The Weekend That Was
Saturday was a special day at Shea. With a career 1-13 record in doubleheaders and two rookies on the hill, I was worried my losing ways may continue.
Only, one of these rookies was not John Maine. He wasn't Alay Soler. He wasn't Bartolome Forunato. And, nope he wasn't Scott Kazmir.
It was Pelfrey Time.
I switched my flight, which ended up being disastrous, so I could catch the backend of the double dip with my good friends AFOMG and New Jawn. We were so fired up it was scary. A young Mets starter hasn't generated this much buzz since the days of Jason Isringhausen. It was a picture perfect day with two of my best friends and it featured a level of an energy at Shea that only comes out when something special is about to be seen.
The first game kind of stunk. There was one moment that was truly amazing though. Jose Reyes received the loudest ovation in the history of baseball for coming in as a pinch runner.
We love the Glass but more so, we all know what happens when this guy gets on base. He ended up stranded at second, but so what. He was, as always, smiling.
When I thought that no Jose Reyes moment can be topped on Saturday, this one somehow was. This happened when, for the first time in my life, I heard Jose Reyes talk. I really never have.
I watch every Mets game every day, but still, I had never heard the man speak. So when Glass was featured in a promo teaching Shea patrons how to say "ticket" in Spanish, it was probably the best moment since Robin Ventura put on the mustache and was doing slip and slides during a rain delay at Yankee Stadium, making fun of his good pal the Monster.
Enough of Glass. Saturday was Pelfrey's day. Everything you read/heard about this kid was awesome. 6'7, 190, 95-97 MPH fastball, developing slider and change.
A future #1, the best pitcher in the 2005 draft. The list goes on and on.
Shea Stadium couldn't wait for the second game to start. Neither could I.
Pelfrey did very little to impress. His line was mediocre- 2 ER over 5 innings- and he was very wild, walking four Marlins. His command was shaky but he had a huge lead and just needed to get 5. Which he did.
While Pelfrey was off on Saturday, there was a lot that was on.
This kid throws gas. He consistenly hit 96 on the gun with what I was told from those watching at home as having some pretty solid movement. Marlins hitters looked terrible and late against Pelfrey when he was throwing strikes. Mike Jacobs had the only real hit against Pelfrey, a solid single to center.
Even when Pelfrey got behind batters, which he did often, he could reach back and fire his heat. And the Marlins could do nothing with it.
While he only had three strikeouts, I saw more bad swings by Marlin batters than I have at Shea in a very long time.
Control has never been a huge issue with Pelfrey, so hopefully we can chalk this wildness up to nerves.
All in all, Saturday was a huge positive. The kid didn't have his best stuff by any stretch of the imagination and still only gave up two ER. I don't think there is a Met fan in the world who wouldn't take that.
Sunday was huge for a number of reasons.
We now have a two-game winning streak going into the break, with a 12-game lead over the Phils.
What made Sunday so awesome though was how the game was won. With one swing of the bat, D Wright brought closure to the first half of the season.
We went on top led by our young emerging star who has made the Mets his team over the first half of 2006.
It really is the perfect way to end the first half of the season for all Mets fans and all of us Y2ker's.
I just blinked a couple of times. I can't believe where we are half way through the season. 53-36, 12 games up in the division.
I thought I was dreaming until I saw the box score of the Nationals game.
Alex Escobar, 4-4 with a dong and 3 RBI.
Alex fucking Escobar. Remeber when he was the first guy ever to be a 6 tool player? He was the greatest outfield prospect since Jay Payton. Yet somehow, he managed to have year-ending injuries in his first 9 professional seasons. Oh well, good for him.
What's next, Gregg Jeffries as a last minute contestant for the Derby?
Or maybe, the Century 21 All Star give away featuring Alex Ochoa gunning it from the warning track?
I guess anything can happen. Hopefully we'll still be scratching our heads in October.
Tomorrow is report card time.
VCD,
SM
Only, one of these rookies was not John Maine. He wasn't Alay Soler. He wasn't Bartolome Forunato. And, nope he wasn't Scott Kazmir.
It was Pelfrey Time.
I switched my flight, which ended up being disastrous, so I could catch the backend of the double dip with my good friends AFOMG and New Jawn. We were so fired up it was scary. A young Mets starter hasn't generated this much buzz since the days of Jason Isringhausen. It was a picture perfect day with two of my best friends and it featured a level of an energy at Shea that only comes out when something special is about to be seen.
The first game kind of stunk. There was one moment that was truly amazing though. Jose Reyes received the loudest ovation in the history of baseball for coming in as a pinch runner.
We love the Glass but more so, we all know what happens when this guy gets on base. He ended up stranded at second, but so what. He was, as always, smiling.
When I thought that no Jose Reyes moment can be topped on Saturday, this one somehow was. This happened when, for the first time in my life, I heard Jose Reyes talk. I really never have.
I watch every Mets game every day, but still, I had never heard the man speak. So when Glass was featured in a promo teaching Shea patrons how to say "ticket" in Spanish, it was probably the best moment since Robin Ventura put on the mustache and was doing slip and slides during a rain delay at Yankee Stadium, making fun of his good pal the Monster.
Enough of Glass. Saturday was Pelfrey's day. Everything you read/heard about this kid was awesome. 6'7, 190, 95-97 MPH fastball, developing slider and change.
A future #1, the best pitcher in the 2005 draft. The list goes on and on.
Shea Stadium couldn't wait for the second game to start. Neither could I.
Pelfrey did very little to impress. His line was mediocre- 2 ER over 5 innings- and he was very wild, walking four Marlins. His command was shaky but he had a huge lead and just needed to get 5. Which he did.
While Pelfrey was off on Saturday, there was a lot that was on.
This kid throws gas. He consistenly hit 96 on the gun with what I was told from those watching at home as having some pretty solid movement. Marlins hitters looked terrible and late against Pelfrey when he was throwing strikes. Mike Jacobs had the only real hit against Pelfrey, a solid single to center.
Even when Pelfrey got behind batters, which he did often, he could reach back and fire his heat. And the Marlins could do nothing with it.
While he only had three strikeouts, I saw more bad swings by Marlin batters than I have at Shea in a very long time.
Control has never been a huge issue with Pelfrey, so hopefully we can chalk this wildness up to nerves.
All in all, Saturday was a huge positive. The kid didn't have his best stuff by any stretch of the imagination and still only gave up two ER. I don't think there is a Met fan in the world who wouldn't take that.
Sunday was huge for a number of reasons.
We now have a two-game winning streak going into the break, with a 12-game lead over the Phils.
What made Sunday so awesome though was how the game was won. With one swing of the bat, D Wright brought closure to the first half of the season.
We went on top led by our young emerging star who has made the Mets his team over the first half of 2006.
It really is the perfect way to end the first half of the season for all Mets fans and all of us Y2ker's.
I just blinked a couple of times. I can't believe where we are half way through the season. 53-36, 12 games up in the division.
I thought I was dreaming until I saw the box score of the Nationals game.
Alex Escobar, 4-4 with a dong and 3 RBI.
Alex fucking Escobar. Remeber when he was the first guy ever to be a 6 tool player? He was the greatest outfield prospect since Jay Payton. Yet somehow, he managed to have year-ending injuries in his first 9 professional seasons. Oh well, good for him.
What's next, Gregg Jeffries as a last minute contestant for the Derby?
Or maybe, the Century 21 All Star give away featuring Alex Ochoa gunning it from the warning track?
I guess anything can happen. Hopefully we'll still be scratching our heads in October.
Tomorrow is report card time.
VCD,
SM
posted by Sippy Momo at 1:17 AM
2 Comments:
On the whole I was pleased with Pelfrey's performance on Saturday, but my one concern has to do with the number of strikeouts. The book on Pelfrey coming up was that his fastball was major league ready, but that his soft stuff was a work in progress. I think we saw the evidence of that this past weekend. On the plus side, few Marlins were able to make solid contact on one of Pelfrey's fastballs. On the negative side, at least 75 percent of his pitches must have been fastballs, and his inability to mix it up contributed to his low strikeout total, I think. A sharp fastball is a pitcher's best friend, but it needs an honest complement, one that Pelfrey may not have just yet.
That may sound more negative than I mean it. It was a solid enough debut, especially considering the effect of butterflies and whatnot. It looked like there was room for growth though, and it may be asking too much for him to do his growing in the big leagues. We'll see.
Miguel Cabrera is a tuff guy now? wantin to halfway scrap with Duaner and then trying to poke his pitcher in the eyeball.
funny guys with funny hair too often seem to want to prove their mettle when they make a dumb mistake and someone calls them on it.
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