Joey's Small Bites: Putting The Band(box) Back Together

I attended Saturday night's middle game of the Subway Series at The House That Juice Built and I came home with whiplash. No, it wasn't because Bartolo Colon fell on my lap. It was because of all the times I snapped my neck turning to watch 250-foot home run after 250-foot home run leave the park.

The Yankees hit four home runs off Chris Capuano, one short of the franchise record of five set by Roger Craig on May 4, 1963. They have now scored 226 runs this season. Only 99 of them have scored without the ball going over the wall. That means the Bronx Bombers average 2.25 runs per game that score on something other than a home run. They better hope they never have to use Citi Field as their home ballpark (the Yankees called Shea Stadium home in 1974 and 1975 while the old Yankee Stadium was being renovated) because they'll score less than Steve Urkel there.

Despite my neck pain, I still enjoyed myself at the ballpark. Since my paws were unaffected by the barrage of Bomber baseballs, I'll still be able to recap the game for you, one small bite at a time.

To honor all the players in tonight's game who started the season at AAA-Buffalo, I decided to feast on Buffalo wings.

A.J. Burnett entered the game with only four wins in 18 career starts against the Mets (six losses, eight no-decisions), and the Mets started the game as if they were going to make it four wins in 19 starts. They plated two runs in the first inning, the second coming off the bat of Justin Turner, who broke Ron Swoboda's franchise record when he drove in Daniel Murphy with an opposite field single.

But then the Yankees clicked their heels and said "there's no place like home (runs)". First, Russell Martin tied the game with a two-run homer in the second inning. An inning later, Mark Teixeira launched a two-run blast to give the Yankees the lead. After the Mets tantalized their fans by cutting the lead to one in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Carlos Beltran (I'm surprised it wasn't a home run. It was hit softly enough.), the Yankees homered twice in the sixth inning, as Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez connected off Capuano.

The Yankees added a new word to their vocabulary in the eighth inning, when they learned how to manufacture a run, as the less famous No. 2 in New York singled, stole second, took third on a fly ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Mets' offense went to sleep after scoring their final run in the fifth, despite the fact that Le Grand Justin Turner batted twice in the late innings.

At least there was a bright side to the Mets' 7-3 loss, as Frankie Rodriguez didn't get to finish the game. (K-Rod has finished 18 of the Mets' first 45 contests, putting him on pace to finish 65 games, or 10 more than is needed to make his contract vest for the 2012 season.)

The Mets will try to do something on Sunday that they have not done well against the Yankees - winning a rubber game. Since 1997, the Mets and Yankees have split the first two games of their series 13 times. The Mets have only won the rubber game three times. They'll look to buck the trend on Sunday, sending the improved Mike Pelfrey to the hill. His counterpart will be Ivan Nova, who has never faced the Mets or any other National League team, for that matter.

The Mets spent an entire month taking small bites to get back to .500. Now that they're back on the south side of the break-even point, they'll need to make room for one more bite against the Yankees on Sunday. Gluttony is the only way to go for the Mets in this series.

If It's October 19, It Must Be Molina Time

Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson was known as Mr. October to baseball fans, primarily because of the three home runs he hit on three pitches in the deciding sixth game of the 1977 World Series.

If Mr. Candy Bar was Mr. October, then the Flying Molina Brothers (Yadier and Bengie) can both claim to be Mr. October 19.

Last night, big brother Bengie became the second Molina to hit a crushing home run against a New York team on an October 19. With the Rangers down 3-2 to the Yankees in the sixth inning, A.J. Burnett intentionally walked David Murphy to pitch to Funky Cold Molina.

Earlier in the game, Burnett harpooned the rotund Molina with a pitch. This time, Burnett decided to add a sixth inning insult to the third inning injury by choosing to pitch to Molina rather than Murphy with two outs in the inning. This time, Molina was the one who hit Burnett hard, as he whaled a pitch over the left field wall for a go-ahead three-run HR. The shot put the Rangers ahead 5-3, a lead they would never relinquish.

New York had been stung by another big home run by a member of the Flying Molina Brothers, as four years ago to the day, little brother Yadier hit a go-ahead two-run homer against former Met whipping boy, Aaron F. Heilman in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.

Editor's note: We'd show you a photo of Yadier Molina hitting the home run off Aaron F. Heilman, but instead we'll show you the cover of the Faith and Fear in Flushing book, written by the Tom Seaver of Mets bloggers, Greg Prince. Go read the book (and the blog of the same name). It's an Amazin' read!


The third member of the Flying Molina Brothers (Jose Molina) played for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010, but he was a member of the World Champion Yankees last year. However, he did not get a chance to play on October 19 last year (Game 3 of the ALCS), as the Yankees were taking on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the Western Hemisphere of the Planet Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy. His sole appearance in a major league game on October 19 came during Game 1 of the 2002 World Series, as a member of the then one-named Anaheim Angels, when he came in as a ninth inning defensive replacement for his brother, Bengie.

Perhaps Jose Molina is adopted, as he has not delivered a crushing blow to a New York team on October 19, which is the biggest national holiday in Molinaville.

Bengie Molina celebrates not being the fattest man in baseball, a title held by the man in the Yankee dugout, C(onstantly) C(hewing) Sabathia.

Regardless, Bengie Molina can now say he is a true Molina, as he joined Yadier in delivering series-changing home runs against a New York team on the 19th of October.

Reggie Jackson might have had a candy bar named after him and might have made the Hall of Fame despite holding the major league record for career strikeouts, but his legacy was cemented by his repeated post-season heroics, earning him the nickname "Mr. October".

In addition to sharing a last name, Yadier and Bengie Molina can now share the "Mr. October 19" moniker. Move over, Reggie Jackson. There's a whole family coming after you.

MLB Execs Think Lackey Is Coming To New York

According to an article by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, a recent survey polled 20 MLB executives (general managers, assistant GMs, etc.) on a number of topics, including where they believe free agent pitcher John Lackey will sign. They also revealed their thoughts on the possible length and dollar amount of his contract.

Of the 20 executives, the majority believe his new area code will be 718. However, will that be in the Bronx or in Queens?

Only three executives believe he will return to the Angels, while four think the Mets will sign him and eight believe the Yankees will buy him at wholesale price.

Lackey is originally from Abilene, TX, so it's surprising that the Rangers and Astros weren't seen as potential suitors for his services.

As for the years and dollars being bandied about, the executives believe that it could take as little as three years and $36 million (although this was an anonymous poll, I'll bet you Oliver Perez's sombrero that I know which GM thought Lackey would find that deal to be reasonable. Ollie's Money Ain't Reasonable!)

Other GMs thought it would take as much as six years and $100 million to sign Lackey. I don't think the Mets would go that high for Lackey as far as years go. I do believe they would sign him for that average annual value. They'd probably have to offer a minimum of four years and quite possibly five to get Lackey to come to Flushing.

It may take an A.J. Burnett-type deal (five years, $82 million), but Lackey is worth it. He is as consistent as they come and he will be coming to the National League, where he will not have to face a DH. Although he has begun each of the past two seasons on the DL, he has recovered well from each injury.

Of course, his intangibles also make him an attractive commodity. He is a fierce competitor and his tenacity on the mound is matched by few. One pitcher who could match him is Johan Santana. Imagine if Santana and Lackey were able to start 40% of the games in 2010. The Phillies would have to pray for more three-run homers because they surely wouldn't be able to beat that one-two punch.



If executives think John Lackey will be a New Yorker next year, Omar has to go all out for him the way he went all out for Johan Santana. He can't let the Yankees scoop him up. They added an ace and a solid #2 pitcher last year in CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and they helped lead the team to a World Championship.

If C(onstantly) C(hewing) Sabathia could be swayed to sign with the Yankees instead of with a team in his home state of California, then why can't the Mets do the same with Lackey? He is a native Texan, but if Omar can pony up the cash for this stud, he must rope him in.

Lackey would have to change his uniform number (his #41 is kind of reserved for a certain wine connoisseur. I think his initials are GTS.), but perhaps with a few extra numbers in his contract, he can put a new one on his back.

Now pitching for the New York Mets, John Lackey! I expect to hear that at Citi Field in 2010 and in the years following next season. Are you listening, Omar? You better be if you want to be at Citi Field in the years following 2010 as well.