NEW YORK - Monday is an unofficial holiday that falls on Christmas in July. The day before the party, the annoying Mets criminal received a gift in the form of a tall, cheerful guy.
No, Daniel Vogelbach doesn't have a big white beard, but he does seem to breathe new life into the early Mets. In his first team appearance after being acquired Friday from Pittsburgh, Vogelbach made it to the base twice and appeared to light the torch for the Mets in Sunday night's 8-5 win over San Diego.
"I mean, the most important thing is that we won," Vogelbach said after the match. "It's the most satisfying thing for me."
Tonight, the Mets began to struggle against Padres player Joe Musgrove, who wouldn't allow a hit in the first four rounds. Vogelbach finished fifth with eight strokes on the field, capping a base stroke to put him at base for the first time in blue and orange. Statistically considered one of the slowest players in baseball, the 270-pound Vogelbach went from first to third when Mark Kahn doubled to the left. Both runners will be banned in the heat.
"It got us out of Schneid, if you will," said director Buck Showalter. "I think people joined his first song as a volunteer and I think he was really good on the sidelines for a lot of reasons."
Although it looked empty, the spark apparently ignited as the Mets could have benefited from some long-awaited rounds later. Starling Marty and Francisco Lindor tied the base to lead the sixth inning, setting the race schedule for Pete Alonso's 25 this season. Alonso had a four-point lead on aggregate, doubled in seventh to score again over Marti and lead the league with 82 points.
Vogelbach reportedly returned to base after Alonso's home run, where he was training. Coming to second base later in the inning, Vogelbach jumped around the bases and scored from second base on a throw into shallow left field by Lewis Gillorm.
"Honestly, every time my second goal is to score," Vogelbach said. "I kind of feel like that going through my mind, being a good teammate trying to score for your team and for the guy in the backboard to get the RBI. I just put my head down and walk away."
This says a lot about Vogelbach's ability given that he has more history against Musgrove than most of the rest of the team. Vogelbach took no hits from Musgrove in seven rounds on Sunday, and four of those fights ended with one stroke. Showalter knew the history between the two, but he also knew the importance of keeping him out of the race after trading in his favour.
"I looked at every bat he found last night," Showalter said of Vogelbach's story. "But I wouldn't let him sit here five or six days without playing with him after a deal. We have a left-handed player on the Tuesday after the day off [Monday] and he needed to play and join our squad." Tonight and he responded well.
Vogelbach said he enjoyed the energy he felt in his first game in Citifield as fans hugged him while spotlighting national television. On Sunday, Vogelbach created a song called "I Love My Friends," saying he got even friendlier with 39,395 fans sitting in the stands.
"It was fantastic," Vogelbach said. "I don't know if I've ever played in an environment like this, at least as a home team. It's so special and great to call it my home now."
Now, after participating in part of his first series in his new home and seeing large crowds, Vogelbach is preparing to test the Subway series for the first time in his career. The Yankees are coming to Citifield on Tuesday and Wednesday and Vogelbach will be part of that rivalry for the first time.
“When you were a kid watching baseball, you grew up watching those games,” Vogelbach said. "So it would be great to be a part of this. I know I'm going to keep saying this, but I'm excited for the next few months of the regular season. Just raise your head and go."
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