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PITTSBURGH -- Jordy Mercer knows the routine. He figured it was time he experienced it for himself. The Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman singled up the middle off Gonzalez Germen with two outs in the 11th inning to send teammate Andrew McCutchen sprinting home with the winning run in a 3-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night. Mercer celebrated the first walkoff hit of his career and the sixth of Pittsburghs stunning season by flipping his bat in the air and then running for safety. "You make them chase you down because you know youre going to get punished afterward, punched and stuff," Mercer said. "Its all worth it in the end, though." McCutchen led off the 11th with a walk, stole second and then easily beat the throw home from centre fielder Juan Lagares to end the Mets four-game winning streak. The Pirates stayed one game behind St. Louis in the tight NL Central race. Vin Mazzaro (5-2) retired all three batters he faced to earn the victory. Starling Marte had two of Pittsburghs six hits, and Pedro Alvarez added his 24th home run. Mets All-Star David Wright had two hits and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He had an RBI single but also flied out with two runners on to end the New York 10th. Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit his third homer of the season for New York. Germen (0-1) got only two outs in his first inning in the majors and took the loss. He struck out Alvarez and Gaby Sanchez with McCutchen on second before Mercers grounder slipped by shortstop Omar Quintanilla and into the outfield. "He made some great pitches, too," Mets manager Terry Collins said of Germen. "The 3-1 pitch to Gaby Sanchez was about as (gutsy) of a pitch that youll ever see." The game carried a little more heat than usual between one team in the midst of a pennant race and another rebuilding. Wright, the starting NL All-Star third baseman and Home Run Derby captain, added Alvarez to the NLs derby roster on Thursday after Colorados Carlos Gonzalez pulled out because of a hand injury. Still, Wrights perceived initial snub of Alvarez wasnt forgotten by Pirates fans. He was booed lustily before each at bat, even though he and Alvarez -- who will make his All-Star debut -- exchanged a handshake and a brief chat before the national anthem. "Theyre knowledgeable fans, they know whats going on and its cool that theyre upset and passionate about it," Wright said. "It made for a nice atmosphere." Alvarez wasted little time celebrating. One batter after Jose Tabata reached on an infield single in the bottom of the first, Alvarez hit the first pitch he saw from Jeremy Hefner into the New York bullpen in centre field. He trotted past Wright without looking up as the seventh sellout crowd of the season roared. Alvarez, a New York native, dismissed any sense of payback with his blast. He considers Wright a friend and would rather focus on his breakout season. "I just try to hit the pitch where its pitched, and just trying to make good contact and really not worry about trying to put too much on the ball," he said. "You cant really control the home runs. I try my best to make good contact wherever the ball is." Hefner settled down and retired 14 straight after Alvarezs homer, needing just 78 pitches to get through seven innings. He allowed three hits and struck out three without issuing a walk. "Last year and even at the beginning of this year I would have folded or given up more runs or whatever the case may be," Hefner said. "Ive been able to bounce back, turn the page and give quality outings after giving up some runs early." It marked the eighth straight start in which Hefner gave up two earned runs or fewer, the longest streak by a Mets pitcher since Johan Santana did it over 13 starts between 2008 and 2009. Pittsburghs Charlie Morton gave up two runs, six hits, and a walk with four strikeouts in his longest start since returning from elbow surgery last month. Morton rolled through five innings before Wright delivered an RBI single in the sixth. Mortons only real mistake came on a 2-0 fastball that Nieuwenhuis hit into the first row of seats in right-centre to tie it at 2. NOTES: New York right-hander Carlos Torres (0-1, 0.51 ERA) makes his first major league start in nearly three years on Saturday when he fills in for ace Matt Harvey, who is dealing with a blister on his right index finger and an innings limit. Collins says Torres could earn a regular spot in the rotation. The 30-year-old Torres has allowed just one run in 10 relief appearances since being called up from Triple-A in mid-June. A.J. Burnett (4-6, 3.05 ERA) starts for the Pirates. ... Pittsburgh wont send rookie RHP Gerrit Cole to Triple-A Indianapolis during the All-Star break. Cole is 4-2 with a 3.68 ERA since making his debut on June 11. The right-hander started on Tuesday, and the Pirates will let him have a few days off during the break rather than have him make a spot start in Indianapolis to stay on his routine. ... The Pirates acquired minor league infielder Russ Canzler from Baltimore for RHP Tim Alderson. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates moved RHP James McDonald (shoulder) to the 60-day disabled list. Barry Sanders Youth Jersey . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Darius Slay Jr Lions Jersey . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. http://www.lionsfanspro.com/Black-Calvin-Johnson-Lions-Jersey.html?cat=862 . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. Jarrad Davis Womens Jersey . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. Will Harris Lions Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Its another day and here we are looking at another dubious hit to the head. In this case Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky elbowed Saku Koivu in the head about a second after he dished off the puck to a teammate, knocking him unconscious. HAGERSTOWN, Md. -- The NCAA and several co-defendants reached a landmark $1.2 million settlement Monday with the parents of a Frostburg State University football player who died from a head injury he suffered during a practice in 2011.The settlement marks the first payment by the collegiate athletic rule-maker to individual plaintiffs in a brain-injury case. The NCAA has proposed paying $70 million for concussion testing and diagnosis of current and former college athletes to settle several consolidated, concussion-related class actions.This is a landmark settlement not just because it is the first brain-injury case that the NCAA has agreed to pay a significant amount of money to resolve, but also because the stakeholders of football are now on notice that they have an obligation to protect the health and safety of the athletes, said Kenneth McClain, attorney for the parents of Derek Sheely.Sheely, 22, was a senior fullback at the Division III school when he died in August 2011. Parents Ken and Kristen Sheely of Germantown alleged in their $1.6 million lawsuit that he was a victim of second-impact syndrome -- a brain injury that occurs before a previous concussion has healed.Preseason practices at Frostburg served more as a gladiatorial thrill for the coaches than learning sessions for the players, they said in a filing.His parents contended that Sheely had suffered a concussion the previous season and was bleeding persistently from the forehead in 2011 after several days of drills. They alleged that when he complained of a headache on the day he was fatally hurt, then-assistant coach Jamie Schumacher yelled, Stop your bitching and moaningg and quit acting like a p---y and get back out there, Sheely.ddddddddddddNeither the NCAA nor the other defendants -- three athletic staff members, Illinois-based helmet maker Kranos Corp., and Pennsylvania-based helmet retailer George L. Heider Inc. -- admitted liability.The money will go to the Derek Sheely Foundation, established by Sheelys parents, to help fund research on risks to student-athletes, and a scholarship in Sheelys name. The NCAA also agreed to produce a video on head-injury risks, and to continue discussing with its member institutions policies aimed at reducing head injuries.The settlement includes $50,000 approved last month by the state of Maryland on behalf of the school staff members. Neither the NCAA nor the plaintiffs lawyers would provide a breakdown of the settlement among the other defendants. Lawyers for Kranos and Heider didnt immediately return calls and emails from The Associated Press.NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy said in a statement that the settlement will help the Sheely Foundation advance research and education.As a leader in promoting enhanced safety in college sports, the NCAA is firmly committed to fostering greater understanding of student-athlete well-being, Remy said.Sheelys parents issued a statement thanking Dereks teammates who provided evidence.We believe that Dereks case has set an important precedent and helped shape the national dialogue, they said. We also believe that more must be done to protect athletes, and we will continue to make this our mission. ' ' '