Now Drop and Give Me 20

Holy crap. I’d be surprised if the Mets, once they wake up, don’t make a few quick roster moves for relievers this afternoon after playing 20 innings last night. And though it’s more of a long shot, it’d be also nice to get a few hitters considering they were blanked for 18 innings and managed only to squeak out single runs despite facing position players on the mound for three innings thanks to Tony LaRussa and his seeming strategy to defeat the Mets by humiliating them. This after failing to hold a 1-0 lead on Friday night. Can’t wait till Jose Reyes gets back. What? Oh…

Anyway, it wasn’t a pretty game by any wild stretch but props to Alex Cora for a terrific catch and to Hisanori Takahashi, who became a vicious strikeout artist at the right moment to squelch a 2-on, no-out situation in the 14th. Jerry Manuel’s absurdly passive game plan reached new heights by ordering Luis Castillo to bunt in a plan that successfully resulted in a single run in the 19th but predictably was proven not enough. Mike Pelfrey with the save. Ridiculous!

Saluting a True American Hero

42retiredToday all of baseball gathers to celebrate the groundbreaking career of legendary reserve catcher Ron Hodges, who bravely shattered the Scrubeenie Barrier by serving 12 years for the same team while hardly ever rising above third on depth charts at his position. His example of self-sacrifice, waiting his turn, and hitting lefthanded while being a catcher has been an inspiration for last-men-on-the-bench everywhere including Alberto “Bambi” Castillo, Tim Spehr, Ed Hearn and Barry Lyons.

To mark the historic occasion, every player in the Major Leagues today will be outfitted in the No. 42 jersey Ron made famous while rotting on the bench behind Grote and Dyer; then Grote and Stearns; and then Stearns and Grote; and then Stearns and Trevino; and then Trevino and Stearns; and then Stearns and Trevino again; and then Mike Fitzgerald. Relievers from Harry Parker to Wes Gardner found Hodges’ target while warming up in the bullpen; and managers from Berra to Frazier to Torre to Johnson called on his left-handed bat to pinch hit in crucial situations, provided they had already used Kranepool, Staub or Jorgensen.

It’s an extra special occasion for the Mets, whose new home stadium features a Rotunda dedicated to Ron’s exploits including a gigantic No. 42 statue to honor his contributions. Mets owner Fred Wilpon paid Hodges the ultimate compliment by implying he might have been good enough to warm up and perhaps pinch hit for his childhood chum Sandy Koufax, a hero of his beloved Dodgers.

Weak 1 in Review

What a dreary opening homestand this turned into. And that was while we got adequate starts from the buttend of the rotation and solid work from a bullpen rumored to have sucked. No, it was the offense that couldn’t get unstuck: there are too many outmakers.

The unfairly beleaguered bullpen in the meantime today debuted a new lefty, Raul Valdes, who contributed two scoreless innings today wearing No. 22. No, it wasn’t Al Leiter.

Sons of Bruce Boisclair

Invaluable longtime MBTN contributor Jason E. this morning noted that in making his (losing) Mets debut last night, Hisanori Takahashi became the 30th Met in team history to have made his debut in an extra inning game. Here’s his list, arranged by year and inning, ending of course with the immortal Bruce Boisclair whose debut appearance came during the 23rd inning of a marathon played between the Mets and Cardinals on Sept. 11, 1974 (Bruce pinch ran for Duffy Dyer in a game the Mets would lose 4-3 in the 25th inning as a result of a bad pickoff throw by Jerry CramHank Webb).

I like that this list includes a mix of younguns making their first arrivals on the way to a long career (Rick Aguilera, Edgardo Alfonzo) and guys I’d already forgotten were ever Mets (Ben Johnson). It knocked loose memories of that exciting trade deadline when Steve Phillips went out and traded for a half-dozen relievers (including Billy Taylor and Chuck McElroy) and when Jorge Julio was more trusted than Chad Bradford.

What memories does this stir in you? (And take it away, Jason):

10TH INNING DEBUTS (12):
9/20/70- Dean Chance
9/13/74- Rich Puig
6/11/80- Claudell Washington
4/11/85- Terry Blocker
6/12/85- Rick Aguilera
4/26/95- Edgardo Alfonzo
4/26/95- Blas Minor
8/1/99- Billy Taylor
4/5/06- Jorge Julio
4/5/06- Chad Bradford
5/29/07- Ben Johnson
4/7/10- Hisanori Takahashi

11TH INNING DEBUTS (8):
4/14/65- Dan Napoleon
9/1/70- Ron Herbel
5/20/78- Kevin Kobel
6/1/79-Ed Glynn
4/11/85- Roger McDowell
4/26/95- Ricky Otero
4/29/95- Dave Mlicki
8/1/99- Chuck McElroy

12TH INNING DEBUTS (5):
7/24/62- Bob G. Miller
4/23/72- Jim Beauchamp
9/12/81- Brian Giles
6/27/89- Phil Lombardi
3/31/98- Jim Tatum

13TH INNING DEBUT (1):
9/10/70- Leroy Stanton

14TH INNING DEBUT (1):
9/6/87- Gregg Jefferies

15TH INNING DEBUT (1):
4/7/97- Joe Crawford

16TH INNING DEBUT (0):
(NONE)

17TH INNING DEBUT (1):
9/29/93- Kenny Greer

18TH INNING DEBUT (0):
(NONE)

19TH INNING DEBUT (0):
(NONE)

20TH INNING DEBUT (0):
(NONE)

21ST INNING DEBUT (0):
(NONE)

22ND INNING DEBUT (0):
(NONE)

23RD INNING DEBUT (1):
9/11/74- Bruce Boisclair

Mach Schau

Ready or not, here they are. It’s been a weird offseason (Omar general managed like someone whose job wasn’t on the line) and an odd spring (thyroid issues, knee surgeries, controversially aggressive promotions, and not nearly enough solid performances, especially from the pitchers) but at 1 p.m. today, they go to war.

I wish I felt a little better about just what this group is going to bring us, but I sort of admire that it was assembled with a minimum of stunts, a good deal from within, and that expectations are back where they probably ought to be for a team with questionable starting pitching, an unproven bullpen and a few too many outmakers in the lineup. But let’s be optimistic on opening day. There a chance we shove it up all their asses. There’s a good crop of prospects on the horizon; and let’s face it, there’s little holding them back. They finally seemed to do something about CitiField’s relentless blandness. Bring it on.

We welcome Ryota Igarashi, Hisanori Takahashi, Jenrry Mejia, Ruben Tejada, Jason Bay, Henry Blanco, Rod Barajas and Frank Catalanotto to the All-Time Roster (likely players 875 to 881). Thanks to the fans who wrote in to inform me that Tejada will wear No. 11 and Mejia No. 32.Chip Hale and Dave Jauss join the coaching ranks for the first time, while Alex Cora, Mike Jacobs and Gary Matthews Jr. return to the Mets in new numbers.

Let’s Go Mets!

PS — Thanks to MBTN reader Glenn below who indicated that this year’s bat boys would wear No. 00.

Looks Like We Made It

I’m still having trouble believing that Jenrry Mejia, along with Ruben Tejada, apparently have made the Mets’ opening-day squad and along with the usual caution you should take with all 20-year-olds who’ve yet to play above Class AA, it should be exciting to see what these kids have to offer.

I’m also interested to see what they’ll be wearing. Mejia as discussed below was outfitted in No. 76 this spring and as outrageous as it’d be I’d be tempted to leave him in that jersey both as a reminder of his age and a symbol of his unique place within the Met family. Tejada has apparently won a job the old-fashioned way: He caught the ball better than his counterparts in a competition for a middle-infield job, as compromised as Jose Reyes‘s medical misadventaures made it. He hit pretty well too.

Tejada was wearing No. 79 this spring and will certainly have a new jersey by Monday. No. 3 was recently vacated by Chris Coste and makes perfect sense; 10 (issued to and taken from longshot Andy Green for the second straight spring) would be another strong possibility.

Other late cuts Friday included Kiko Calero, whom I thought would have been a lock if only for his pedigree; hapless punching bag Nelson Figueroa; Bobby Parnell, who had less going for him than Meija a year ago when he turned in two solid months of setup relief; veteran Elmer Dessens; infielder Russ Adams; and reserve hopeful Chris Carter who probably didn’t get a real fair shake at winning a job at first base. The winners along with Mejia and Tejada included utilityman Frank Catalanotto and one of either Sean Green or Raul Valdes. The latter came out of nowhere — he wore No. 96, the highest in camp — to challenge for a lefty specialist role. We’ll try to keep you updated on what the Easter Bunny leaves these guys. …

Six Degrees of Damon Buford

2As we were saying below, the likely arrival of Frank Catalanotto and the No. 2 jersey he’s been wearing would mark the first time in 15 years that a Met player wore that number in a game. Damon Buford, the last, was a reserve outfielder who was acquired in the Bobby Bonilla trade in 1995 and swapped out for a basketball player the following winter.

Like his father Don Buford, an Orioles star notable in Mets history for his leadoff home run against Tom Seaver in Game 1 of the 1969 World Series, Damon Buford was a compact outfielder out of the University of Southern California. Born in June of 1970, it was likely he was conceived shortly before the 1969 World Series. Like his dad, Damon had good speed and a little pop in his bat, but he lacked his father’s polish at the plate. Over nine seasons in the big leagues, he was a regular in only one year, 2000, when as the Cubs’ everyday center fielder he hit a modest .251/.324/.390 and was replaced the next year by another second-generation outfielder with a Met connection: Gary Matthews Jr.

Back in 1995, Buford was a minor league throw-in in the trade that shed the Mets the unhappy if productive Bonilla, and delivered them a prized prospect, Alex Ochoa, also a minor leaguer at the time. The Orioles, despite Bonilla’s best efforts, fell short of their goal to steal the AL East that year. And while Ochoa stayed in the minors for additional seasoning, Buford was called on right away to assume Bonilla’s position in left field.

The Mets issued Buford No. 2 (Ochoa would be the next to take Bonilla’s No. 25). The jersey had been sitting around since being shared by Wayne Housie and Doug Saunders in 1993, and last occupied by a significant contributor by Mackey Sasser in 1992. The jersey would become something of a regular for the itinerant Buford, who’d wear No. 2 again in Texas and in Boston in the years to come.

Buford had a short window with which to impress the Mets, who at the time were juggling a variety of young outfielders at or near the major league level including Ochoa, Jay Payton and Carl Everett. None really worked out. But despite some promise — in a September game against the Astros he hit two home runs off future Met Mike Hampton — what finished Buford for good in New York was the offseason acquisitions of veteran outfielders Lance Johnson and Bernard Gilkeyto supplement that young core. Gilkey in particular, was like Buford a righthanded hitter and possessed that power-speed combination Buford only might have developed. Within weeks he was swapped to the Texas Rangers for a lower-level minor league outfielder — Terrell Lowery — who was better known for college basketball stardom at Loyola-Marymount: it was his alley-oop pass that Hank Gathers slam-dunked moments before Gathers collapsed and died in 1990. Lowery after one season with the Mets organization was lost in the Rule 5 draft to the Cubs; he played parts of three years with the Cubs, Devil Rays and Giants. Lowery was enticed to leave basketball for baseball by Ranger scout Sandy Johnson, known today as Omar Minaya‘s mentor.

No. 2 was again unissued in 1996 until the Mets fired manager Dallas Green and hired Bobby Valentine. The card at right is shown at the New York Mets Hall of Records.