Sorry, but Reyes owes no one an apology
Jose Reyes (7) of the New York Mets looks on from the dugout during the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. (Sept. 28, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
The only thing wrong with Jose Reyes taking himself out of Wednesday's game after his first-inning bunt was the way he left the field.
One moment, he was at first base, an entire stadium smiling along with him. The next, he was gone, and in his place appeared Justin Turner.
It was too quick, too abrupt, and took all of Citi Field by surprise. Aside from Reyes and Terry Collins, only a handful of Mets knew of the plan beforehand, and the surprise left many in the building stunned.
They had come to cheer Reyes in what ultimately may be his final game as a Met. Instead, there were uneasy boos.
Reyes, however, owes no one an apology. It would have been better if Collins had let Reyes jog out to his position for the top of the second inning before pulling him. That way, the fans could show him some love on the way out, and vice versa.
But to rip Reyes for sitting on a .337 batting average, and then hedging his bets with the Brewers' Ryan Braun later that night, shows little understanding of what the shortstop has endured during his injury-marred nine-year career with the Mets.
Did he refuse to play the final game? No. He just had the good fortune to do exactly what he wanted in his very first at-bat -- get a hit. Afterward, he laughed that it was probably his best bunt of the year, and joked that he'll have to try that more. But Reyes' mood darkened when someone told him he already was being criticized for the bunt-and-bolt decision. The Rangers' C.J. Wilson said on Twitter that it was "weak." Much of the initial reaction was very anti-Reyes.
"I don't care what people say," Reyes said. "I don't care what people think. A lot of people told me, you shouldn't play today. I said, oh, no, I want to play. I want to be there for the fans. They can see me. I don't know if I'm going to be here next year."
Reyes is sure to make tons of cash with his next contract, in the neighborhood of $100 million or more. But you can't buy a batting title, and if Reyes was satisfied with his body of work for the 2011 season, then so be it. Few players in the majors provided the entertainment that Reyes did this year. Was his two-homer night Tuesday really that long ago?
It would have been great if Reyes hadn't been limited to 126 games by hamstring injuries this season. If healthy, he might have won an MVP to go with the batting title. But to complain about two extra at-bats, at the most, is pointless.
Unfortunately for Reyes, his decision came on the same day that Ted Williams risked his .400 average to play both games of a doubleheader in 1941. He finished 6-for-8 and gained immortality in the process.
Good for Teddy Ballgame, but that was 70 years ago. The Mets have never had a batting champion, and if Reyes thought this was the best way to achieve such an elusive goal, there is no crime in that.
"Obviously that was his call," David Wright said. "We're all rooting for him to win the batting title. I think the criticism is not on point in this case."
