Jay Bruce is no longer the red-headed step-child we all thought he was. Bruce is officially on the loose.
Bruce hit rock-bottom as a Met on September 20, being pulled from a game in favor of Eric Campbell in a run producing situation. Many spelled that as the end for a player who just could not seem to grasp the ability to play in New York.
Manager, Terry Collins would go on to sit Bruce for four days following that benching. Collins never though gave up on his star outfielder, and rightfully so as the track record told you he was bound to come around.
“There’s two things you never want to do as a manager,” Collins said. “One is manage a star at the end of his career. The other is to bench a star.” (NY Post)
Bruce would reward his manager’s patience, and now has 10 hits in his last 20 at-bats. Four of those 10 hits were homers, and he has now homered in three consecutive games.
The Mets outfielder has gone on a run, hitting to a .476/.522/1.095 batting line to go with the four homers and eight RBI in his previous seven games. This could not have come at a better time for the team.
“Like I said from the very beginning, all I want to do here is contribute and help this team get to a World Series,” Bruce said. “And in the last couple days, the last week or so, I’ve been able to do that.” (MLB.com)
The team’s offense is rolling on all cylinders at just the right point of the season as they look towards a second consecutive postseason appearance. The magic number sits at one, as the Mets will look to close the deal on Saturday in Philadelphia.
