Slow Clap

“It was his Kirk Gibson moment.” –Tim Hudson

Sure, if you ignore the fact that the Mets spent 148 games making sure this moment will be meaningless in the grand scheme of things, and lost game 149 where this happened.  But just as Felix Hernandez shouldn’t be penalized out of the Cy Young running because his team is terrible, Luis Hernandez shouldn’t be cheated out of being compared to Kirk Gibson just because Luis’ team is mediocre at best.  Guy hits a home run with a broken foot … impressive if you ask me.  Gibson hit a home run with two bad knees.  Bobby Baun once won a Stanley Cup game on a broken leg.  And now, Luis Hernandez homers on a broken foot in a meaningless game against Atlanta.  It happens in threes.

But once again, I gotta be the one to ask the question:

What, exactly, was the point of the ankle protector?  It didn’t protect him!  The ball that was fouled off broke a bone the foot that had protective gear on it.  How in the world does this happen?  It happens because this is the Mets we’re talking about.  But good for Luis Hernandez to overcome that stroke of awful Mets luck to create the most special meaningless moment of the 2010 season.  Too bad we might never see Hernandez again with the Mets, but if that’s the case then what a way to go out.

However, Luis Castillo should stop smiling.  There are still about 18 second basemen in the Mets system, in addition to about 16 shortstops, 19 third basemen, and a gajillion outfielders (and three catchers) that will play second for the Mets before Castillo sees the field again in a Mets uniform.