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Jason Bay News & Rumors

Jason Bay mashes his way to N.Y. Player of the Week honors; Yankees phenom Jesus Montero runner-up
September 14
New York Daily News
 
"Last week was kind of how the Mets envisioned things when they gave Jason Bay a four-year, $66-million contract before the 2010 season, though for multiple reasons (some poor hitting by him, injuries, absurd Citi Field outfield dimensions and fence heights, general Met malaise - hey, these are our theories), it hasn't always worked out. But Bay was a monster last week, mashing like crazy, enough to be named our New York player of the week. Oh, he also won the National League's player of the week award, too. You get a watch for that one. Coupled with David Wright copping both awards last week, that's two straight winning Mets. Bay tied for the major-league lead in hits (13), total bases"
Mets' Jason Bay looks to the past for help in present
September 5
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Inside the Citi Field video room last week, Mets hitting coach Dave Hudgens cued two sets of film. On one side of the screen stood Jason Bay, the Boston All-Star. On the other side stood Jason Bay, the New York also-ran. The first screen looped his 45 homers in 200 games with the Red Sox. The second screen showed a shorter highlight reel - Bay's 15 homers in nearly 200 hundred games as a Met. Bay watched the two versions of himself for five minutes. Hudgens pointed to the old footage: You see this? Yeah , Bay answered. I feel like that's what I'm doing. No, Hudgens told him. You're not. The realization did not stun Bay. He has not felt like himself for much of his tenure with"
Rare Homer by Bay Can't Save Gee, Parnell and the Mets
September 4
New York Times
 
"As the Mets' season limps toward its conclusion, the progress of individual players will take the spotlight from actual wins and losses. Manager Terry Collins said late Saturday night that he knew for all the hills his players climb, there would inevitably be some valleys. Collins had just seen both. Jason Bay ended his 19-game home run drought with a game-tying blast in the sixth, but the Mets lost to the Washington Nationals, 8-7, after a disastrous save attempt by Bobby Parnell, who is auditioning to be the Mets' future closer."
Mets' Jason Bay puts the brakes on hitting skid in win over Marlins
September 1
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Dirt still caked Jason Bay's right arm when he entered the Mets clubhouse after tonight's 3-2 victory over the Florida Marlins. His sore shoulder was swaddled in protective wrap. His evening was busy. In a restorative win over the Marlins, Bay snapped an 0-for-17 slump, collected three hits and found himself arguing with home-plate umpire Fieldlin Culbreth when he was called out at the plate. Bay doubled to open the eighth inning, then sprinted home on a grounder to first. He missed the plate with his head-first slide — manager Terry Collins would have preferred feet-first — but catcher John Buck fumbled the ball. Bay crawled in the dirt in his attempt to score. "It's not like he missed me"
Mets' Jason Bay could move to center field in 2012, team up with Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda in OF
September 1
New York Daily News
 
"Imperfect circumstances call for creative solutions, and in recent weeks the Mets have kicked around many ideas for 2012. In that spirit, a well-placed front office source said it is "a possibility" that the Mets will move Jason Bay to center field next year. That remains far from likely, the source said, but its consideration is interesting in what it reveals about the Mets' view of three players: Bay, Daniel Murphy and Angel Pagan. Bay, signed to a four-year, $66 million contract before last season, has not displayed the power he once wielded in Pittsburgh and Boston. He was 0-for-4 in the Mets' 6-0 loss to Florida Tuesday night at Citi Field. But teammates and management continue to be"
Mets' Bay out with injured shoulder
August 27
New York Post
 
"Mets left fielder Jason Bay was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Braves due to a jammed left shoulder. Bay injured the shoulder diving for a ball in Philadelphia on Tuesday."
R.A. Dickey blames Citi Field dimensions for Jason Bay's 7th-inning double not being a home run
August 23
New York Daily News
 
"Jason Bay nearly hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of Sunday's loss, but his smash got what might be termed "Citi Field-ed" instead, smacking into the top of the left-field wall for a double. "Any other park in the universe, that's a home run," said Bay's teammate, R.A. Dickey. But Bay has plenty of experience with the Mets' pitchers-park home, and he said he did not think his drive was a homer. "Hoped? Yes," he said. "It's really hard to think anything is gone here," Bay added. "And I mean that truthfully. I think the guys who play here understand that." Bay knows that much is made of the park's spacious dimensions and admits "sometimes it's frustrating. ... It would be nice"
Wright homers, Gee gets 11th win vs. Padres, but Bay says dugout has 'lull' feel
August 18
New York Daily News
 
"Quiet teammates, lost in thought, drifting from the game. Scanning the dugout during Tuesday night's loss to San Diego, Jason Bay finally saw it: dead energy. "That was the first night when the dugout was really quiet, just kind of that 'lull' feel," Bay said. The Mets - who despite Wednesday's snoozy 7-3 win over the Padres, finished their road trip with two wins and four losses - have arrived at a precarious juncture, at risk of squandering their first-half reputation for pluckiness. Decimated by injuries, the team has tumbled far from the wild-card race, as it did last August."
Bay's finally Amazin'
August 14
New York Post
 
"Better late than never for Jason Bay. The Mets have waited more than 1½ years for this kind of production from their $66 million left fielder, and now there is apparently hope for 2012 and 2013. After going 1-for-4 during the Mets' 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks last night, Bay is batting .403 (23-for-57) over his last 15 games with three home runs and 10 RBIs. "I think the obvious point is, 'Why didn't you do that sooner?' Bay said. "I wish it was that easy. You've got to get to that place first, and I kind of feel like now I'm a hitter in the batter's box, and I'm not worried about anything else." Bay said the fact he has stopped thinking about the end result has probably helped his"
Jason seeks steady mindset at plate
August 5
New York Post
 
"Jason Bay has been fooled before. There have been times when he has had a brief run of success at the plate with the Mets and thought he finally had broken out of a slump -- only to fall back into another one almost immediately. "The tendency that I've had -- and I've talked to [hitting coach Dave Hudgens] about it -- is I get to a point where I'm feeling comfortable and then all of a sudden a week goes by and I'm not satisfied, so I start changing things," Bay said. "I think I need to start driving the ball instead of just letting it happen and then I get away from what was finally getting me going," Bay added. "I think even when I have three hits, it's not good enough, because it's two"
Bay of rest given for tight hammy
July 22
New York Post
 
"Jason Bay was on the bench again yesterday, but this time it wasn't because he has been rotten at the plate. Manager Terry Collins decided to sit the left fielder because he was still dealing with a tight right hamstring, but the manager expected Bay to be able to play tonight in Florida. Bay wasn't quite as certain. "I've got to test it out," Bay said after yesterday's 6-2 loss to the Cardinals at Citi Field. "Before the game [tonight], I'll have to run to first. It's the first couple of steps out of the [batter's] box that are the toughest and the time I'd feel it most, so we'll see how it is." He suffered the injury last week against the Phillies, when he tripped over Ryan Howard's foot"
Mets' Jason Bay sits during loss to Cardinals
July 22
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Mets outfielder Jason Bay rested his sore right hip and hamstring during today's 6-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Bay had experienced soreness since last weekend, when he injured his leg running out a ground ball. He left Wednesday's game against St. Louis early. Friday in Miami, Bay plans to test the tightness before the Mets face the Marlins. He expects to play."
Jason Bay bummed
July 21
Bergen Record
 
"Some more good news in Wednesday's 6-5 victory over the Cardinals - at least for the most cynical and jaded Mets fans - was that $66 million disappointment Jason Bay left the game with a tight right hamstring and sore hip. Bay was replaced in left field in the top of the fourth inning by Willie Harris because of an injury he said was sustained over the weekend against the Phillies when he tripped over first baseman Ryan Howard's foot. Bay grounded out to shortstop in his only at-bat and has four hits in his last 37 at-bats (.108) dating to July 6. That includes a 0-for-17 streak snapped with a single Saturday against the Phillies."
Beleaguered Bay strains hamstring
July 21
New York Post
 
"Jason Bay really hasn't hit all season and now he discovered he couldn't run. So the Mets' left fielder was lifted last night in fourth inning of the Mets' 6-5 come-from-behind victory in 10 innings with what the team called a tight right hamstring. "It's just been there, and it's something we've kind of been fighting," said Bay, who indicated his latest ailment affects "kind of the whole right leg" after he landed awkwardly on an infield hit Saturday. Bay told manager manager Terry Collins about it and felt he could play through it with a little caution. Then he grounded out to short and later chased a foul fly down the left field line. Something wasn't right in the left fielder, who said"
Jason Bay could miss Thursday's game against Cardinals with hamstring injury
July 21
New York Daily News
 
"Jason Bay left Wednesday night's game in the bottom of the third inning with a tight right hamstring. He is questionable for this afternoon's series finale. "We'll see how it feels," Bay said. "This was more pro-active than a reactive thing. I've been dealing with it for a couple days." Bay said he hurt his right hip and leg Saturday when he caught his trailing leg on the foot of Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard. He thinks in trying to compensate for that injury, he tweaked his hamstring. "I was OK if I was jogging, but the moment I hit that ground ball to short, the first couple of steps I could feel it," Bay said. "I kind of slowed down and something was preventing me from really"
Collins not inclined to give Bay a break
July 19
New York Post
 
"Jason Bay came to the plate in the ninth inning last night with an opportunity to win some fans over -- and perhaps regain some confidence. The Mets, down by four runs, had the bases loaded when Bay stepped in. He lifted a sacrifice fly to center, but that was the extent of the last-ditch rally in a 4-1 loss to the Marlins at Citi Field. "Whether you're having struggles or not, those are the times you want get out there," said Bay, who is mired in a 3-for-32 slide. "I put a good swing on it. I just hit it to the wrong spot of the ballpark." Bay has reverted back to the ugly form that sent him to the bench last month. The sacrifice fly was his first RBI since July 5, and his average has"
Bay watch
July 18
Bergen Record
 
"Jason Bay thought he was past all of this, having put together a 19-game stretch in which he hit .347 and even began to find his power stroke again. But now he finds himself entrenched in a deep slump again – and listening to the sound of the disgruntled home crowd. Bay was 0-for-4, stranding five runners, and committed an error on a routine fly ball that started a three-run inning to put Sunday's game out of reach. And each one of his miscues drew the ire of the crowd. "It's not the first time," Bay said. "Believe me, imagine how frustrated the fans are [and] you think that I enjoy it? You think I enjoy what I'm doing out there? I'm more frustrated than anybody. … "There's a game"
Bench mark for Bay
July 18
New York Post
 columnist Steve Serby
"You can sum up the plight of the Mets -- back at .500 again and 8½ games behind the Braves and fading in the wild-card race -- in two words: Oy Bay. Another Bay Watch has begun around the Mets, because manager Terry Collins needs to get Scott Hairston's sizzling bat into the lineup and sit Jason Bay for now. It was bad enough that Collins didn't have Jose Reyes -- rehabbing today in Brooklyn -- Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Ike Davis during an 8-5 loss to the Phillies yesterday. What infuriated Mets fans at Citi Field was that he didn't have Bay either. To wit: Bottom of the first, runners on first and third, two outs against Kyle Kendrick: Bay grounds harmlessly to short for the force"
Jason Bay frustrated after a rough day
July 18
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Jason Bay knows it's out there, the sense that perhaps he hasn't worked through all his demons just yet. Consider today another example. Amid an 0-for-4 day at the plate, in which he also dropped a fly ball in left - he did not blame it on the sun/lights, though manager Terry Collins said it could have been a factor - it's become another reason to think that his "rebound" could have been the anomaly. Collins said the two would speak Monday. "Ah, I mean it's not the first time. Believe me, if you imagine how frustrated the fans are - do you think I enjoy it? What I'm doing out there?" Bay said after the Mets' 8-5 loss to the Phillies. "I'm more frustrated than anybody, but I have to come"
Jason Bay booed after going hitless, leaving runners on base and committing egregious error in 8th
July 18
New York Daily News
 
"Jason Bay heard the boos and understands. The struggles that seemed to be ebbing before the All-Star break have returned and Sunday they were coupled with a rare fielding blunder in the eighth that opened the door to a three-run inning for the Phillies. "I just missed it," Bay, who went 0-for-4 with a walk, said of the fly ball that bounced off him. "It's one of those freak things. I feel like I play pretty good defense. ... I just missed it." Bay also left three runners in scoring position in his first two at-bats, grounding into inning-ending outs with runners on second and third in the first and on first and second in the third. With the average now back down to .234 - and with Willie"
Jason Bay, Mets teammates shaken by fan tragedy in Texas
July 9
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"When he gloves the out to end an inning, Jason Bay often makes a point to throw the baseball into the stands. If he's jogging back across the diamond, he flips the ball over the dugout. If he heads toward the left-field line or to the wall behind him, he'll flip the ball to the fans in that corner. He understands the danger inherent in the endeavor, what with fans leaning over railings sometimes 20 feet above the playing field. So Bay empathized with Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton, who the day before had turned and flung a foul ball to a man trying to secure a keepsake for his son. The fan, a 39-year-old firefighter named Shannon Stone, tumbled over the outfield fence at Rangers"
Two homers from Mets outfielder Jason Bay highlight 6-0 victory over Dodgers
July 6
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"He carries a mental picture of himself, a reminder of his past as an All-Star, as a 30-homer hitter, as a slugger who tormented opposing pitchers. For so long in his tenure as a Met, Jason Bay's performance failed to match up with that snapshot. But more and more, as he continues his gentle surge back to respectability, the picture matches the person. After two homers in last night's 6-0 victory over the Dodgers, Bay tried to explain. "Sometimes, you doubt yourself," Bay said. "But then you have games like tonight. You remember that you're still the same guy." For the third consecutive game, Mets all-world shortstop Jose Reyes idled on the bench, unable to compete due to his lingering"
Jason Bay slugs two home runs, Mike Pelfrey tames Los Angeles Dodgers in 6-0 New York Mets win
July 6
New York Daily News
 
"After Jason Bay banged against the left field wall at Dodger Stadium on Monday night - the very wall that ended his season last year - his mind turned to narrative. What a story, he thought, while staggering backward. Couldn't make this up. Tuesday night, Bay was once again the protagonist of an unpredictable yarn, knocking a pair of home runs in the 6-0 win over Los Angeles. With Bay's three homers in the past week and a game-winning single against the Yankees on Sunday, his Met narrative might be changing. This is still not a fairy tale, but the themes are no longer merely struggle and frustration, money wasted and unearned. Bay, once lost, is helping his team. "When you read into Jason"
Jason Bay back in Dodger Stadium, runs into wall again
July 5
SportingNews.com
 
"Jason Bay says Dodger Stadium is "just another ballpark" to him, even though it's where the New York Mets left fielder suffered a concussion that kept him out of action the final two months of last season. He might want to rethink that after crashing into the wall again Monday night. Bay appeared OK after running into an advertising sign while hauling in a sixth-inning drive by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Aaron Miles. The collision occurred several feet to the right of where Bay suffered a whiplash-type injury last July 23. "I saw the ball, I saw the fence and I said, 'I'm not going to chicken out,'" Bay told reporters, according to The New York Times. "It could have happened anywhere But the"
Jason's game-winner prevents Subway sweep
July 4
New York Post
 
"Jason Bay officially has his signature moment in a Mets uniform. After 1½ years of mostly torment in Flushing, the $66 million left fielder stepped to the plate in the 10th inning yesterday and helped prevent the Mets from suffering a gut-wrenching sweep to their hated crosstown rival. "I'm not trying to make it monumental or anything, but just the way I've struggled, to come through in an unbelievable game, it definitely means a lot," Bay said after his RBI single off Hector Noesi gave the Mets a 3-2 victory over the Yankees at Citi Field. The Mets (42-42) can send a thank-you note to Yankees shortstop Ramiro Pena, playing in place of injured Derek Jeter and Eduardo Nunez. Pena booted"
Amazin'! $66M bust walks the walk
July 4
New York Post
 columnist Mike Vaccaro
"The fifth pitch of the at-bat was a cutter, precisely the kind of ball that has delivered Mariano Rivera from pedestrian starter to immortal closer in 15 short years, exactly the same pitch that has broken the hearts of thousands of hitters across the seasons. Jason Bay swung at that pitch. It wasn't pretty. "I looked like a million guys before me have looked," Bay said. "The way he's made me look plenty, too." So it was 3-and-2 now to Bay, bases empty, nobody out, a full count, the Yankees up 2-1. The Mets fans who remained at Citi Field sat in dutiful silence and the Yankees fans rose in devoted splendor. Rivera hasn't just saved 580 games during his majestic career, he has made so many"
Jason Bay, known for underperforming in New York, becomes Mets' man of the moment at Citi Field
July 4
New York Daily News
 columnist Wayne Coffey
"The ball fired off his bat and rocketed into right-center at Citi Field, and before Curtis Granderson could even chase it down early Sunday night, the celebration was on and the Subway Series was over and Jason Bay had the loudest single of his life and as big a hit as the Mets have had all season. Somebody asked Bay if this particular single - which came with the bases loaded in the 10th inning of an immensely improbable 3-2 victory - was his greatest moment as a Met. Bay stood shirtless at his locker and smiled. Nobody needed to tell him that across a year and a half he did not have many such moments to sift through. "I don't have a ranking system, but it feels like it right now," Bay"
Jason Bay delivers RBI single in 10th as Mets come back against Mariano Rivera
July 4
New York Daily News
 
"For two entire games and more than eight innings of the third, everything in this installment of the Subway Series had gone against the Mets. From the scores to Saturday's injury to Jose Reyes to Sunday's injury to starter R.A. Dickey, the Mets had endured an avalanche of misfortune. But in what is becoming a theme for their season, the Mets rose up when they seemed down for the count. The Mets touched Yankees closer Mariano Rivera for the game-tying run in the last of the ninth and then got a walk-off single from Jason Bay in the 10th to emerge with a 3-2 victory over their cross-town rivals before 45,153 at soggy Citi Field, where the teams endured an 89-minute rain delay and played"
Bay & Beltran slams power surging Mets over Tigers, 14-3
June 29
New York Post
 
"If the Mets had the good sense to visit a downtown casino before returning to the team hotel last night, they probably bankrupted the place. After going 299 games without a grand slam, the Mets not only ended the drought, they repeated the trick. In consecutive innings, Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran went deep with the bases loaded, making the Mets the new kings of slam. Who would have thought there could be an encore after scoring 22 runs in bludgeoning the Rangers over the previous two games? This was one for the Mets history books, in a 14-3 obliteration of the Tigers at Comerica Park. "I guess the no-hitter is next, right?" winning pitcher R.A. Dickey said, referring to the fact the Mets"
Mets' stretch without a slam? Gone. Gone.
June 29
New York Times
 
"For a franchise that was once credited with a one-run single when Robin Ventura hit a ball over the fence with the bases loaded, the grand slam has been most elusive for the Mets. For more than two seasons, it was as unattainable as a no-hitter. The Mets had gone 299 games and 280 plate appearances with the bases loaded since their last grand slam, while their opponents had hit 18 during that span. So when the opportunity arose in the fourth inning Tuesday night - with Jason Bay at the plate, no less - the chance of a Mets grand slam was slim."
With first pitch scheduled for 3:20 p.m., Mets drop outfielder Jason Bay in batting order
June 24
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"We've been under delay here for nearly two full hours, but the weather has cleared, and the Mets hope to get this game underway at 3:20 p.m. NEW YORK - About 12 hours after the last game ended , the tarp is protecting the Citi Field diamond. The Mets and Athletics are likely to begin the final game of this series under delay. One lineup note as you begin your afternoon: Jason Bay's stint as the team's cleanup hitter lasted just one game. Bay struck out three times Wednesday night and Daniel Murphy is now back in the four-spot."
Jason Bay back?
June 23
Bergen Record
 
"Jason Bay finally snapped a streak of 89 at-bats without an extra-base hit and 104 without a home run when he blasted a shot off the façade of the second deck Tuesday. While he wasn't about to declare all his problems solved, the Mets felt good enough to put him in the cleanup spot Wednesday night. Bay shrugged off the change and was unaware of it when he spoke to the media. He said he doesn't check the lineup until he heads out to stretch. "I expected to play when I got here today," Bay said. "If I'm batting ninth, I could care less, so nothing changes." Bay has hit .353 over his last nine games, so the recovery isn't a fluke. But cleanup? It had as much to do with Oakland's tough"
Bay can't clean up in 4 spot
June 23
New York Post
 
"That didn't last long. One day removed from a three-hit game in which he blasted a home run and a triple, Jason Bay was moved back into the cleanup spot -- but his brief success didn't continue. "I expected to play and if I was batting ninth, I [couldn't] care less," said Bay, who said he wasn't aware he was hitting in the cleanup spot last night until reporters told him shortly before batting practice. "It doesn't change anything." It didn't do him much good, as Bay reverted to the form that has been all too familiar this season, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in last night's 3-2 win over the A's at Citi Field. Bay grounded out to short with the potential winning run on second in the"
Struggles of Mets' Jason Bay remain a mystery, but it's not for lack of batting practice
June 23
New York Daily News
 columnist Wayne Coffey
"At exactly 4:42 Wednesday afternoon, or 7-1/2 hours before the night would end at Citi Field, the man who wants to be Jason Bay again trotted toward the batting cage, black bat in his hand, the bounce of a Little Leaguer in his step, his search moving into yet another day, in the daily laboratory known as batting practice. Bay hopped in and roped five balls to center and right, and then turned and drove a ball into those elusive left field seats, right over Tom Seaver's No. 41. He did this in front of Dave Hudgens, the Mets' hitting coach, and the man charged with helping Bay become the player he has always been, except in Flushing. "It's obviously still in there. It hasn't gone anywhere,""
Bay finds higher power
June 22
New York Post
 
"Jason Bay's longball stroke returned last night. But unless he changes his pattern, he might not go deep again until July. Bay snapped a confounding stretch of 104 at-bats without a home run and 89 at-bats without an extra-base hit, crushing a solo homer off the second deck in left field in the Mets' 7-3 loss to the A's at Citi Field. It was only his third homer this season -- one in which he has not recorded more than one home run in any calendar month. Still, Bay almost cracked a second homer last night (it turned out to be a triple, upheld after a video review), and went 3-for-3 with a walk. In his last six games, Bay has gone 10-for-24 with four multi-hit games, raising his average"
Mets' Jason Bay has 3-for-3 night, Hideki Matsui back in New York and Ike Davis headed to doctor
June 22
New York Daily News
 
"Jason Bay finished one double shy of the cycle Tuesday night, a homer and triple among his three hits. His 3-for-3 night was his fourth multi-hit game in his last six and he is hitting .353 over his last nine games. So what's changed for the formerly struggling left fielder? "It's just using my legs more," said Bay, who ended a 104 at-bat homerless streak with his sixth-inning blast Tuesday night. "Just the feel of getting your legs in the swing a little bit more and using that to get you to the ball instead of using your hands. I've been driving the ball to the opposite field, driving the ball up the middle which had been my focus all along. But if you're legs aren't in it, it's kind of"
Jason cools off with 0-fer
June 20
New York Post
 
"Just when Jason Bay thought he was out, the slump pulled him back in. The Mets' left fielder went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in yesterday's 7-3 loss to the Angels, breaking his four-game hitting streak. Bay appeared to be snapping out of the horrendous slump during which he batted .173 from April 28 to June 13, a span of 36 games, by collecting seven hits in those four games. But that came to a screeching halt when Bay, like most of his teammates, was unable to figure out Angels starter Tyler Chatwood in yesterday's Father's Day matinee at Citi Field. The closest Bay came to a hit was in the second inning when he ripped a line drive down the left-field line that landed foul by a matter of"
Through modest hit streak, Jason Bay benefiting from better pitch selection
June 19
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Jason Bay is now in a four-game hitting streak, a modest but much-needed breakthrough after he saw his average plummet over the first few months of the season. He is now .412 over his last four games and finished yesterday's win over the Angels 2-for-4 with an RBI, run scored and a stolen base. Mets manager Terry Collins said it's all about pitch selection. "When he was really struggling, he was up there trying to hit everything," Collins said. "And I think he's backed off that. I think he's a lot more selective and therefore he's gotten some pitches to hit.""
Gettin' better Bay by day
June 19
New York Post
 
"They may be baby steps, but slumping left fielder Jason Bay is slowly showing signs of breaking out of his season-long funk. Bay went 2-for-4 with an RBI, run scored and a stolen base during the Mets' 6-1 victory over the Angels last night at Citi Field. He is batting .412 over the modest four-game hit streak he's riding. "It felt great. I've been battling this whole time and these last four games I finally feel like I have some momentum, something to build on whereas I'd been searching," Bay said, who raised his average .228. "The last four games feel real good. I come to the ballpark excited that I'm trying to hone something instead of trying to find something." Bay has hit .333 over his"
Un-Bay-lievable! Jason gets 2 hits
June 16
New York Post
 
"Jason Bay returned to the Mets' lineup last night -- and finally showed signs of life. Bay, who hit sixth after sitting against the Braves' Jair Jurrjens on Tuesday -- had his first multi-hit game since May 29 in the Mets' 4-0 victory over the Braves at Turner Field. "This was probably some of the best I've felt all year," said Bay, who went 2-for-4 and raised his average to .214. "I was playing more the aggressor and not so much defense, like I have been." Manager Terry Collins -- who said before the game that it might not be the last time the left fielder's could be benched, depending on whom the Mets are facing -- said he still has confidence in Bay. "When he starts feeling his stroke,"
Jason Bay benched
June 15
Bergen Record
 
"When Jason Bay was given time off over the last two weeks, it was under the pretense of a breather. But Tuesday, when manager Terry Collins put Willie Harris in left field and Bay on the bench, it was for a different reason. Harris hits Jair Jurrjens, and Bay isn't hitting anyone. Bay suffered through an 0-for-24 slump, prompting a two-day break Thursday and Friday. Back in the lineup, he went 2-for-10 — not enough to raise an argument over his place on the bench. "I'm a realist," Bay said. "I'm not playing that well. That's the reality of it. Had I been up there hitting .500, I think I'd have a little more reason, have a little more say. This is just the way it is." Bay had taken some"
Brutal Bay benched yet again
June 15
New York Post
 
"Jason Bay didn't need last night off. Terry Collins didn't say the left fielder needed a break. Instead, when asked why Bay was on the bench last night, the Mets manager said it was because he needed to get Willie Harris in the lineup in left field. And while Harris entered last night's game 7-for-14 against Braves right-hander Jair Jurrjens, the move spoke volumes as to how far Bay has fallen. "I just thought, in this case, with his struggles a little bit, I need Willie to get at-bats," Collins said before last night's 4-3 win. "I could have taken Angel [Pagan] out. He doesn't have good numbers against [Jurrjens]. I thought this was the best scenario right now." Bay, who sat for two games"
Mets' Jason Bay still can't blend in even from seat on bench
June 15
Newark Star-Ledger
 
"Jason Bay craves anonymity. He prefers to resemble a cog in the Mets' machine, rather than an outlier lauded for each success and lampooned for each failure. As a millionaire in New York, as an outfielder who signed a contract that contained the unwritten promise to produce, he understands the unlikelihood of fulfilling that wish. The prospect was unlikely before. After being benched for Tuesday night's game against Atlanta, it appears almost impossible now, thanks to the growing gap between the expectations created by his $66 million deal and his cratering output at the plate. The team now faces an awkward dilemma. His manager, Terry Collins, wants Bay to succeed. But there is an"
Jason Bay benched again, but Jose Reyes, Jonathon Niese lead Mets past Braves 4-3 in Atlanta
June 15
New York Daily News
 
"Mets roll into town for three games against a division rival. Time to get good, or time to get buried. Big series. And Jason Bay is not hitting well enough to play. No problem, at least for Tuesday night's 4-3 win over the Braves that hoisted the Mets over Florida and into third place in the National League East. The Willie Harris experiment worked, and Jose Reyes - oh my goodness, once again. Three hits, two stolen bases, an RBI, two runs scored. Zipping and zapping around like the Road Runner, bringing a taste of NBA athleticism to a lazy Southern night. Leads the majors with 34 multi-hit games. Money, money, money. Would Harris pay Reyes "Carl Crawford money" this offseason, as Fred"
Jason Bay's one contribution: encouragement
June 12
Bergen Record
 
"It might be easy to understand if Jason Bay took a seat on the end of the bench the last few days and kept to himself. It might be just as easy to believe he spent most of the game in the clubhouse breaking televisions and smashing his bat across chairs and anything in sight, then heading home to kick his dog afterward. But in the dugout Thursday night in Milwaukee, he sat down next to Jason Pridie. It was a little while after Bay stood before a crowd of reporters and tried to explain what he had no answer for - his continuing struggles on the field and the improbable benching to catch his breath. While his teammates got ready for the game, Bay went into the batting cage and swung until he"
Bay stumbles in key spots as Mets fall to Pirates
June 12
New York Post
 
"The sellout crowd at PNC Park got a baseball game followed by Huey Lewis & the News last night. A rendition of "Stuck with You" might have been appropriate for Jason Bay's return to the Mets lineup. The beleaguered left fielder ended a hitless drought that had reached 24 at-bats, but was nowhere to be found when the Mets needed him most. Bay left three runners stranded over his final two at-bats in the Mets' 3-2 loss to the Pirates in front of 39,273 — the third-largest crowd in the ballpark's history. "I felt like I had good at-bats, but when you're not getting hits what does it even mean?" Bay said after finishing 1-for-4 with two strikeouts on a night the Mets left nine runners on base."
Tough time for Jason to return to Pittsburgh
June 11
New York Post
 
"Jason Bay's first game back at PNC Park since getting traded from the Pirates in 2008 hardly was an opportunity to thump his chest and show off. The Mets struggling left fielder was absent from the starting lineup for a second straight game as he attempts to rectify his swing and clear his head. Bay arrived for last night's game in a career-worst hitless streak of 23 at-bats. Manager Terry Collins said after the Mets' 8-1 win over the Pirates last night that Bay would return to the lineup tonight."
HoJo: Benching scuffling Bay is just 'ridiculous'
June 11
New York Post
 
"Howard Johnson spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get Jason Bay to hit with the Mets last year and said he doesn't agree with the team's recent move to bench the left fielder temporarily. "It's ridiculous it's come to that," the former Mets hitting coach said by phone yesterday. "If he's supposed to be part of the solution, I don't see the point of taking him out of the equation. It's sending him mixed messages. I don't care if he's 0-for-50, you're not going to get him relaxed by taking him out of the lineup." But manager Terry Collins felt forced to do so after a move from cleanup to No. 6 didn't do anything to help Bay. He has looked lost at the plate for the majority of"
Jason Bay became a star with the Pirates, but will be out of the lineup due to recent slump
June 11
New York Daily News
 
"Jason Bay, he of the broad vocabulary and deep slump, appears to have written an inadvertent country"