NOTES

John Franco had probably never gotten so much joy out of pitching the eighth inning.

In a career filled with saves, Franco had never come up with a bigger win in 17 years.

Franco escaped an eighth-inning jam and helped the Mets get back into the Subway Series.

“It doesn’t matter who gets the win or who gets the save. We needed this game,” said Franco, 40, the second oldest pitcher to win a World Series game. “We knew we couldn’t go down 3-0. I was just in the right place at the right time.”

It was only fitting that Franco got the Mets’ first World Series win in 14 years. A Brooklyn kid who grew up adoring the Miracle Mets in the 1969 World Series was making his first trip to the Series.

“Johnny’s got to be like a kid in a candy store right now,” teammate Todd Zeile said. “He’s waited all his life to get here and now he is shutting guys down in front of his home family. I can’t imagine the pride he must feel.”