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

September 2, 2015: Ruben Tejada

When Mets fans hear the words “Ruben Tejada” and “2015” together, their minds usually travel to a certain slide by a certain Dodgers second baseman. That collision at second during Game 2 of the NLDS was certainly the low point for Tejada that season, but one of his high points had to be his inside-the-park home run against the Phillies that September.

Even in his best years in Queens, Tejada was never known for his power stroke. He hit only 10 home runs across his nine MLB seasons. Only nine of the 10 actually left the park.

On September 2, 2015, in the second inning against Phillies starter Aaron Nola, Tejada slashed a 3-2 breaking ball the other way towards right fielder Domonic Brown. While trying to make a play on the ball, Brown ended up tumbling over the fence into the stands. The ball rolled innocently into the right-field corner while Tejada made a frantic trip around the bases. He scored without a throw, and also drove in Kelly Johnson from second base.

“I’m thinking I got a hit first, and when I saw [Brown] in the stands I ran as hard as I can to get on third base and wait for [coach Tim] Teufel’s sign to either send me home or stop me there,” said Tejada after the game.

Manager Terry Collins also weighed in with his vantage point of Tejada’s remarkable trip around the bases, which apparently did not provide the clearest of sightlines.

“I couldn’t see a thing. I can’t see a thing from where I stand,” Collins said postgame. “I knew the ball was going to drop in and then I heard the crowd roar and I thought maybe the kid fell into the wall. I didn’t see him go out until I saw the replay.”