IT is not just about this year and trying to make the playoffs, though that’s all anyone wanted to talk about last night at Shea Stadium.
Playing in October has been the goal since March. The dream is still alive as August turns to September.
Carlos Beltran will tell you that’s why he elected to return to the lineup last night instead of undergoing surgery to repair facial fractures resulting from a horrific head-to-head collision with teammate Mike Cameron seven days ago.
“We’re still fighting to accomplish our goals to try to make it to the playoffs,” Beltran said before last night’s game with the Pirates. “Right now, we have an opportunity, and I just want to be part of it.”
That is the battle cry right now. If the Mets need something to galvanize them for a late-summer charge, perhaps Beltran’s decision to risk his health can be it.
“This is a great thing to rally behind,” David Wright said. “To be able to do what he’s done, to put the team before his health is just amazing. Hopefully, it will boost us on the field and off the field.”
Truth is, the message Beltran sent goes beyond one game and even one season. It probably will last into the next decade, certainly as long as he is the face of the Mets.
It’s a message anyone wearing a Mets jersey from now until he leaves will hear. The message is: Team comes before self.
It’s one thing to have a manager preach it. It’s another to see the club’s best player demonstrate it by playing baseball with broken bones in his face. Even his teammates aren’t sure it’s the smartest decision.
With six more years remaining on Beltran’s $119 million contract, a more cautious approach would be understood. But after flourishing in October with the Astros last year, he wants another try at postseason glory.
“If he listens to his body and stuff, he’ll be all right,” Cliff Floyd said. “But sometimes you get caught up.”
Mike Piazza said, “I respect him for [his decision]. But overall, everyone’s holding their collective breath.”
Piazza had to sit out last night’s game after learning he’d broken a bone at the base of his left hand. The Mets are hopeful he’ll be out only a couple of days, but Piazza likely will have to make the call on when he’ll return.
“Hopefully, the swelling will go down in a few days and we’ll take it from there,” the catcher said.
Each player must listen to his body and weigh their injuries versus the team’s interest. Beltran has made it tougher for anyone who decides not to play; that’s the high standard he set yesterday. For as long as Beltran is here, team comes before self.
Every fan who ever booed Beltran must be feeling silly now. He played the first half of the season with a bad quad and will finish the season playing with broken bones in his face. No one would have blamed him if he’d gone on the disabled list. No one would have booed him for putting his health before the playoffs.
Instead, he took his spot in center field last night, eager to be back in the middle of the playoff race.
“When you have injuries, it’s tough to deal with,” Floyd said. “Some people would just shut it down and say, ‘I’ll come back next year.’ It says a lot about his character, him coming back and trying to help us win.”
It also says a lot about what Beltran will expect from his current and future teammates: Team before self.