In a contest where Terry Collins broke the record for most games at the helm ever for a Mets manager, infielder Jose Reyes made a little history of his own.
Reyes, 33, registered career hit No. 2,000 on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the first inning, as the veteran went 3-for-4 on the evening with two RBI.
“Last year at this point, I was sitting on my couch,” Reyes said. “I didn’t even know if I was going to continue to play in the major leagues. And here I am, back home playing for the Mets, getting my 2,000th hit. I feel very grateful.”
With the performance, Reyes clocks in with 1,398 hits as a Metropolitan, 370 with Toronto, 184 with Miami and 50 with Colorado.
On Saturday, Reyes became the eighth active player to reach 2,000 hits, joining Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltré, Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltrán, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Canó and Matt Holliday.
With the feat, Reyes also ranks third in franchise history in hits, behind David Wright (1,777) and Ed Kranepool (1,418).
“It’s hard to believe I got my 2,000th hit here,” Reyes said. “Before I signed here last year, I never thought I was going to be back here playing.”
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. I feel like my career was a roller coaster, a lot of injuries, off the field [issues]. But I never gave up, and I’m still here. To get my 2,000th hit was big and to get a victory is always good,” Reyes added.
Reyes helped the Mets to a series victory over the Angels and leapt over the Mendoza line as his average improved to .205 with the three-hit performance.
“I’m happy for Jose, tremendous career and great that he got his 2,000th hit in this park,” Collins said.
