It was in the eighth inning when Mets manager Terry Collins turned to Justin Turner and told him to be prepared to pinch-hit in the ninth inning. Collins even told Turner what the situation would be.
“He said I was going to hit in the pitcher’s spot with two guys on,” Turner would later recall. “I hit in the pitcher’s spot with the bases loaded, so he was pretty close.”
What Collins didn’t foresee was the dramatic marathon at-bat Turner produced, a brilliant display of discipline, focus and defiance as he faced 13 pitches and walked to drive in the tying run in the Mets’ eventual 3-2 victory over the Marlins Thursday at Citi Field.
The Mets completed a three-game sweep of Miami by scoring two runs in the ninth, the game-winning hit provided by Kirk Nieuwenhuis off Marlins closer Heath Bell. By then, Bell was on fumes, thanks mainly to Turner, who came to the plate with the bases stuffed and the Mets trailing 2-1 with one out.
Bell signed a three-year contract last December worth $27 million for just these types of situations. But the burly right-hander got himself into trouble when he walked David Wright, Ike Davis and Josh Thole to load the bases with one out.
“It’s a situation every kid dreams of growing up,” Turner said. “You have bases loaded, it’s the ninth inning and the closer is in the game. The ending was just a little different. As a kid you dream of hitting the home run or getting a big hit. I just ended up taking a walk.”
It was probably one of the more dramatic walks in Mets’ history. The at-bat started with a called strike, then a foul ball, putting Turner in a deep hole.
“When you get two strikes on you, it’s a fight,” Turner said. “You just battle, and try to put the ball in play somewhere.”
Down 0-2, the rest of the at-bat went like this with a misty rain serving as a backdrop: Foul ball, ball, foul ball, ball, foul ball, ball, foul ball, foul ball, foul ball, foul ball, ball. The showdown ended with Turner trotting to first and Wright scoring the tying run. One out later, Nieuwenhuis belted the game-winner.
“It was a tremendous at-bat,” Collins said of Turner, “to fight all those pitches off to take the breaking balls. A terrific at-bat.”
The Marlins weren’t as impressed. Bell, who threw 46 pitches in the inning, defended his performance.
“I felt like the pitches were where I wanted them for the most part,” he said, adding, “Ninety-five percent of the time, I was right where I needed to be. I did walk some guys and we’re going to dwell on that. But I was trying to throw pitches I thought they were going to be aggressive with. I thought they were going to swing at it. So I was trying to keep the ball down in the zone and I just missed.”
The only pitch he regretted was ball four to Turner.
It was, he said, “a fastball I pulled back on.”
Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen was more critical of his closer, saying, “he could only throw fastballs for strikes,” which Guillen added made Turner’s at-bat easier.
“I don’t want to take any credit away from the kid, but it’s easy to hit when you know the guy can only throw fastballs and anything else is balls,” Guillen said. “Obviously, it was a hell of an at-bat, fouling off a couple of pitches.”
The Marlins, losers of five straight, can discuss their issues back to Miami while the Mets head to Colorado feeling like winners.
“There’s a confidence in our clubhouse that everyone is going to produce,” Turner said.
Even if it takes 13 pitches.