The only thing worse than the Mets blowing a sure win when a fielder overran what should have been a game-ending pop would be if it occurred the same day yet another ex-Met threw a no-hitter.
Fortunately, the Mets were able to rebound from Kirk Nieuwenhuis' ninth-inning misadventure and beat the Giants, with help from the Giants and manager Bruce Bochy. Bochy decided that the bottom of the ninth was the perfect time for 35-year-old veteran 1B-OF Aubrey Huff to make his first-ever appearance at second base. Huff's failure to cover the bag helped keep the Mets' rally going before they eventually won on an bad throw by Buster Posey.
As bad as the top of the ninth was - aside from the shades-of-Luis Castillo botched popup, closer Frank Francisco was pulled in the middle of an inning after surrending runs for the fourth straight appearance - the Mets showed more heart than recent teams by coming back to win on a great play by Scott Hairston, sliding into Posey to force him to throw wildly, but making a clean slide into the catcher who missed most of last season after being hurt in a home-plate collision.
As for Humber, good for him. It doesn't reflect poorly on the Mets that they let him go, considering he was part of the package for Johan Santana and it took him two more stops before he found some success with the White Sox.
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