Jose Reyes: Mets All Time Stolen Base & Triples Leader (Part Two: 2007 - 2013)

Player of the Month Award: In 2007 Jose Reyes started out April by hitting .356, with ten multi-hit games, including two four hit games. He drove in 18 runs with five multi-RBI games. Reyes also had five triples & stole 17 bases in 20 attempts. It is the most stolen bases a Mets player ever had in that month in franchise history.

His efforts won him his first Player of the Month Award.

Multi RBI Game: On April 4th Reyes hit his first HR of the year, driving in three runs in the Mets 10-0 win at St. Louis. 

Multi Triple- Four RBI Game: On April 6th in Atlanta, Reyes led off the game with a triple off Mark Redman. In the 6th inning, he hit a two-run triple off Oscar Villarreal giving the Mets a 5-1 lead. In the 8th inning he added a two-run single giving him a season high four RBIs in an 11-1 Mets win over the Braves. 

On April 22nd he collected three RBI, reaching the 200 RBI mark in his career in a 9-6 loss to the Braves. On April 25th, he collected four hits in a loss at Colorado & started a 14-game hit streak where he collected eight doubles. 

Reyes continued to hit well & remained over the .300 mark until the end of August. 

Lack of Hustle: Early on, he seemed to be playing very lax & not giving it his all. He was benched for not hustling enough, by his manager Willie Randolph. This something that Jose would be accused of at times throughout his career. But Reyes seemed to respond, turning it around quickly. 

Subway Series Heroics: On June 15th Reyes drove in both runs of a 2-0 subway series win. In the top of the 3rd, he singled off Roger Clemens bringing in Carlos Gomez. In the top of the 5th, he hit his third HR of the year, a solo shot also off of Clemens. 

Reyes collected three hits in the game & stole three bases as well. He matched his career high, three steals for the fifth time. He became the second player in Mets history (Darryl Strawberry the first) to steal three bases & hit a HR in the same game. Oliver Perez shut out the AL team into the 8th inning, Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith & Billy Wagner finished off the combined five hit shutout. 

Reyes drove in two more runs & stole two more bases the next day as well. His five steals in two games were a personal career best. As the first half of the season came to an end, the Mets were in first place up by two games.

2007 All Star: At the break he was batting .307 with 46 stolen bases, nine triples, 17 doubles 61 runs scored & a .387 on base%, getting elected as the NL's starting shortstop in All-star Game.

In the All-Star Game at San Francisco, Reyes collected lead-off single off Dan Haren in his first at bat, a double off Josh Beckett to start the 3rd inning & then single off CC Sabathia in the 5th inning. He became the 14th player to collect three hits in their first three All Star at bats & just the third to do it in their first game. The AL won the game 5-4. 

Wright & Reyes Infield: On July 16th, with Reyes at short & David Wright at third, it marked the 395th time the two stood together on the infield to set a franchise mark for most games together on the left side of a Mets infield.

Mets Lead Off HR Record: On July 12th he set a franchise record, hitting his ninth career lead off HR, it came at Shea Stadium against the Cincinnati Reds, Bronson Arroyo in a 3-2 Mets win.

 

Three Straight Multi Steal Games: In a three-game span from August 15th to August 17th, Reyes stole two bases in each of the three straight games. From August 8th to August 26th, Reyes stole 18 consecutive bases without getting caught.

New York Stolen Base Record Setter: On August 17th, he stole his 50th base of the year becoming the first New York player of any team, in history to steal 50 or more bases in three straight seasons. 

He also set a team record by stealing at least one base in four straight games that week.

Multi (Three) Stolen Base Game & Mets Single Season Mark: On August 22nd, in a loss to the Padres at Shea Stadium, Reyes made more stolen base history. 

In the bottom of the 5th, Reyes singled off Jake Peavy. He advanced to second on David Wright's base hit. Reyes then stole third base, his 67th steal of the year, setting a Mets single season record. Reyes would steal three bases in the game, matching a career high for the sixth time in his career.

Mets Monumental Collapse: On August 25th, the Mets had a seven-game lead atop the NL Easten division. A five-game losing streak & a disastrous four game sweep in Philadelphia dropped their lead to just two games. But then they won ten of the next twelve game to bring that lead back up to seven games on September 12th.

Then the Phillies came to Shea & swept the Mets in a three-game series, as they went on a five-game losing streak as their lead fell to just 1.5 games. The Mets were still in first place with five games left to play. They lost four of their last five, fell out of first & didn't even make a wild card spot. It was a devastating ending to a once promising season.

From September 12th to the end of the season, Reyes batted just .203 with a .292 on base%. 

Bench Clearing Brawl: In the next to last game of the season, the Mets crushed the Marlins 13-0, behind John Maine's near no hitter. Jose got into a bench clearing brawl with Marlin's catcher Miguel Olivo.

It happened during a Florida pitching change with Jose on third. Apparently, the Marlins were unhappy with Reyes' dancing around on the base paths, disturbing their pitcher. 

Reyes & Olivo were bantering back & forth, when the catcher charged down to third base. The benches cleared, as even 63-year-old Mets coach; Sandy Alomar, got into the mix, swinging to protect Reyes. It was all the Shea Faithful needed, as they chanted “Jose Jose Jose” louder than ever. This still wasn't enough to motive the Mets, although they won that game, they lost on the final day of the season & were eliminated.

NL Stolen Base Leader: Reyes led the NL in stolen bases (78) for the third straight season. His 78 set a Mets single season mark. It was the highest stolen base total in the NL since 1992 & the most by an infielder since Maury Wills in 1965.

He did finish off the year, with his third straight season of 190 plus hits- 191 (fifth in the league) & had 131 singles (second in the NL). He had career highs in doubles (36) & walks (77) while batting .280 with 12 HRs 12 triples (second in the NL) 119 runs scored (4thin the NL) a .357 on base % & 57 RBIs.

Under Achieving & Criticism: The fans, people within the organization & the media publicly expressed how they expected more from him. He certainly felt the pressure, as everyone got on him. With his flamboyant style of play he was criticized for his theatrics & loose style of play.

2008: Before the start of the 2008 season, Reyes spoke out, saying he was going to cut back on the dancing & fancy handshakes, to focus more on his play on the field. 

He struggled & his teammates coaxed him to go back to being his usual self.

In May he batted .316 with 5 HRs & 15 RBIs while stealing 11 bases.

Subway Series Heroics: Reyes continued his success in the subway series, On May 17th, he hit a solo HR off Kyle Farnsworth, collecting two hits in the 7-4 Mets win in the Bronx. The next day, Reyes hit a three run HR off Ross Ohlendorf in the 11-2 Met win.

Drama & Unable to Handle Criticism from Keith Hernandez:  After making an error in an inter league subway series game, he threw his glove to the ground in anger. 

Mets broadcaster & former Gold Glover, Keith Hernandez stated on the air, that Reyes needed to act like a man & not be babied any more. Reyes unable to see the truth, took offense & confronted Hernandez on team flight. Hernandez said he was just doing his job & that Reyes should do his. The two almost got into a fist fight but were broken up by Mets teammates.

After 69 games the Mets were 34-35 & manager Willie Randolph was fired, with Jerry Manuel taking over the job.

On June 21st he led off the game at Coors Field with a triple. The next day he did it again, becoming the first Mets player to lead off consecutive games with a triple.

Staring on July 9th, Reyes drove in runs in five straight games, coming in the midst of a nine-game hit streak. 

All Time Mets Triples Leader & Four Hit Game: On July 20th, Reyes became the Mets all time triples leader. In the top of the 4th inning of a 7-5 win at Coors Field, Reyes tripled off Edinson Volquez for his 63rd career triple, passing Mookie Wilson on the Mets all-time list. 

He also collected three singles in the game, for his third four it game of the season. He would have another four hit game later that week in a loss to the Cardinals.

The Mets who were struggling, took over first place in mid-July after a ten-game win streak from July 5th to July 17th.

In August the Mets fell to three games back before coming back to take over the division lead. From August 12th to August 22nd, they won ten of eleven games to stay 2.5 games ahead of the also hot Phillies. Reyes continued to stay above .300, while having an eight-game hit streak & an eleven-game hit streak to end the month.

All Time Mets Stolen Base Leader: On September 10th, Reyes stole two bases in a 13-10 win over the Washington Nationals. That put him ahead of Mookie Wilson, as the Mets all time stolen base leader. 

 200th Hit: On September 24th in a 6-5 loss to the Cubs at Shea Stadium, Reyes reached on a bunt single becoming the second Met in team history to reach the 200 hit mark. Lance Johnson had done it first in 1996.

On September 27th, the Mets kept their playoff hopes alive; as Johan Santana tossed a three-hit shutout against the Florida Marlins, striking out nine. In the 1st inning Reyes led off with a single, stole second & eventually scored on a Carlos Delgado sac fly. It was one of two Mets runs in the 2-0 win.

On September 20th, the Mets fell out of first place, but still had the wild card lead. They lost six of their last nine games, getting eliminated on the final day of the season for the second straight year.

Final Game at Shea: On the final day, the Mets lost 4-2 to the Marlins, it was also the last game ever played in Shea Stadium. Reyes went 0-4 on the day. 

NL League Leader: Reyes finished the year leading the league in hits with 204. He also led the league in triples (19) for the third time. Reyes also led the NL in extra base hits, at bats (688) & caught stealing (15). His 56 stolen bases were second best in the NL.

He hit a career high 37 doubles, batted .296 with 16 HRs 68 RBIs & 113 runs scored, making it three straight seasons of 100+ runs scored. 

He struck out 78 times with 77 walks posting a .358 on base % & .833 OPS.

2009- NL Batting Champ: The Mets opened up their new ballpark Citi Field in 2009. In the first game he collected the first Mets hit in the new ballpark with a leadoff single off the Padres Aaron Harrang. Reyes had a hit & walk in the 2-1 loss to the Padres.

Jose began the year batting .284 through the first month. On April 18th he drove in the only run of a Johan Santana 1-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. From there he drove in runs in three straight games.

On May 10th, he stole he stole his 300th career base in a 8-4 win over the Pirates at Citi Field. It was the third straight game he stole a base as he stole five bases in seven games that week.

But all went downhill in later that May, when Reyes went down with a hamstring injury. In June while he was rehabbing, an MRI showed a tear which put him out until September. He suffered another injury & was finished for the year. In 36 games he hit .279 with 11 steals.

2010: In Spring Training, he was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid. His levels returned to

normal in late March, he was placed on the DL missing the first four games of the season.

On April 10th, he collected his first hit of the season in a 4-3 loss to the Nationals. On April 17th, in a long twenty inning game in St. Louis, Reyes brought in the winning run in the top of the 20th inning on a sac fly, scoring Angel Pagan.

After batting just .226 through his first 13 games, he found himself in the number three spot in the batting order. At the time Carlos Beltran, the usual number three man was out with injury. It was the first time after 591 starts he was not in the leadoff spot.

The third spot was a place Reyes wasn’t comfortable with in the lineup. In twenty games batting third he batted just .207. It was a wrong move by manager Jerry Manuel & Reyes was back in the leadoff spot a month later.

From May 25th to May 31st, he collected 14 hits, driving in nine runs with two triples & three stolen bases in a seven-game span. He also had five straight multi-hit games.

On May 25th, he got his 1000th career hit coming off the Phillies Jamie Moyer in an 8-0 Mets win.
Reyes drove in two runs in the next two games as well, as the Mets swept the Philllis in three straight shut outs.

On June 8th, he hit a 7th inning HR that was originally called a double, but after further review was called a HR. Ike Davis won the game with a walk off 11th inning HR to beat the San Diego Padres 2-1. 

Multi HR Subway Series Game: On June 19th, Reyes hit a pair of HRs off Phil Hughes in a subway series loss in the Bronx. It was the sixth multi-HR game of his career.

2010 All Star: Jose was elected to play in the All-Star game but did not play due to a calf injury. He still attended the game, sitting in the crowd with his family. He became the first Mets short stop to make three All Star games, as Bud Harrelson had previously made two.

He suffered an oblique injury which set him back a few weeks returning to action in mid-July. On July 19th in his first game back, he collected two hits & started a 12-game hit streak where he had five multi-hit games.

In August he got his average up to .287 & then missed two more weeks of action with another injury. 

On September 17th he stole his 30th base of the season, making it the fifth time in his career he stole at least 30 bases. 

On September 21st Jose collected his 9th triple of the year, coming in a loss in Florida. The hit was
his 23 straight games with a hit on the road, breaking Keith Hernandez's old Mets record of 22.

Reyes finished up the year at .282 with 29 doubles 10 triples 30 stolen bases 11 HRs 54 RBIs & 83 runs scored. He struck out 63 times with 31 walks posting a .321 on base % & .749 OPS. 

The Mets finished fourth at 79-83 & Jerry Manuel was let go as manager, getting replaced by Terry Collins.

Off Season Drams & Rumors: Before the 2011 season the rumors swirled about Reyes being traded away in the final year of his contract. The first flag went up when the new Mets GM Sandy Alderson said Reyes wasn’t his type of player. 

Then owner Fred Wilpon chimed in to make some negative comments about his top players David Wright, Carlos Beltran & Reyes. Wilpon said that Reyes wants the type of money Carl Crawford got with Boston, but he won’t get it.

2011: Through all the controversies, Reyes somehow went out, put it all aside & became the first Met in team history to win a batting title. 

 He began the year with a thirteen-game hitting streak in early April, having eleven multi-hit games. He collected three doubles thru his first nine games, then had a multi-two triple game in his tenth game on April 11th.

Thru April, he batted .308 scored at least one run in sixteen different games & had seven stolen bases.

In May he hit .364 collecting 40 hits with six triples. He had 15 multiple hit games, raising his average to .335 with a .382 on base % by the end of the month.

Multi-Triple Game: On May 6th, Reyes collected three extra base hits in a 6-3 win over the Dodgers at Citi Field. He led off the game with the Mets hitting a triple off Hiroki Kuroda. The first of two triples off Kuroda, he also doubled in the 9th inning off Kenley Jansen.

Six Straight Multi-Hit Games: On May 24th, Reyes started a streak of six consecutive multi-hit games. In the final eight games of May, Reyes had seven multiple hit games, with 17 overall hits & ten runs scored. 

Multi- Triple Games: On May 29th in a 9-5 win at Citi Field over the Phillies he hit a pair of triples becoming the first player since 1900 to have three multi-triple games before the end of May.

Jose then took a leave of absence for a death in the family. He returned to continue a 12-game hit streak. On June 4th he hit a bases loaded clearing triple off the Braves Scott Proctor, leading the Mets to a 5-0 win over Atlanta at Citi Field. Dillon Gee pitched seven shutout innings as Pedro Beato & Tim Byrdak finished it off.

On the next road trip, Jose hit two HRs in the three-game series at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. He continued the road trip driving in runs in the next two games in Atlanta as well. 

Six Straight Multi-Hit Games Again: On June 25th he began another stretch where he had six straight multi-hit games for the second time on the season. On In the six games he batted .552 collected 16 hits with two triples, two doubles & nine runs scored. One June 26th he had a four-hit game in Texas & then followed with a four-hit game in Detroit in his next game.

2011 All Star: Reyes was batting .354 by the All-Star break, getting selected to his fourth All Star
team. But he also missed playing in his third Midsummer classic, due to another injury. At the time he was on the DL. The NL defeated the AL 5-1 in Arizona.

After missing the two weeks of action in July he suffered another injury that had him miss three weeks in August. Although there were trade rumors all season for him to get sent to a contending team, no deal was made.

He returned at the end of August to go on a 14-game hit streak keeping his average at .332. After one game of going 0-4, he had two three hit games over a three-game span. Reyes then hit safely in the final eight games of the season. In the final home series with the Reds at Citi Field, he started out with back-to-back three hit games.

Reyes was in the running for the batting title on the last day of the season. The Mets were 76-85 in fourth place, 25 games out, but a Wednesday afternoon crowd of 28,000, came out to watch Reyes be the first Met in history to win a batting title.

First Mets Batting Champion: The Mets took on the Cincinnati Reds & in his first at bat Reyes singled with a bunt base hit down the third base line. He ran to first base & then walked off the field, taking himself out of the game. The move did not sit well with the media or the fans.

He hugged his manager Terry Collins who played it cool & did not cause a scene after Reyes' antics. 

Trivia: All this came on the 70th anniversary of Ted Williams' refusal to sit out a doubleheader on the last day of the 1941 season, putting his .400 batting average at risk. Williams went 6-for-8 raising his average to .406.

Reyes did become the first Met in history to win a batting title; batting .337, but his days in New York were over, ending on a sour note. 

Trivia: Reyes played in just 126 games, the fewest ever for a batting champion.

NL League Leader: As well as leading the NL in hitting, Reyes led the league in triples (16) for the fourth time in his career. 

He scored 101 runs (5th in the NL) stole 39 bases (sixth in the NL) & had 181 hits (8th in the league). He hit 31 doubles 7 HRs & 44 RBIs. He struck out 41 times & walked 43 times posting a career high .384 on base % . 

In December 2011 he signed a six-year deal with the Florida Marlins. Jose Reyes left as one of the most exciting players the Mets have ever had, destined to one day be in the team’s Hall of Fame.
He has played the second most games at short stop behind Bud Harrelson & played an overall 1050 games in a Mets uniform (10th on the Mets All Time list).     

                                                                   

Post Mets Career- 2012: In 2012 Jose Reyes got the first Marlins base hit, in the team’s new ballpark in Miami. It came in 7th inning breaking up St. Louis Cardinal Pitcher Kyle Lohse’s no hitter. 

On April 24th he returned to New York, as the Marlins came to Citi Field, receiving mixed reviews. He went hitless against Johan Santana & had just one hit in the three game Mets sweep.

That year his season was highlighted by a career best 26 game hit streak, the longest in the majors that season.

Walk Off Hit: On September 18th, he hit a walk off single off the Braves Cory Gearrin in the 10th inning to beat Atlanta 4-3.

Jose played 160 games for the newly named Miami Marlins, leading the league in plate appearances (716) & double plays turned at short shot (105). He was second in the league errors (18) games played (160) assists (419) & put outs (226).

Overall, he hit .287 with 12 triples, the seventh time in his career he reached double figures in triples.  Reyes also hit 37 doubles with 11 HRs 57 RBIs & a .347 on base %.

He also stole 40 bases, the most steals since he had swiped 56 in 2008. It was the 7th time in his career he had 30 or more stolen bases.

The Marlins disappointed & finished fifth (69-93) although they did draw 2.2 million fans to their new ballpark in Miami.

Blue Jays Career: On November 19, 2012, Reyes was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, John Buck & Emilio Bonifacio in exchange for Jeff Mathis, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Álvarez, Yunel Escobar, Jake Marisnick, Anthony DeSclafani & Justin Nicol. 

On April 2nd, Reyes debuted as a Blue Jay going 0-3 in a loss at Skydome. After going hitless in his first game as a Blue Jay, Reyes went on a nine-game hit streak batting .395. 

On April 13th, he slid into second base in a game against the Kansas City Royals & heard a pop in his ankle. He had to be carted off the field & missed two months of action. 

He returned in late June & kept his average over .300 until mid-August. In September Reyes hit ten doubles with three multi- double games. It was the first time in his career he ended a season without hitting a triple. On the season, he hit .296 with 15 stolen bases, 10 HRs 20 doubles & 58 runs scored. He posted a .353 on base % & .780 OPS. The Blue Jays fell to a dissapointing fifth place finish.

In 2014 he played on Opening Day going 0-1 then missed the first three weeks of action with another injury. He went on to bat .287, leading the Jays in hits (175) hitting safely in 110 of his 143 games. He was one of the AL's best hitting short stops that year.

On June 25th he led off a game with the AL New York team with a HR, his third lead off HR of the season & 21st of his career.

For the season he stole 30 bases for the eighth time in his career. He hit 33 doubles with 4 triples 9
HRs 51 RBIs & 94 runs scored. That year the Jays jumped up to a third-place finish 83-79.

In 2015 Reyes played 69 games with the Blue Jays, batting .285. He was then shipped off to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Troy Tulowitzki who was coming to the end of a contract. 

The Jays felt Tulo was the better player for them to go the post season with as well as into the future. In 47 games with the Rockies, Reyes hit .259.

Personal Drama: That off season Reyes was charged with domestic violence, as his wife accused him of grabbing her throat & tossing her through a glass sliding door in Hawaii. MLD suspended him through May 31st for a total of 59 days. 

He did not participate in Spring Training & began working out with the club in late May. 

Quotes- Jose Reyes: “It’s good to be on the field and put that stuff behind me. I’m sorry. I made a mistake and will stand here like a man. I just have to try to be a better man, a better husband.”

Family: Reyes & his wife Katharine have three daughters. In his days playing with the Mets, he lived in Manhasset Long Island.