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Good NY Mets players best known for one real bad moment

By Tim Boyle

Carlos Beltran of the Mets warms up prior to action between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri on May 17, 2006. (Photo by G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images)
Carlos Beltran of the Mets warms up prior to action between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri on May 17, 2006. (Photo by G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 01: Travis d’Arnaud #7 of the New York Mets fails to make the play on a ball overthrown by Lucas Duda #21 of the New York Mets (not pictured) in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals during Game Five of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field on November 1, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Eric Hosmer #35 of the Kansas City Royals (not pictured) would score. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

Good Mets known for one bad moment – Lucas Duda

In the middle of the 2010s, Lucas Duda was one of the best sluggers on the Mets roster. Whether he was the first baseman or in the outfield, Duda hit regularly and with some great power.

Something Duda didn’t do was have one of those tremendous moments where we look at him fondly. Sure, his overall totals were good. When it comes to making a name for yourself, it can take one moment to erase all of the good.

Flipping forward a few days after Familia’s quick-pitch, we land at Game Five of the 2015 World Series. Ironically enough, the end result is yet another blown save by Familia. This time, however, it’s Duda who deserves some of the blame.

Eric Hosmer stood on third base with Salvador Perez at the plate. A groundball to third base landed in Duda’s glove at first for the out, but after some hesitation to throw the ball back home, he delivered an errant throw which allowed Hosmer to cross the plate and score a run.

The Royals had nothing to lose. And after falling just shy of tying the game in the World Series prior, they were willing to take a risk with the not-so-fleet-footed Hosmer barreling home.

Duda’s play wasn’t charged as an error, but in the mental part of baseball, it definitely was.

To add a little more insult to the mental injury, Duda eventually wound up replacing Hosmer as the first baseman in Kansas City a few years later. It’s an ironic twist to an unfortunate Mets story of a good player getting a bad reputation for one major blunder.

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