Reyes battles, comes through

Jose Reyes slapped the barrel of his bat in disgust, unable to contain his brimming emotion.

In his first three at-bats, he had failed to put a decent swing on anything Javier Vazquez hurled his way. And he twice failed to get a bunt down in the eighth inning. But Reyes eventually broke through - and helped break the game open.

With the Mets leading by a run and Ruben Tejada on first with none out in the eighth, Reyes ripped a double down the rightfield line and off the wall against Chan Ho Park to breathe some life into the Mets' stagnant offense. "Let's go!" Reyes shouted, clapping his hands as he stood on second base.

Two pitches later, Angel Pagan doubled home two runs to give the Mets a three-run lead in what became a 4-0 victory over the Yankees.

"I got excited because I got a big hit there," Reyes said. "I wasn't able to put the ball down in that situation. I was feeling bad about myself because I didn't do my job the way I was supposed to do it, bunt-wise, and I got a hit there, so I have to get excited because that's a big hit."

Said Mets manager Jerry Manuel, "One thing about Jose is his level of intensity. Sometimes he's a little too emotional. But the good thing about him is that despite not being able to put down the bunts in that situation, you know he's not giving up that at-bat without a good fight.''

With one out in the ninth, runners on first and third and Boone Logan on the mound, Reyes' RBI single provided an insurance run.

"He's the ultimate igniter," David Wright said before the game. " . . . No question we're a different team, a different dynamic and a lot more explosive and energetic with him creating havoc on the basepaths and doing what he's doing at the top of the lineup."

The Mets are 25-6 this year when he scores a run and are 129-32 in his career when he scores a run and drives in a run.

With Reyes back in the leadoff spot and Pagan hitting directly behind him, all seems right with the Mets. "That's my house, there," Reyes said before the game, referring to his leadoff position. "I feel comfortable there. I know what I have to do there to get this team going."

"People say, 'When I go, the team goes,' so I just try to do my job in the leadoff spot: try to get on base and score a run early in the game."

And Reyes has been just as impressive on the field.

"The key for him has been, he's matured as a shortstop," Manuel said. " . . . He's been real, real consistent. That breeds confidence. Early in his career, we'd always say, 'If Jose hits his first time up, we're going to have a good shortstop tonight.' But this year, he started off slowly with the bat and he really, really played a good shortstop."