A New York Mets fan displays how the Subway Series felt to both the Mets and their supporters. (AP)

But like the Mets season, the ball died in the glove of Bernie Williams in deep center. The Yankees were the world champions for the third consecutive year after a 4-2 victory in Game 5 of the World Series on Thursday night.

The Mets? So close, yet so far away.

That was the annoying aspect of this Subway Series for the Mets.

The fact they lost the series in five games would indicate it was a rout.

But like Piazza's final gasp against Mariano Rivera, it couldn't have been any more agonizing.

The Mets lost three of the four games in this tense series by a measly run before losing the finale by two. They hit just .229 for the series.

But maybe it would have been different had Jay Payton's throw to the plate in the ninth inning of Game 5 not hit Jorge Posada, and bounced away, allowing two runs to score. Had Piazza been in front of the plate, blocking Posada's path, he might have been able to handle the throw.

"If that ball gets there a fraction of a second sooner or an inch away from the runner's leg, Mike would caught it and tagged him out and we'd still be playing," said Mets manager Bobby Valentine.

What if closer Armando Benitez hadn't blown Game 1 in the ninth inning, or if the Mets hadn't made so many base-running gaffes in that same game?

Or what if Edgardo Alfonzo, the Mets supposed Mr. Clutch, could have done anything at all in the series?

Alfonzo, who some proclaimed as the best all-around player in New York, was 3-for-21 with no extra-base hits in the series.

"The last thing I wanted to do was not do anything," said Alfonzo. "I picked a bad time to get down. That's kind of disappointing. It's a tough situation."

What was even tougher for the Mets was watching the Yankees come through so consistently.

It is the difference between being the champ and being the runner-up.

"They have a lot of veterans over there with a lot of heart," said Mets outfielder Darryl Hamilton. "We played well, but just not well enough."

The Yankees -- with four titles in the past five years -- have this thing down to a science. The Mets, with hardly any World Series experience before this series started, are still learning about what it takes.

"You can't afford to make mistakes against them," said Mets reliever John Franco. "Great teams take advantage of them.

"All series, we couldn't get the big hit."

And the Yankees kept getting them.

"They've won a lot of games the last couple of years," said Mets third baseman Robin Ventura. "They find a way to do it."

All the Mets could find in this series was agony.