. I'm just sorry about (Al) Leiter.

Leiter did deserve a better fate. He was gutty for seven innings, allowing five hits, two runs and striking out seven in what would have been his first playoff victory if not for Benitez's blown save.

But the Mets have been a tight-knit team all year. They have the type of characters in their clubhouse that will keep Benitez's chin up and have him ready to close the door should he get the chance in Game 2.

"If we're going to win this thing, we need Armando," said Leiter. "We don't need him to get upset and lose confidence."

"He's our closer," said Mets outfielder Benny Agbayani. "We're going to go to him in the ninth inning. You can't doubt him."

It's just that when Benitez grabs the baseball in the playoffs, good things never seem to happen.

But the closer did find one thing to feel confident about.

"This was one game," Benitez said. "There's still six left."

They will only be worth playing for the Mets if their closer can do his job.