Bay finally gets feel of hitting a home run

Jason Bay put his head down and took off.

He scampered around first base, then second, never taking his eyes off the basepaths until he was sure the ball wasn't coming back. He couldn't take any chances, not with the luck he's had. But soon his body relaxed and his pace slowed as he headed home to the sound of applause - a rarity in his young Mets career.

Bay lofted his first home run of the season - a solo shot - off Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda in the fourth inning of the Mets' 4-0 victory in the first game of yesterday's doubleheader.

Bay, who entered Tuesday batting .269 overall and .381 (8-for-21) with a .519 on-base percentage in his previous seven games, had a triple and a diving grab to rob the Dodgers of a hit in the nightcap.

"He's a good player," manager Jerry Manuel said. "He showed us some good things in spring training, a good baserunner, loves to compete and a very good teammate.

"So it's just a matter of time before he really heats up. And hopefully, that can happen soon."

Last year, Bay batted .324 with five home runs in March and April combined for the Red Sox, but as of Tuesday morning, the $66-million leftfielder's homerless streak reached 108 at-bats - the longest of his career.

(He previously had gone deep as a member of the Red Sox on Sept. 21, 2009, at Kansas City off the Royals' Lenny DiNardo.)

But with one swing - on a 1-and-0 pitch from Kuroda - Bay seemed to have turned a corner.

"I'm glad he broke it at home. It's good to see. I think he mentioned he was running hard for a triple when he hit it. So he can't figure out the dimensions himself," Manuel said with a laugh, referring to Citi Field's expansive size.

Bay also excited fans with a key defensive play in the second game against the Dodgers. After ripping a run-scoring triple to deep centerfield in the first inning off knuckleballer Charlie Haegar, he robbed Jamey Carroll of an extra-base hit with an acrobatic dive-and-tumble catch in the second inning.