Jason Bay is off to a great 2012.
Stuck in the two-season slump that has defined his Mets tenure, the three-time All-Star snapped an 0-for-17 streak in last night’s 3-2 win over the Marlins at Citi Field, going 3-for-4 with an RBI.
With the Mets out of playoff contention, Bay said he hopes he can have a strong September, which would set him up nicely for next season.
“It’s been a struggle for me,” said Bay, who had his first multi-hit game since Aug. 12. “There’s still a month left in the season. Obviously, I realize I could be a heck of a lot better. We’re working on some things to use this last month as a stepping stone for next year, not to just go out there and beat your head against a wall. Hopefully, I can do some things in the box that I can carry into next year.”
Following an injury-plagued 2010 in which he played just 95 games and batted .259, Bay couldn’t play any worse, or so was thought. In his last season before joining the Mets, Bay had 36 home runs and 119 RBIs. This season, Bay is hitting just .234 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs.
Bay said he believes that player still exists. At 31, he’s might be right, but it’s just a question of whether he can find him in time.
“I’m going to try and mimic my swing from a couple years ago,” Bay said. “I’ve gotten so far away from it. We made a decision a couple days ago, just for the next month, BP, everything we do, we’re going to try for that. [Whether I’m] 0-for-20 or 20-for-20, we’re sticking with it because I know it has worked and I got away from it.”
Because he signed a massive contract, Bay always will have something to prove. He will be viewed differently. There’s no escaping it. The pressure always will be there.
But Bay said he doesn’t have to put it on himself.
“The problem I had for awhile was trying to be perfect instead of doing what I had done,” Bay said. “It’s just a matter of making things normal again, to get comfortable and stick with it.”