While facing Nationals’ RHP Tanner Roark in the third inning of last night’s 5-4 loss to the Nationals, Ruben Tejada beat out a fielders choice at first base.
Tejada would have otherwise grounded into a 5-4-3 inning ending double play, but instead hustled down the line to keep the inning going.
As a result, Eric Campbell was afforded an opportunity to hit with a man on, and hit a two-run home run.
I know, it was just one moment in a meaningless spring game while three feet of snow sits on the ground here in New York. But it seems to speak to the noticeable shift in attitude and culture with the team this spring. It’s nice to see Tejada embrace it and take it to heart – it’s the type of hustle and determination Mets really are looking for in Tejada, and haven’t seen consistently since 2012.
There’s a widely shared and publicized opinion about Tejada’s inconsistent work ethic, both from Mets personnel and people outside the organization. He’s a good, quiet kid, and he’s still very young, so he has every chance to right the ship in his career. Perhaps last night was a small start towards doing that, even if it was in early March.
Just Mets 