May 24, 2010, Subway Series sidebar for Metro NYC Newspaper
The Mets' Big Three deliver
One of the themes of this still embryonic Mets season has been that key offensive cogs David Wright, Jason Bay and Jose Reyes will produce their customary numbers.
The triumvirate hammered Yankees pitching in the three-game Subway Series, finishing 14-for-36, four runs scored, seven RBI and two homers. In Sunday night’s series finale, a 6-4 Mets win, Reyes, Bay and Wright combined to go 5-for-11 with three RBIs, four runs scored and two homers.
Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano combined to go 14-for-52 with two runs scored and two RBI in the series, by comparison.
“You’re going to go in cycles. When you’re not hitting, it’s something you have to deal with and it’s frustrating for all of us,” Joe Girardi said. “What you hope is when you have a couple hitters going through it it’s not all your hitters. Right now we’re struggling a little bit offensively.”
The catalyst for last night’s win was Bay. The left fielder hit both home runs, drove in three runs and scored twice.
His first homer was a two-run shot over the left-field wall in the second that put the Mets up 4-0. The second homer was a 405-foot bomb to right that increased the lead to 5-0.
“I hope so. I hope so. He has been hitting the ball well the last couple weeks. His average is up,” Jerry Manuel said of Bay, who is now hitting .307. “To see the power—hit a ball out of left-center and hit a ball out of right field on two different pitches—is pretty impressive.”
The two-homer game was the first of the season for Bay and the 14th of his career. He has three home runs this season His last two-homer game came was April 11, 2009, as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Boston beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5-4. Bay drove in three runs that day.
“Who would have thought that my third home run would have been such a big talking point when the season started?” Bay deadpanned. “Obviously two in one game helps but I can’t get them all back at once. It’s a process. Getting on base and doing other things as well.”
Bay was plunked by Sergio Mitre in the sixth. The Mets had none on and two out at the time. Home plate umpire Marvin Hudson warned both dugouts as Bay took his base. Manuel believed that Hudson overreacted and suggested that the pitch—a changeup—was “not the pitch that you want to hit anybody with, anyway.”
Denis Gorman
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 11:32 AM
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