STANDING BOO-VATION; ROCKER SILENCES METS AND THEIR FANS ATLANTA 6, METS 4.

Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer

NEW YORK - Last call came in the eighth inning - and John Rocker picked up the tab.

The beer and boos were expected from the 46,998 fans at Shea Stadium on Thursday night, but it wasn't until Rocker came on to help close out the Atlanta Braves' 6-4 victory over the New York Mets that the crowd witnessed one of baseball's most electrifying pitchers and not just America's Most Wanted.

Just hours after apologizing in a news conference for inflammatory and often vulgar comments aimed at minority groups, Rocker faced three batters and retired them all.

He struck out Robin Ventura and retired Todd Zeile and Jay Payton on ground balls before turning the game over to Kerry Lightenberg for the ninth. As he walked off, Rocker smiled, not taunting the crowd the way he had during Game 7 of last year's National League Championship Series.

``It was a great moment,'' said teammate Bobby Bonilla. ``I think this was a big step forward in a lot of ways. It's hard to understand all that was said, but it is important to move forward.''

For the Braves, Rocker also helped provide a breather from the charging Mets, who entered the game with seven consecutive victories and trailed Atlanta by two games in the NL East.

But division race or not, there was only one reason the fans were here. Instead of the usual 60 policemen for a game, there were more than 700 stationed throughout the ballpark. There even was one in the visitors bullpen wearing a Braves uniform.

Ten minutes before game time, the Mets played a videotape of Rocker's pregame comments on the scoreboard in which he apologized three times for lashing out at the less fortunate. Reading from a prepared statement, Rocker said he was sorry people took his tirade personally.

``I am not the evil person that has been portrayed,'' said Rocker, who was suspended for the first two weeks of the season.

But Rocker's teammates, many who have shunned him in the clubhouse, said they could sense the gravity of the evening. And it was just the first of four games in this series with the Mets.

``It was hard to concentrate out there,'' Braves catcher Javy Lopez said. ``The crowd was wild and you just never knew if something was going to happen.''

Beer sales were limited to two per customer and shut off after seven innings. And though the Mets battled back in the seventh with Mike Piazza at the plate representing the tying run, the place didn't start hopping until Rocker arrived.

``I think falling behind 4-0 kind of took the crowd out of the game,'' Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. ``I wasn't expecting the crowd to get out of hand. That just doesn't happen as much anymore. When I broke in with the Dodgers you'd see five or six fights in a game against the Giants. It would be whole sections fighting other sections.''

In all, there were four arrests, one for throwing a rubber ball at Rocker as he ran from the bullpen. There also were 63 summons issued for open liquor containers.

Rocker, who has struggled on the mound in the wake of his comments, arrived at the team's Manhattan hotel around 2 a.m. Thursday after the Braves defeated the Expos 7-4 in Montreal. He was ushered through a side door by security to avoid the crush of media that was assembled.

Once there, he drafted the brief statement he read to more than 300 media members before the game. He did not take questions.

``There is Elian Gonzalez and Jon-Benet Ramsay and now it's John Rocker,'' Mets starter Rick Reed said. ``There is just so much of this stuff. It can get to you if you let it.''

Rocker spent two hours Friday afternoon talking to union officials at the Major League Players Association, which is seven blocks from the hotel. Among the points discussed was stadium security and his own conduct.

Rather than ride with the fans on the subway as he had vowed the past two weeks, Rocker was driven to Shea Stadium in an unmarked police van. He arrived at 4:40 p.m.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) New Yorkers express their sentiments as John Rocker walks into the dugout after his perfect inning.

Mark Lennihan/Associated Press

(2) John Rocker gets a handshake from a Mets fan after signing a baseball before Thursday night's game.

Mark Lennihan/Associated Press