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You know the bats are working when Ruben Tejada belts one. The shortstop's first career home run (of two and counting!) came on this date, 2010, during an 18-5 souvenir fest for the bleacher bums at Wrigley. The Mets, supporting Jonathan Niese, were having a fine offensive day until five runs in the eight and another five in the ninth took it to a HNL. Ike blasted one; Beltran reached base five times; Pagan knocked three runs in; Luis Hernandez went 3-7. If you can call to mind a mental image of Luis Hernandez, perhaps you know he has two plate appearance with Texas this year.
Birthdays
- For a stretch he was so powerful we called him God. Rod Barajas (turns 37) hit dingers for competence-starved fans in 2010, including the first walk-off shot at Citi Field. Age or the HR/FB ratio caught up to veteran catcher, however, and the Mets shipped him to L.A. in late August.
- Matt Watson (turns 34) had a short, fitful major league career than included 15 games in the outfield for the 2003 Mets. He plays for an independent pro league in his home town of Lancaster, PA.
Amazin'-ly Tenuous Connection
On September 5, 1793, the French Convention initiated a two-year period of political executions, declaring Terror "the order of the day." Probably 20 thousand to 40 thousand aristocrats and suspected counterrevolutionaries were killed. A fitting modern-day analogy, according to one blogger, was the four start "Reign of Terror" imposed under that most Robespierrian of Met Pitchers, Chris Young. Let's hope the apostate donned peasant garb and fled to safety, because Young wasn't through.