defended his actions and he was assessed an eight-game suspension by American League President Gene Budig, and his own manager even apologized to the Yankees for Benitez's behavior. It was the second time he had drilled Martinez, which caused Martinez's incensed reaction. He did the same thing three years before when Martinez was playing for the Seattle Mariners after surrendering an Edgar Martínez grand slam, which had led to his demotion to the minors at that time. New York Mets Before the season, Benítez was traded to the New York Mets in a three-team deal, in which catcher Charles Johnson joined the Orioles while Todd Hundley was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers, with Roger Cedeño also joining Benitez in New York. Benitez initially served as the setup man for longtime Mets closer John Franco; however, when Franco went down with an injury mid-way through the 1999 season, Benitez assumed the job and was named the full-time Mets closer even after Franco's return. However, he continued his late season and postseason struggles. In Game 4 of the 1999 NL Division Series, after notoriously arriving late to the ballpark in Game 4, he was called upon to protect a 2–1 lead in the eighth inning against the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks, but allowed a two-run double as the Diamondbacks went ahead. He also blew a three-run lead in Game 2 of the 2000 NL Division Series against the San Francisco Giants, surrendering a game tying three run homer to JT Snow. He would also surrender the lead in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series to the New York Yankees, as the Yankees would eventually prevail in a marathon extra-inning game, ultimately winning the series in five games. Despite these struggles during his four seasons in New York, he managed to establish himself as one of the Major Leagues' better closers, saving 139 games. But it was also a painful time for Benítez, who battled gout during the 2000 season, due to overindulging in shellfish. However, as Benítez still struggled to hold leads when it seemed to matter most, to many fans his failures in clutch situations overshadowed most of the success he had in his career in New York. Regardless, several playoff contenders were interested in his services. Midway through , as Benítez labored trying to convert saves through the year, he was traded to the New York Yankees, who intended