Wednesday was a wild ride for the 38-year-old Rajai Davis going from Allentown, Pennsylvania to Citi Field just in time for a three-run homer in the eighth inning.
Davis was with the Mets Triple-A affiliate Syracuse Mets taking batting practice in preparation to play the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs when he got the call that he was returning to the big leagues.
The veteran Davis had his contract selected by the Mets to take the place of injured outfielder Brandon Nimmo on the roster. The Mets announced the move around 5:30 p.m., but Davis wasn’t able to arrive via Uber to Citi Field until the third inning.
Juan Lagares gave the Mets a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning with a bases clearing double off Nationals closer Sean Doolittle. After an intentional walk to Wilson Ramos, Davis stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter in his Mets debut. It was plate appearance number 4582 for Davis, and he did something he hadn’t done in the first 4581, hit a pinch hit homer. Three-run blast gave the Mets a 6-1 lead.
Davis talked after the game about his crazy day including his trouble finding the Mets clubhouse and how he got ready, “I had some resources, guys on the bench like Dominic Smith helping me out. I don’t know what I’m doing, so he’s guiding me, leading me.”
