CRASH COURSE: David Wright pats Jason Bay on the head as the Mets left fielder trudges off the field after having crashed into the fence (inset) trying to make a catch in the second inning of last night’s 7-3 loss to the Reds. (Paul J. Bereswill; Courtesy SNY (inset))
These were the most difficult 140 steps of Jason Bay’s career.
That’s how many wobbly steps it took for Bay to walk off the field last night after he skidded head-first into the left-field wall at Citi Field in the second inning as he tried to catch Jay Bruce’s long fly ball that turned into an inside-the-park home run in the Mets’ 7-3 loss to the Reds.
Bay looked like a boxer who had taken one too many shots to the head. It was announced later Bay had suffered a “possible concussion.’’ With each step he took off the field, Bay looked as if he was going to collapse. He had to be steadied by trainer Ray Ramirez the entire way.
No Met has struggled like Bay, but once again he put his body in jeopardy. The wall always wins. Just ask Mike Baxter, who made a catch for the ages on June 1 ago to save Johan Santana’s no-hitter.
That is the only way Bay knows how to play, but the sad truth is Bay’s Mets career at this point is a total lost cause and he figures to be out a substantial amount of time again.
He had just returned from a fractured rib which was caused by a dive for another fly ball. In late July of 2010, he suffered a terrible concussion slamming into the left-field wall at Dodger Stadium that finished his season.
Bay has suffered three knockout punches and each time he was injured, the air was sucked out of the Mets. Bay’s four-year, $66 million contract that runs through next season may be the worst deal in Mets history. For his own good, and their own, the Mets have to find a new home for Bay, they have to eat what’s left of the deal and send him somewhere he can get a fresh start.
“Jason Bay is a fine baseball player and when you hit 45 home runs, you get paid,’’ manager Terry Collins said of the economics of the game. “Jason Bay is one of the finest people I’ve ever had on my team. I just hope he gets out of this and recovers. I’m pretty concerned about it right now.’’
Bay is deeply respected by his teammates but at some point the Mets have to move on. They cannot afford to keep waiting for Bay to return from an injury, then wait for him to turn it around offensively.
If the Mets can’t trade Bay, he has to become an extra outfielder. He cannot be force-fed into the starting lineup. Hard decisions have to be made. Bay’s signing was a mistake made under the last administration. It’s time to move on in so many ways.
Bay is one of the most down-to-earth players in the game, a good person. One day during spring training, I sat with him as he told me about the latest book he was reading.
“It’s an amazing story,’’ he said. “I can’t put it down.’’
Bay was reading Laura Hillenbrand’s critically acclaimed “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption.’’
In a baseball sense, Bay is going through his own test of survival.
Noted David Wright of Bay’s latest injury, “That sucks. He plays hard, he gives his body up out there. You feel for him because you know how hard he’s worked.’’
This injury presents another huge challenge for Bay. He is batting .187. In his three seasons with the Mets, Bay is hitting .246 with only 22 home runs and 110 RBIs over 993 plate appearances. He has struck out 223 times as a Met. He has only 213 hits.
He runs into walls for the Mets, but no matter how hard he plays, he has not been anything close to the player the Mets thought they were getting when they signed the free agent. Scott Hairston replaced him last night and homered. Young outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis homered as well.
Jason Bay had to take 140 wobbly steps just to leave the field.