Carlos Beltran doesn’t have to worry about pleasing anyone Friday night.
Returning to Citi Field for the first time since being traded by the Mets last July, the Cardinals outfielder said last night he is unsure how he will be received by Mets fans, but is ultimately unconcerned.
Beltran recognizes he was never embraced like teammates David Wright and Jose Reyes in his more than six seasons with the Mets and it was something he couldn’t always understand while producing some of the best seasons in franchise history.
“There were times I felt like, ‘What do I have to do in order to be one of their favorites?’ ” Beltran told The Post at a fundraiser he hosted for his Puerto Rico baseball academy. “Fans choose who they want to cheer for. I’m a quiet player. You’re never going to see me out there showing a lot of emotion. I am who I am. When you try to be someone else then you’re being fake to yourself, and I don’t like to do that. I don’t know how it’s going to be [tonight]. They’ll decide if they want to cheer or boo.”
Though the latter part of Beltran’s tenure with the Mets was marred by knee injuries, this season the 35-year-old has looked like the 2005 free agent prize the Mets landed, leading the National League with 15 home runs, while batting .290 with 42 RBIs, third-most in the league.
He said he knew last year’s trade to the Giants was going to happen once the Mets dropped out of contention and has no ill-will towards the franchise, thinking the deal worked out for both sides. Overall, the six-time all-star said there is very little he would change about his experience in Queens.
“I really loved it,” Beltran said. “I got a chance to play with so many good players. Unfortunately, as a team we didn’t win a championship. I think if we would’ve won a championship, it would’ve been a different story. I gave my best.”The years that I was healthy, I proved I could contribute, and the years that I was hurt, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Nearly six years later, Beltran also knows there is nothing he can do about his 6 ½ years being remembered for what happened in a matter of seconds — taking Adam Wainwright’s third strike curveball looking to end Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.
“Unfortunately it didn’t work out and if they want to remember that moment, that’s fine with me,” Beltran said. “For me, that was my best year in baseball. I don’t look at that moment as defining my career or defining my season.”
Many Mets fans would disagree.