PHILADELPHIA — Angel Pagan’s bathroom break Monday night was hardly a laughing matter.
On a day another New York newspaper was mocking Pagan’s late arrival to the plate after he rushed to the restroom between innings, the Mets outfielder confirmed he was diagnosed with colitis in 2004, and sudden bathroom breaks are sometimes needed.
Pagan was placed on the disabled list with the Cubs in 2007 after a flare up.
“It’s something I’m going to have to deal with for the rest of my life,” Pagan said before the Mets lost 9-4 to the Phillies last night. “It’s no joke.”
Pagan had stomach cramps as he left the field after the fourth inning in the Mets’ 10-0 loss to the Phillies on Monday. He was scheduled to bat fourth in the top of the fifth inning and told trainer Ray Ramirez of his condition. The message never got to manager Terry Collins, who was searching for Pagan after Nick Evans had walked to extend the inning.
As plate umpire Mike DiMuro requested a hitter, Pagan came jogging from the dugout and promptly grounded out against Cliff Lee and was removed from the game. Collins later indicated he likely would have pinch hit for Pagan if he knew the whole story.
Collins, who met with Pagan afterward, said he wasn’t angry with his center fielder, but would appreciate a better line of communication. The manager would have appreciated if Pagan came to him directly instead of telling Ramirez. But Collins also said he was satisfied with Pagan’s explanation that he didn’t have time to seek out the manager.
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Jose Reyes will play three games for Double-A Binghamton beginning tomorrow and take Sunday off before rejoining the Mets for Monday’s doubleheader against the Marlins. Collins said there is no possibility that Reyes, recovering from a strained left hamstring, would play both games of the doubleheader.
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Collins owns a home near Richmond, Va., about 20 miles from the epicenter of yesterday’s earthquake that rocked the East Coast. He was awaiting word about the condition of the house.
“I’ve been trying to find out if it’s cracked in half or not,” Collins said. “I needed to clean that attic — it’s falling out in the backyard now.”
Citizens Bank Park was briefly evacuated after the quake. Jason Bay was among the Mets players unaware anything had occurred. Bay said he was walking in a concourse at the ballpark when he heard a teammate mention something about an earthquake.
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Gary Carter, who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, began a second round of chemotherapy on Monday, according to a journal entry by his daughter Kimmy Bloemers.
Carter previously had been told his white blood cell count wasn’t high enough to begin the five-day treatment, but his numbers recently improved. Carter’s chemo treatments will run through Friday.