Niese's rapid heartbeat a concern
Jon Niese #49 of the New York Mets throws against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. (June 25, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
ARLINGTON, Texas -- When Jonathon Niese stepped off the back of the mound in the sixth inning Saturday, Terry Collins knew something was wrong.
Niese works fast, and with a 14-2 lead at the time, the lefthander should have been in buzzsaw mode after getting the first two outs.
"It was just one of those things -- the adrenaline's going, your heart starts racing," Niese said afterward. "I was breathing heavy. I just couldn't catch my breath."
After a brief conversation, Collins chose to stay with Niese for one more batter. As soon as Nelson Cruz hit a double, Niese was pulled, and the Mets later said it was for precautionary reasons because of a "rapid heartbeat."
The diagnosis sounds ominous. But the Rangers' doctor was satisfied that Niese, 24, was not in any immediate danger, and the excessive heat may have caused the condition. The first-pitch temperature at Rangers Ballpark was 94 degrees.
"I really don't know what it's from," Niese said. "The heat could have been a part of it. It was gone by the time they got [to the mound] and checked on me."
But Niese also said he's had similar feelings before, and that might be a red flag. The Mets will have him examined again Tuesday in Detroit, this time by a specialist. Players receive thorough physicals at the start of spring training, but it's possible that something could develop later or even be missed.
Niese said he made sure to drink plenty of Powerade and water during the afternoon, so it's unclear if dehydration was an issue. By the time he was lifted from the game, he had thrown 95 pitches, and it wasn't a particularly stressful outing.
He served up back-to-back homers to Adrian Beltre and Michael Young in the fourth, but the Mets still had a 6-2 lead. Niese struck out seven and is 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA in his last eight starts, lowering his ERA from 5.03 to 3.67 during that stretch.
Niese appeared to be feeling OK afterward, and he tried to dispel any concern.
"Once in a while you get fatigued," he said. "It's really no big deal. It's more precautionary than anything."
But there's no way of knowing that for sure until Tuesday at the earliest.
