New York Mets inside-the-park homers that Flushing fans remember

May 19, 2010: Angel Pagan

After looking at his stats with the Mets, I’m convinced that Angel Pagan is one of the more underrated speedsters that the Mets have ever had. He stole 30+ bases for two straight years in 2010 and 2011 and, despite playing only two full-time years in Flushing, stole 87 bases and knocked 23 triples as a Met. He also hit multiple inside-the-park home runs with the Mets, one of which led off a game on August 23, 2009.

However, this inside-the-parker the following year was perhaps even more remarkable, for several reasons. First, it occurred in R.A. Dickey’s first start as a Met. Second, it was his second straight inside-the-parker as a Met to occur against a former Met (the first one came against Pedro Martinez, this one against Liván Hernández).

Third, and this might be just a bizarre coincidence, but Pagan also managed to initiate a triple play in this game. His inside-the-parker occurred in the top of the 4th inning, and his triple play came in the very next inning against the Nationals’ Cristian Guzman.

The last time Pagan had an inside-the-park home run, in that same game, Eric Bruntlett turned the famous game-ending unassisted triple play to secure a win for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Apparently, these two fairly rare baseball feats are inextricably linked in the Mets baseball universe.

“I knew the ball hit the wall and stuff,” Pagan said after his inside-the-parker in 2010. “I was kind of slowing down when I was rounding third. So when he told me to go, I’m like, ‘Whoa.’ I kind of threw the anchor.”