The Post’s Steve Serby chatted with Mets’ 26-year-old utility infielder.
Q: You were drafted (29th round, 2005) by the Yankees after you lost to Arizona State in the Super Regionals in your junior year at Cal-State Fullerton.
A: I had talked to them right before the Super Regionals, so they said, “Go do what you got to do, we’ll be in contact with you when your season’s over.” Well we ended up losing, which was tough, and then I was hanging around for a week waiting for a phone call — never heard anything. So I went to our coach, I said, “Hey, I haven’t heard anything, I don’t think I’m going to sign obviously, there’s not any interest there, so find me a place to play summer ball.”
I went out to the Cape Cod League to play, and was out there for a week, two weeks, was playing pretty well, and next thing I know the Yankees showed up to make me an offer to sign, but at that point I’d already registered for classes. A good friend of mine and roommate Danny Dorn, who’s with the Reds right now, he was drafted by the Rays that year, and he turned down a pretty significant chunk of money to come back to school. I guess that was what really made the decision easy was when he turned it down and called me and said, “Hey, I’m going back to school.” It was real easy for me to say, “If he can do it for that much money, then I can do it for what they’re offering me and make another run at getting back to the World Series and winning another championship.
Q: What was your reaction when you found out the Yankees had made you an offer? For 90 grand, right?
A: It started lower than that, and they got up to 90. . . . They were trying pretty hard to get me to sign but like I said I was already registered and . . . I guess I was kind of stubborn that they didn’t call me right away when the season ended, you know? That kind of had a little bit to do with it.
Q: So this weekend you have your chance to show them what they missed out on.
A: Yeah, well ironically, my first ever hit in the big leagues was against the Yankees two years ago in Yankee Stadium. It was the same night Derek Jeter broke the (Yankees) hit record. It was September 11th in ’09. It was a pretty spectacular night. We had a 2½ hours in rain delays, and my first hit, it was actually recorded I think it was like 1:15 in the morning, we were still playing (chuckles).
Q: Single?
A: Single. Base hit up the middle.
Q: Off?
A: Michael Dunn.
Q: Did you meet Derek Jeter that night?
A: I didn’t actually meet him. The next day when I got on second base, he came up, said, “What’s up, how’s it going’?” It was pretty neat, I mean, I got to first base, Teixeira’s over there: “Hey how’s it going’? Congratulations.” I get to second base and Robby Cano and Jeter come up: “Hey man, congratulations, how’s it going?” Then I get over to third base and you got A-Rod over there so . . . and when I walked up to the plate, Jorge Posada’s catching so, it was (chuckles) . . . some pretty great baseball players.
Q: How scary was that moment in the 2003 College World Series against Stanford when you were hit on the left side of your face with an 87-mph fastball attempting to bunt in the third inning?
A: There was a pretty bad shadow in front of the plate, I didn’t actually even see it. I guess right at the last second I was able to get my head turned just enough to where it got me in the cheek instead of in my mouth. I remember going down and everything on my face was numb, I couldn’t feel anything. All I could see was all the blood on my batting gloves.
Q: On your batting gloves?
A: Yeah my batting gloves were covered in blood because I had my hands up, and next thing I know, our trainer was out there and a bunch of other people, Coach (George) Horton was there, and asking me all these questions, and (chuckles) all I can remember thinking was how bad my ankle was hurting because I ended up breaking my ankle on that play. I said a couple of times to them to check out my ankle, but that was the least of their concern obviously, so . . .
Q: Did you think your career was over?
A: No, I didn’t think it was over. . . . I couldn’t feel anything in my mouth. I remember asking them if my teeth were still in, and they said they were all there. And so once they said that, it was kind of a little bit of relief. I still didn’t know if anything was broken or anything, I had to go to the hospital for that. Lucky enough for me, I don’t know how, I must have had my mouth open or something — got me in between, but — I didn’t lose any teeth, chip any teeth, break any bones, no concussion. I was about as lucky as you can get right there.
Q: What was the moment like when you returned to the game in the 10th inning on crutches, and you got a standing ovation?
A: I’m sure everyone in the stands was trying to figure out why I was on crutches for getting hit in the face (smiles). I don’t think anyone knew I had done to my ankle what I did (fracture). Then I get back in the dugout, I was on a bunch of medicines and stuff. I remember asking my roommate at the time, P.J. Piliteri, he’s with the Yankees, he’s a catcher for them, I went in to borrow his jacket and I came back out and sat next to him, and I remember (chuckles) looking at his face and he was looking at me like I was like an alien or something. Some guys were calling me The Elephant Man because it was swelled up so bad. It made it hurt when (Danny) Putnam hit a home run to give them a lead and we ended up losing that game.
Q: Was it your idea to go back to the game?
A: Yeah, I wanted to get back there the whole time. I wanted to get back in the dugout with the guys and be there and win that game and get to the championship obviously, so as soon as they (doctors) were done, I was like, “Let’s go. Let’s get in the car and go,” I didn’t want to sit around in the hospital, obviously.
Q: What did the doctor who examined you tell you?
A: That I was just lucky. I had stitches put in. I think there was like 15 or something like that in my lip. He was actually at home with his wife watching the game, and when he saw it, he told her, “I got to go, it’s probably going to be a pretty long night.” And he was at the hospital before I got there. He was like, “Man, you’re lucky. I told my wife I thought I was going to be in surgery.”
Q: How did you look with your (red) hair dyed black?
A: (Chuckles) I liked it. My dad didn’t like it. He threatened to kick me out of the house. At the time, I had so many people coming up to me asking me the same questions over and over and over again: “Oh you’re the guy that got hit in the face, did it hurt?” And I was just like man, maybe if I had black hair they won’t recognize me as easy, so I dyed it black.
Q: What did your mom think of it?
A: She didn’t say too much. My cousin actually did it for me, and I think my dad was pretty mad at her, too (chuckles).
Q: Were you fearful when you got back in the batter’s box?
A: (Chuckles) Actually my first at-bat there (Great Lakes League) I had to bunt, so once I did that, that kind of got that out of the way and I didn’t have to worry about it anymore.
Q: Last day of the Triple-A season last September?
A: I think I went 0-for-5 the night before, and I was hitting like .302 or .303, and Obie (then-Buffalo manager Ken Oberkfell) had told me he was thinking about not playing me on the last day to try to make sure I stayed above .300 for the season, but I’ve never been that kind of guy — I want to be in the lineup. He didn’t actually ask me, he just put me in there anyway.
I guess the funny thing about that was it was getaway day, last day, we were having a good time. We had a little fine system set up where if you take a strike, you get fined a dollar, because everyone’s kind of ready to get out of there. I didn’t take one strike, anything that was over the plate I swung at. And I ended up going’ 6-for-6 and hitting’ for the cycle, so maybe I should implement that in my everyday plan (smiles).
Q: What was it like for you when the Mets didn’t call you up?
A: It was disappointing and frustrating, you know? I had just had the best year of my career. I was up earlier in the year with the Mets for a few days and . . . I felt like I kinda got cheated a little bit.
Q: Scouting report on Justin Turner?
A: Just a grinder, a battler. I don’t think anything I do is very pretty. I try to catch the ball when it’s hit to me, make a good throw across the diamond . . . just battle my butt off at the plate. I’m not going to hit a bunch of home runs . . . hit line drives, hit the ball on the ground, put the balls in play and. Just battle.
Q: Any favorite players from a different era who played the game the way you think it should be played?
A: Pete Rose obviously stands out, he probably played the game harder than anyone. He never took anything for granted, always wanted more. Played hard, ran hard. Played every game like it was his last.
Q: Would you say you’re living a dream right now?
A: Absolutely. I’ve wanted to do this since I was a little kid. All my friends back home, I talk to a lot of them almost daily. And they keep telling me, “Oh man, it’s so awesome, get to watch you, you’re living your dream.” I’m pretty lucky, pretty fortunate to be right here because I played with a lot of guys who were just as good, if not better than me and . . . I guess I caught a few breaks to get to where I am now.”
Q: Baseball America labeled you a “baseball rat.”
A: I was never really a big prospect or anything. I just try to gather as much information as I can from everyone and really just be a student of the game and be open to hearing new stuff and new things.
Q: Boyhood idol?
A: Obviously Derek Jeter was pretty good as far as baseball players. He was just always in the spotlight. Other than that, I always looked up to my dad. He coached me my whole life, and I probably wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him.
Q: Was playing in the major leagues always your dream?
A: Absolutely. Since I was about 4 years old. I used to go on vacation with my grandparents, up to Twin Lakes (Idaho), and my grandpa wouldn’t let me eat dinner until I caught 50 balls in a row without dropping one (chuckles).
Q: You grew up rooting for the Angels?
A: I’m from southern California, so most of my family were Dodger fans, but I always liked the Angels, I don’t know why (chuckle).
Q: Favorite players on the Angels?
A: I always liked watching Garret Anderson play — most people think it’s lackadaisical, but he was pretty composed and even-keeled all the time, didn’t get too up, didn’t get too down.
Q: Did you turn a double play the day when Kevin Costner played shortstop and you played second base in an intrasquad game at Cal-State Fullerton?
A: No, but he did make a diving play up the middle (smiles).
Q: Threw the guy out?
A: Threw the guy out. That was pretty sweet.
Q: Did you give him your autograph?
A: No, I got his though (chuckles).
Q: How did he get to play short?
A: He had a good relationship with (Texas coach) Augie Garrido before he left Fullerton, and then, he obviously had worked out at Texas before, because when he came out, he came out in some burnt orange cleats (chuckles) to work out with us. We gave him a little bit of a hard time for that, but he had set it up with Coach Horton, I guess, and we all knew he was coming out.
Q: You were a Fullerton ballboy?
A: I learned a lot being around those guys, just how to carry myself, how to play the game watching them every day. Got to watch Mark Kotsay in ’95, I wasn’t batboy-ing then, my first year was the next year, but I got to watch him play a lot. And then Aaron Rowand, Reed Johnson . . . baseball rats.
Q: Memories of Dennis Martinez’s perfect game?
A: (Ex-Met) Mike Fitzgerald caught it, and he’s one of my dad’s best friends. He’s my insurance guy right now. He took me into the clubhouse that day in L.A. and I got to say hi to Dennis Martinez before he pitched. It was pretty neat.
Q: Playing in this market?
A: It’s crazy (chuckles). I got my first real taste of how tough it could be this spring training, with the whole Ollie Perez and Luis Castillo thing, and how much pressure that was on those guys. I don’t wish that on anybody. I don’t know what I’d do if I was in that situation, getting booed on the field and stuff. Ollie was getting it pretty bad, every time he went out on the mound it was like him against the world. They love to win here, obviously. It’s the biggest market in the world, and there’s thousands of media people in there (chuckles), with the Orioles, we probably had four or five (reporters) when I was up with them.
Q: What drives you?
A: Just the game . . . I mean, I love baseball . . . every day. No matter what’s going on off the field, no matter what’s happening, when I get to the field I can forget about everything, and I can get to play a game for a living, you know?
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Bull Durham”; “Major League”; “The Hangover.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Kevin Costner.
Q: Favorite actress?
A: Jessica Biel.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Mexican food.