John Maine was just another name in “transactions” when the Mets acquired him in January as part of the deal that sent Kris Benson to Baltimore.
Now, his name may be followed by “Game 1 starter.”
When Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez injured his right calf yesterday while running in the outfield, the 25-year-old Maine, a rookie, became the leading candidate to start today’s opening game with the Dodgers.
“It would be awesome,” Maine said of the possibility of pitching today. “I never would have thought that it would have been a possibility. But who knows what’s going to happen? I have to wait and see, too. So who knows?”
That was the general feeling around the Met clubhouse yesterday after the news of Hernandez’ injury came down. Soon, everyone zeroed in on Maine as the probable replacement.
Tom Glavine pitched Saturday in Washington, and Steve Trachsel has been away from the team tending to a personal matter.
Manager Willie Randolph would not name the starter yesterday afternoon as the team waited for the results of the MRI exam on Hernandez’ leg.
“We’ll check all our options and we’ll get together as a staff, an organization and decide who that is,” Randolph said. “We have some options, so we’ll see how it goes [today].”
If the ball does go to Maine, it will be another unbelievable chapter in the rookie’s first season at Shea. In the trade that brought him from Baltimore to New York, Maine was an afterthought. The focus was on Benson and Jorge Julio.
But Maine impressed at Triple-A Norfolk and soon found himself pitching for the Mets.
“He had a fastball he could throw in the strike zone and get swings and misses,” Norfolk pitching coach Randy Niemann said. “We worked on a secondary pitch and he showed improvement with us and then in the big leagues.”
Maine, who lives in a Ramada Inn off the Grand Central Parkway, has been the Mets’ most reliable pitcher in the second half of the season. He went 6-2 with a 3.28 ERA after the All-Star break.
The Mets were counting on El Duque’s extensive postseason experience to help them. Now, they may be giving the ball to someone who has never pitched in October.
“You can’t get experience until you’re out there,” closer Billy Wagner said. “Hopefully whoever starts Game 1 will go out there and give us a solid performance, just give it to our bullpen and let our offense take care of it.”