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My Best Day, 2008

AG/DC Sep 30 2008 07:52 AM

Hello, I'm Chris Aguila. (Pay no attention to that photo of Jose Reyes on the left.) I'm here to inaugurate the 2008 Mets "My Best Day" retrospective thread. I have this honor based on coming in first alphabetically on the Mets 2008 roster, a roster which, incidentally, tips the scales at 50. That's a big number, 50, but it still falls short of Bing Devines 1967 54-man roster. Anyhow, a roster that big means there will be some Mets who are here, then they're gone. You lie awake on a September night remembering the blurs of June and wonder if they ever were Mets. You conflate their appearances with each other. Was theat Andy Green or Abraham Nuņez? And which Abraham Nuņez did we have? Did he get into any games? Am I thinking of someting else? Who is Jennifer dating? Should I grow sideburns? Anyhow, I'm one of those ephemeral Mets. Like a baby watching a soap bubble, I hope you delighted in my Metliness, because it popped soon enough. My best day was June 11, one of those many days when it seemed the Mets whole season was saved in a moment. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20080611&content_id=2894122&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym The moment didn't belong to me, to be honest. On a night when the Mets team was in disarray, Willie Randolph was on the block, faith that Mike Pelfrey would ever be an effective big league starter was fading, and Moises Alou taking over left fireld was a frustrating nightly story, yours truly stepped into a little left field himself. Coming on as a defensive replacement for fill-in Marlon Anderson, I entered just in time to see Billy Wagner cough up a great Pelfrey effort by yielding a three-run ninth-inning game-tying homer to Mark Reynolds. Do you remember that? It's coming back to you, isn't it? Well, I hope you remember what happened after that. After Reynolds blast, I made a more-or-less routine catch of a Chris Snyder fly ball and ran in to get my bat ready. Too new to the Mets to be discouraged, too green to be dissuaded, I batted in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and singled on a first-pitch fastball. Not much, but maybe it swung the momentum back in our favor, because the bullpen held for four more innings (shut yo' mouf!), and Carlos Beltran won it with a walkoff shot (off the scoreboard, if I remember right) in the bottom of the 13th. The Mets ended a five-game losing streak that night. Please consider that Beltran's two-run blast came with two outs. So he was in place in part because of my modest single in the ninth. I may be giving myself too much credit, but I'll take what I can get. And don't forget that fly I caught. Anyhow, that was my best day. Moises Alou, what was your best day (on the field, anyhow)?

Gwreck Sep 30 2008 08:12 AM

Hi. I'm not quite as loquacious as Chris over there, but I'll try to come up with something. After all, it seems like forever since I've set foot on the field. My best day was at the House of Evil in the Bronx, on May 18. Many people have forgotten that before Bob Davidson nullified a Delgado home run (on which I should have scored), and before the rout was on, I had a key, two-run RBI single off Chien-Ming Wang to give the Mets a 3-0 lead, which we'd never relinquish. I also added another RBI on a sac fly, later in the game. The 3 RBI I had that day were the most in a single game for me this season. Marlon, you're up.

Centerfield Sep 30 2008 08:24 AM

I'm Marlon Anderson. I did not have a good day in 2008. I now turn things over to Tony Armas Jr.

AG/DC Sep 30 2008 08:27 AM

Apparently I should have hung the "No hijacking or undermining" sign.

Centerfield Sep 30 2008 08:30 AM

Ok fine. I had one good day. June 16, 2008. It was against the LA Angels. The Angels are my bitch. I doubled off of Jerod Weaver in the second and came around to score on Schneider's single. A seventh inning rally made it 7-3, but the Angels scored 3 in the bottom of the frame to close to within two. We tacked one on in the ninth and won 9-6.

HahnSolo Sep 30 2008 09:07 AM

Hi, I'm Tony Armas, and I think I'm next alphabetically. My best day as a 2008 Met came on July 1 at new Busch Stadium. I fell behind 3-1 after 2, but the bats, led by Wright, Church, Delgado (and isn't it great to see him hitting now), and Castro got me a big lead. I went 6 innings giving up 8 hits and 4 earned, but I earned the win. Special thanks goes to our fine bullpen, who tossed 3 innings of one hit ball to back me up. I think we need to hear Luis Ayala's best day now.

Gwreck Sep 30 2008 09:15 AM

Luis Ayala's best day as a Met came on only his second day as a Met. August 21, 2008, at Shea Stadium against the Braves. In a game tied 4-4, Ayala came in during the bottom of the 8th, with two outs, replacing Pedro Feliciano, who left two runners on base for Ayala. Ayala got out of the inning, and pitched a scoreless ninth as well, to earn a win, as Delgado would win it with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 9th. The next one will be tougher. Carlos Beltran, come on down.

Gwreck Sep 30 2008 11:35 AM

My first thought with Beltran was the August 29 game where he hit the grand slam in the top of the 9th in Florida to give us the lead. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise, however.

G-Fafif Sep 30 2008 12:46 PM

Good afternoon, my name is Robinson Cancel. I was a major leaguer a long time ago, in another century. Somehow I became a 2008 Met, and I have to tell you I had some pretty good days. My best? Oh, that's hard. Every day is a good day when you're Robinson Cancel and find yourself a big leaguer. But if I have to choose, I will go with July 20 in Cincinnati when I doubled to lead off the tenth, thus beginning the rally that won us the game 7-5 and ended the personal losing streak of my biggest fan, Mets Guy in Michigan, who was in attendance to see me. He hadn't seen the Mets win since 1991, which is drought longer than I experienced. I noticed that when I batted at Shea in late September, my double was mentioned on DiamondVision, so it must have had legs. So do I. I lasted nine years between gigs. I wonder what my buddy Raul Casanova is up to these days.

HahnSolo Sep 30 2008 01:34 PM

I'm Raul Casanova and not only do I have a great name, but I had one great day for the 2008 Mets. No, it was not April 17 against the Nats, when I went 0 for 6 with 4 Ks. Actually, it happened in Chavez Ravine on May 7. I went 2 for 4 with a double off Scott Proctor. I also doubled in a run to help support John Maine in a 12-1 win. Good luck whoever takes Luis Castillo.

Gwreck Sep 30 2008 02:04 PM

I'm Ramon Castro. My head looks like a giant cantaloupe. Additionally, I tend to be a pretty good bench player when I'm healthy. That hasn't been very often over the past three seasons. Assuming I'm on the opening day roster next year, I'll have had the fourth longest consecutive tenure on the Mets, trailing only Jose, Aaron and David. My best day of 2008 was July 27, against the Cardinals. I went 1-2 (a Homer) and walked twice. My 2-run homer in the sixth was part of a 5-run inning that went Beltran single, Tatis homer. Easley single, Castro homer. Johan went the distance that day as well, and I caught all 9 innings of his 6-hit, 1 ER complete game. Edit: crap. I forgot that my teammate, Luis Castillo, comes before me alphabetically.

seawolf17 Sep 30 2008 02:37 PM

I'm Luis Castillo. The best day for me was July 2, when I got placed on the disabled list, guaranteeing that I'd get millions and millions of dollars over the next few years, even though I plan to do absolutely nothing. Of course, my game against the Yankees on [url=http://ultimatemets.com/gamedetail.php?gameno=7472]June 27[/url] was pretty nice too, when I scored five runs, the only runs I scored all season. Endy, come on out and jump over the wall and tell us about your day.

G-Fafif Sep 30 2008 03:34 PM

Howdy y'all, I'm defensive replacement Endy Chavez. I came into the game for my glove on September 28 and saved the season with an acrobatic catch off the bat of Jorge Cantu that momentarily kept the Mets a little more alive than we otherwise would have been. It wasn't that big a deal in the scheme of things, but it was a nice reminder to a lot of people of what I did in the same general vicinity of the old ballpark on October 19, 2006, a moment that was voted fourth-greatest in the history of Shea Stadium by the Mets fans. The Mets fans love me and I love them back. I, for one, would have been happy to have come on the field after that last game. They wouldn't boo me. I'm defensive replacement Endy Chavez. I played in 2008 with a fellow by the name of Ryan Church. Wonder what his best day was.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 30 2008 05:08 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 30 2008 05:10 PM

I'm Ryan Church and I don't remember. My head hurts. Marlon coulda fixed me up in his blueprint but instead probably figured he'd get to play more often. They say I was the best Met while Willie Randolph managed this team. Is that Damion Easley?

AG/DC Sep 30 2008 05:09 PM Edited 3 time(s), most recently on Oct 01 2008 07:14 AM

High, it's Chris Aguila again. I suspect Ryan's going to be a moment collecting his thoughts, and while he does, I'd like to talk to Endy a moment. Endy, even when I wan't on this team yet, I was following it. I mean, keep your eye on the ball, knowhaImean? And I recall May 12. May 12, man. That was your only homer, Endy. And it was a pinch-hit no-doubt jack to right. You tied the game off of Marlin closer Kevin Gregg, and the Mets went on to win. Did you know that was the Mets first come-from-behind victory of the year? They were the last team in the bigs to get a comeback win. That's just sad. They didn't seem to have a heart, and [url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_28_flomlb_nynmlb_1&mode=wrap]Marty Noble said [/url]they found it on that night. "We knew we'd get this one," Billy Wagner said about the mood after your homer. You damn near scored the winnng run when you led off the 11th with a single as well, but were stranded when Castillo's liner was caught to end the inning. But the lineup was turned over and they won the next innng on a two-run double by Tatis, coming from behind again after the Marlins had scored on an Amezaga homer. Heck, you even got your glove into the game hauling in a fly by Mike Rabelo. I'll defer to you, Endy, but that was a pretty sweet day. Click the video link. You look good.

G-Fafif Sep 30 2008 06:01 PM

Chris, thanks for reminding me, but as the only active Met inextricably linked to Shea's most absolutely indelible moments, having that chance to make another catch and being serenaded as I was ("En-dy CHA-vez!") on its last day...no, that was my best day. Anyone can homer. I'm Endy Chavez. I made that catch. Tell Ryan I hope he feels better.

Gwreck Sep 30 2008 06:59 PM

Hi, folks. I'm Ryan Church. Thanks for the good wishes. You want to know my best day as a Met? You should go all the way back to the first series of the year; the rubber game against the Marlins in Florida on April 2, 2008. In the bottom of the first, I threw that punk Hanley Ramirez out at second when he was trying to stretch a single. The next half inning, I hit a two-run homer to give us a 3-0 lead. My final line for the day: 3-5, HR, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI, plus that sweet outfield assist. Brady Clark, what was YOUR best day as a Met this year?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 30 2008 07:05 PM

Hi, I'm Ryan Church's nuerologist, Dr. Headley Case. Due to cognitive and physical aftereffects of my patient's injury he will unable to describe in any detail what his best day this season was. I don;t necessarily know myself, but as they say, baseball ain't brain surgery! Ha! Ha! Nuero-humor! But, um... according to this chart here, Mr. Church looked quite virile and physically alert on May 13, 2008 when he hit a solo home run off the Nationals' John Lannan to tie the game 2-2 then later doubled in 2 runs to give the Mets a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 6-3 win at Big Shea. My research has convinced me that this achievement, which all told featured two hits, a run scored and four runs driven in, went tragically misdiagnosed by the unprofessional observers making up the panel of something called the Schaefer Player Of The Game voters, who presented the proponderance of medicinal reward to a starting pitcher that went 6 innings. This event, in my professional opinion, triggered in my patient an unnatural drive to win the attention of the nation's Schaefer People and resulted in increasingly reckless play resulting, only a week later, in the tragic brain injury that reduced my pateinet from the 946 OPS-ing team-leading Monster he was this evening, to the hapless whiffhoarder you see before you today, whose slugging percentage resides in intensive care.

G-Fafif Oct 01 2008 06:28 AM

Hi I'm Brady Clark. I just wandered over from 2002 to say I barely remember my second go-round as a Met. I passed Josias Manzanillo in the hallway on his way from 1994 to 1999 and we shared a chuckle about it. Anyway, I had a short year and a lousy year. I did, however, try to get a rally started on April 13 vs. the Brewers. I had come in on a double-switch in the top of the eighth, led off the bottom of the inning, singled, stole second, went to third on Angel Pagan's single but got myself thrown out at home on a Castillo grounder...a DP, actually. That was my season. Oh, and because the team played so absolutely crappily that day in losing 9-7 to the Brewers (we hit into FIVE double plays!), you could say that was the day we lost the Wild Card. I should have stayed in 2002. Carlos Delgado? You here?

AG/DC Oct 01 2008 07:20 AM

Delgado's got some sorting to do, I 'spect.

Gwreck Oct 01 2008 08:15 AM

I'm Carlos Delgado and I don't have that much sorting to do. If you asked me about my second best day...well, that might take some work. There was that game against Houston on August 25 when I hit two 3-run homers, in the Mets 9-1 win. Or that key Sunday night game against Philadelphia when I took Cole Hamels deep twice on 450+ foot shots (4 RBIs total that night). But my BEST day was clearly June 27, 2008 (Game 1). 3-5 (Grand Slam, 3 Run Homer and a double) and 9 RBI. Against the Yankees to boot. I see that was Luis Castillo's (5 runs scored) best day, too. I knocked him in 3 of those 5 times! Damion, you're next.

G-Fafif Oct 01 2008 09:01 AM

Carlos, your stats were mind-boggling on June 27, but I kind of appreciated your 5-for-5 on August 21, including the walkoff hit that clanked off Omar Infante. OK, it was more of an error on the leftfielder, but why ruin a good story? Anyway, as far as I, Damion Easley, was concerned, I'm rather partial to September 9 and the two runs I drove in against the Nationals at Shea. I know, I had bigger days in terms of individual output, but we always seemed to lose those games and I'm a team player. My double in the second put us up 2-0 and we wound up winning 10-8 and it was a big game in September and since I never get to October, September is kind of it for me. Nick Evans might have his own way of looking at things.

Gwreck Oct 01 2008 08:03 PM

Well, I didn't really have very many big games in September (1-2 with a Homer and a Walk in Atlanta on the 19th was as big as it got for me), so I'm going to have to go with my May 24 performance against the Rockies at Coors Field. I had three doubles and two RBIs. It was also my major league debut. Pedro Feliciano, we know about some of your bad days. What was your best?