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When John Maine plunked Felipe Lopez with the first pitch of the game last night (in response to the Nationals’ bush-league cheering of the night before), a message was sent: don’t mess with the Mets.
As Regis Courtemanche stated earlier today, the timing was right and the action appropriate. Further, Maine’s pitch that “slipped” established solidarity — an “I got your back” mentality that all championship teams exhibit.
For too long, fans and pundits have criticized the Mets for being lifeless, unmotivated, and uncaring. Manager Willie Randolph has been targeted as responsible for the team’s supposed apathy. However, a pitcher does not knock down a batter in defense of a demoted teammate unless there is team unity and a bit of “fire in the belly”.
If the Mets go on a roll, we may look back at this incident as the spark, and a turning point in the season.
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I didn’t see it, but maybe we are reading too much into this? Do we actually know he did this on purpose?
Yes to both.
Thank goodness the umpire didn’t get involved.
It was no big deal, it was expected and it was
good old school baseball for a change. It was
even good that the Nats didn’t respond. They
knew what it was about, no answer was needed.
i saw it a couple of times… you know.. just to make sure it’s real… i’m 99.9999999999997% sure it’s on purpose. good for Maine, backing up his teammates
I agree, but I don’t know if that’s going to be a turning point. Do they need a turning point or do they just need to get as healthy as possible and play good baseball? Then again, maybe that IS a turning point in and of itself.
I don’t think the HBP is a turning point. It did make me proud. Then again, Maine usually does.
Good post AMS.
i know turning point or not…. done and done. let’s move on. Winning a couple of games in a roll would be a good turning point
Lopez looked a little miffed at Maine. Didn’t he realize that was going to happen?
Also, the faith that Maine had to plunk the lead-off guy knowing that it wouldn’t be a problem says alot about his make-up.
If it does indeed become the “turning point” of this season, how ironic would it be that John Maine, possibly the most easy going member of the team, was the one that delivered it.
Maine is a pretty fierce competitor. Do you ever notice how he never doffs his cap after a start where he gets pulled mid-inning? He’s too pissed that he didn’t get out of the inning.
I love John Maine!
I also love him knocking down Jeff Kent last week in LA after kent argued a strike with the umpire.
Agreed. I also loved his start against AZ when he had absolutely no command but kept battling to finish with a quality start. The highlight… Micah Owings worked out a walk and the next shot was Maine on the mound, seething with anger at himself. Although the shot was taken in mid-sentence you could clearly read his lips saying “…the F***-ing pitcher.”
Can’t argue with you, Joe. It’s the “easy going” ones you gotta watch out for.
Can’t wait until Hole Camels tries something like this.
You would think that Hamels realizes his importance as the staple of the Phillies rotation and not go beaning batters to create a bench clearing scenario…but move things to a bar instead of the ballpark and you never know.
The three operative words in you post are, “You would think.” Yes, one would think that Hamels recognizes this. But, one never knows. Would Brett Myers do this? I’m pretty sure Jamie Moyer wouldn’t.
I didn’t think the pitch was in enough to determine whether it was intentional or not. Lopez could have easily avoided it, which is not something you usually say about a pitch when it’s intentionally thrown at somebody.
I think people are getting a bit carried away here. I mean, turning point in the season? What affect is this going to have at any time in the future? The Mets went on to do what they usually do during yesterday’s game: leave men on base. Unless Maine hitting Lopez will cause our hitter’s to start smacking the ball with RISP, this whole thing means nothing.
But I thought heart and fire meant everything?
Good food for thought.
Does attitude play a part in baseball? Don’t know. I have been a part of some winning teams and losing teams, even coached some. Talent means everything, but does talent bring attitud? I would like to think so, but I ultimately don’t know.
I do know that I would prefer to see my team show some cojones and lose than show no cojones and lose. I still hate that Brad Penny situation.
If we were to indulge and say that attitude plays a part, then maybe John Maine’s plunking is showing signs that the winning they have been doing this home stand is a sign that they are moving in the right direction. Time will tell.
Not far enough inside? Lopez jumped backwards and it still hit him squarely mid thigh. I think it was pretty clearly a beaning.
Don’t mess with the Mets bitch!! =]
Tina, you usually post good comments, but I must point out that that is your best…..classic.
Stop it. Please. Enough is enough, the Mets beat the lowly Nats and they’ve had enough “turning points” to circle themselves 100 times. No more talk, no more excuses, just go out there and beat crap teams like the Nats and Reds and compete and execute against teams like the DBacks and Phillies, that’s all I’m asking for.
Mets are 8-4 against teams with a below .500 record (including the Pirates who are 19-20)
They are 12-13 against everyone else.
Midtown, I think you are missing the point, while I agree with you that one play is hardly a “turning point” in this marathon of a season, it shows that Maine “gets it.” He backed figgy and the rest of his teamates, and that is important for a leader to do. If that was pedro he certainly would have done the same thing. Did he intentionally hit him? perhaps not, but at the least he meant to brush him back and that is a statement as well, but based on the post game interviews I think there is no doubt he intentionally hit him. He went with the classic “it slipped” line, which has always been baseballs unrwitten rule for “yeah I plunked him.” I remember turk wendell and sean estes saying the exact same thing, pedro and clemens for that matter too.
The play was a young pitcher understading what is going on and backing his teammates. As Willie always states we need to pick one anothe up, good sign last night. That being said it was just one play, but hopefully it leads to more like it.
Agreed dave. Im pretty sure he plunked him intentionally but i hardly think it is a turning point. I liked AMS post earlier that we have yet to feild the healthy 2008 mets that we have on paper yet. I think that if anything would be a turning point as we can truly see what a healthy club can accomplish. Not making excuses for injuries because every club has em.
I get you there, Dave. I’m a huge fan of players showing passion, and not bending over and taking it from a bunch of punks like the Nats. What Maine did, intentional or unintentional, was nice to see. And it wouldn’t hurt to see some more of that, from other players, throughout the season.
Here are my main problems, though:
1) To call this a turning point is getting WAY ahead of ourselves. This is a long season, and the Nats are subpar at best. And hitting a guy on the leg isn’t going to be the reason we win the next few series.
2) Fire and emotion are not this team’s problems. This team’s problem is the fact that they CAN NOT HIT. We’re talking bases loaded, no outs, and walking away with one run AT MOST. That’s disgusting, and is the reason we’re hovering around .500. Hitting Lopez is so inconsequential when it comes to this team’s real problem, which is not being able to hit when it counts.
I love that Maine did this, especially to the leadoff guy. And I really like the pitcher he is becoming.