After Historic Series in D.C., Jose Reyes Batting Average is Highest of 2018
The New York Mets were only in Washington, D.C. for two games but that was enough time for Jose Reyes to make history. He pitched, he hit, and now, his 2018 batting average is the highest it’s been all year. One question lingers, though, is this the last great Jose Reyes moment we’ll get?
Jose Reyes, a legend to some and a pariah to others, made his first-ever pitching appearance in Game 1 on Tuesday evening because the Mets were losing 19-1. Initially, he was throwing gas in warm-ups but the Mets’ coaching staff told him to take it easy. What transpired next was something that resembled an arc-ball game more than baseball: There was a non-competitive spirit in the air and a lot of runs off very slow pitching. By the time the game was over, Reyes had allowed two home runs, nine total base-runners, and six earned runs. He also singled in his only chance in the box.
Final score? WSH 25, NYM 4.
Cool story, right? It was all over the place, often accompanied with the typical hatred or sorrow that goes along with a lost Mets’ season. Honestly, it seemed like a good place to just completely stop caring about the 2018 Mets. Instead, a strange series of events happened in Game 2 to put Jose Reyes in the MLB Record Book.
You see, Reyes didn’t even start Game 2 — Phillip Evans did. However, after getting hurt in the field, Reyes was penciled in to start the third inning at second base. From there, his first at-bat was just what you’d expect from this 2018 version of La Melaza: a three-pitch strikeout to bring his average to .180 on the year. Reyes, unfortunately, started the year 0-for-20 and hasn’t recovered. To his credit, he’s only getting about 40 at-bats a month, making it difficult to get in a true groove. Nevertheless, he hasn’t been over .200 for one second this season and his first AB was a disturbing reminder.
Out of nowhere, though, the guy Mets’ fans adore showed up. He wrapped a home run around the left-field foul pole in his second trip to the batter’s box, followed by a much further, more majestic dinger in his third at-bat. In three pitches, he hit more homers than his previous 76 games. To add more nostalgia, the former batting champ hit one from each side of the plate like it was 2007 or something. Both blasts were solo shots and came on lofty curve-balls.
Reyes finished 2-3 with two blasts but the Nationals completed the quick, two-game sweep of New York.
The history, though, comes in the combination of both games. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, no player in the modern MLB history has allowed two home runs as a pitcher and hit two home runs in the team’s next game. Apparently, Hall-of-Famer Cap Anson was the last person to achieve such a thing in 1884.
After hearing about his place in history, Reyes, like all of us, had no idea.
“I didn’t even know that,” Reyes said to reporters when he was told he made history. “It feels very good, but still, we lost the game after a tough loss. It would’ve been better if we came out with a win today, but it didn’t happen.”
With three hits between Wednesday and Thursday, Jose Reyes batting average is the highest it’s been all year (.191). The magic number, or Mendoza Line, is .200 and I really, really hope he can get there. Stats are big in baseball, and for a guy who could steal a few Hall-of-Fame votes, an average on the interstate is a big red flag.
With about two months remaining, Reyes can definitely get himself over .200. When and if he does, the Mets should bench him until their last home game. That way, the team and fans can honor the career he’s had in Flushing. Right now, though, we need to enjoy these highlights. If he doesn’t build off these two homers, they could be the last awesome moment we get from No.7.
Here, have an 11-minute highlight video of Reyes’ career in New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cniPkWbeqk0