Jose Reyes has established himself as a choreographer extraordinaire in his tenure with the New York Mets. What Alvin Ailey was to modern dance, Reyes has been to the home run celebration.
Yet despite standing on the on-deck circle when John Maine connected off of Ian Snell during Tuesday night’s victory over the Pirates, the two merely high-fived as Maine trotted back from the dugout.
Did Maine freeze up, struck dumb by his first-ever home run, second extra-base hit, and just his fifth hit in 63 career at bats?
“We had nothing planned,” Reyes conceded in the clubhouse prior to Wednesday’s game. “I like to tailor the dance to the individual player.”
That was clear in the eighth inning, when Lastings Milledge connected, and the two concluded an elaborate handshake with a mutual slide backwards. The showy dance drew the mild ire of Mets manager Willie Randolph, who indicated that he’d prefer such celebrations take place as close to the dugout, and far away from the on-deck circle as possible.
But Reyes seemed determined not to be caught off-guard next time.
“The pitchers have other things to work on before the game they pitch,” Reyes said, disappointed. “But we can work on individual moves, get them right.” He indicated that he had already targeted several pitchers for his training.
“Everybody was jumping up and down when he hit it,” Reyes offered of Maine’s blast. Still, it appeared even as he said it that the spirited shortstop was mourning a lost opportunity.
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This July, Oliver Perez is a standout pitcher for a first place team. Last year at this time, he was pitching to a 5.63 ERA for Pittsburgh’s AAA club in Indianapolis.
Still, Perez said he has nothing special in store for his former teammates when he takes the mound Thursday afternoon.
“No, you just do everything you can to help your team,” Perez said. “I know they can hit, so I just need to be ready.”
Perez has had the experience of pitching against the team that traded him, though under different circumstances. The San Diego Padres, for whom Perez made his major league debut, shipped him to Pittsburgh late in the 2003 season. But he was a valued prospect for the Padres, not a disappointing former ace.
He went 1-1 against the Padres in 2004, faring better in his second go-around (6 1/3 innings, 2 earned runs, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts) than his first (3 innings, 4 runs, though none earned, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts). But Perez has taken his game to another level this season in some of the higher-octane matchups, with a 5-0 record combined against the Braves and Yankees.
“When I hear the fans, I feel good,” Perez said. “But I feel good pitching, I just need to keep working.” He said he enjoyed reuniting with a number of teammates, and even suggested something few men have ever said.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Pittsburgh,” Perez said of the Mets’ scheduled trip August 13-15. “I hope the fans remember me.”
One thing was clear Tuesday night, during Xavier Nady’s first at bat: Mets fans remember Nady, and that without him, the team wouldn’t have gotten a chance to see Oliver Perez pitch in orange and blue. He was greeted warmly, the way fans would react if they got the chance to cheer Ed Hearn.
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Sandy Alomar Jr. knows he might not be with the Mets for much longer. The life of a third catcher is one of utter disposability. But the longtime major leaguer is going to enjoy life in the Show for as long as he can. “It’s good to be here,” Alomar said prior to Wednesday’s game. “It’s hard at AAA—you’re with a lot of people who feel like they should be here, and that makes for a difficult time.”
Alomar made the best of it, however, batting .323 with AAA New Orleans with 4 home runs, good for a .492 slugging percentage.
He is no stranger to playing alongside some of baseball’s best. He broke in with Tony Gwynn’s Padres in 1988, started at catcher for Indians teams which included Manny Ramirez, and won the 1997 All Star Game (and MVP honors in that contest) with a two-run home run before his home fans at Jacobs Field.
Alomar thinks this Mets team is as good as any he’s played for, and he’s been to the postseason on five different occasions.
“They have speed, they have power, they’re good in the field,” Alomar said. “But I won’t know until I see them for a whole year.”
He just hopes to stick around long enough to do so.
“If I’m here, I’ll be on the bench,” Alomar said. “But October holds the sweetest memories.”
