Five months after traveling a metaphorical odyssey — a thrilling though somewhat tumultuous journey that ended two wins shy of a World Series — the Mets preceded the start of the 2000 regular season with an actual trip around the world.
The Mets jetted from Spring Training to Japan for the first official Major League Baseball games outside of North America. Joining them on this maiden voyage were their opponents in this two-game series, the Chicago Cubs. For nearly every player and coach, it was a stark diversion from normalcy. But to Mets manager Bobby Valentine, these were familiar grounds.
In 1995, Valentine took the reins of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league and guided the once-downtrodden franchise to a revival. But his implementation of practice regimens and in-game strategies that countered traditional Japanese philosophies irked coaches and management and led to his dismissal after one successful season.
Valentine reveled in his return, enthusiastically showing off his command of the native language to the respective media corps. The players did their best to adjust to the surroundings — taking part in two exhibition games with local teams while getting their fill of the culture. Some even bravely rode the Tokyo subway system, which at times is so congested it makes the New York subway feel like an open meadow.
But no one was more uneasy than Benny Agbayani. Not because of where he was, but because of what potentially was coming. An outfield logjam caused by the insertion of promising rookie Jay Payton was likely going to send Agbayani, a fine contributor during the playoff run of ’99, to the minors in order to make room for a fifth starting pitcher once the club returned from its Far East excursion. So disheartened was Benny that he demanded a trade elsewhere rather than endure a demotion to Triple-A Norfolk.
He did get a boost of confidence at a dinner with Konishiki, a Samoan sumo wrestler who grew up in Benny’s native Hawaii.
”He told me, ‘Don’t give up,’ ” Agbayani recalled to the New York Times. ”He told me to stay focused, not to let them get me down.”
However, chances to prove himself were absent, as Benny watched on the bench — along with many bleary-eyed Mets fans back in the states — for an Opening Day first pitch at 5:05 am Flushing Standard Time.
The atypical nature of this game, in which New York was designated the “home” team, didn’t stop there. Starting pitcher Mike Hampton, the shiny new acquisition from Houston, was anything but in control. Visibly bothered by the Tokyo Dome mound, he permitted a staggering nine walks and 14 baserunners over five innings and left trailing 2-1.
Another unusual occurrence took place in the first inning. Rey Ordonez misplayed a grounder, putting an end to the sure-handed shortstop’s major league record errorless streak of 101 games.
Chicago increased its advantage to 5-1 by the bottom of the eighth before a sense of familiarity set in. Mike Piazza‘s two-run opposite-field blast initiated the power-hitting catcher’s 38-home run campaign, but did nothing to change the final outcome. Valentine then injected some controversy when he insisted a ninth-inning Cubs replacement, infielder Jeff Huson, was not listed on the lineup card written out by Chicago manager Don Baylor. Bobby’s protest was brief, and the squabble between skippers was brushed aside by the time finale reached its conclusion.
The next day, with the Cubs now designated as the home team, Mets starter Rick Reed allowed just one unearned run in eight innings. But New York bats could do little against Kyle Farnsworth. The game moved into extras tied at one. In the top of the 11th, the Mets loaded the bases with two outs and the pitcher’s spot due up. Valentine’s pinch-hitter of choice was his outfielder on the bubble. Benny had recently sought advice from the spirits in a fortune-telling ritual at a Shinto shrine (on top of the therapeutic dinner with the sumo wrestler). The message: “great good luck” or daikichi.
With a pre-swing leg hike patterned after Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh, Agbayani made the most of Danny Young‘s 1-0 pitch over the heart of the plate. It was hit well enough to break the tie. Center fielder Damon Buford drifted straight back, towards the fence. Sayonara.
Agbayani rounded first with the emotion of a little leaguer — maintaining hopes of staying a big leaguer. Valentine made no such promises following the 5-1 win. “He knows the situation we have to deal with,” he said. “I’m glad he’s here with us today.”
While Benny wouldn’t leave Japan with any added sense of security, he did take home a shotgun helmet — the trophy given for being the game’s top performer. The Mets were ill-advised to demote someone with that kind of armory. Luckily, they wouldn’t need to. Injuries soon piled up among the other outfielders, giving Agbayani the daikichi he really needed. His place on the major league roster would be secure for the rest of the season.
As the Mets bid farewell to Tokyo, a new challenge awaited: an 18-hour flight back to New York and three days to calibrate the body clocks before hosting the San Diego Padres in the familiar setting of Shea Stadium.
