From Zero to Hero

Chris Young's tenure with the Mets was short and unhappy. Signed early last off-season to a one-year, $8-million deal, GM Sandy Alderson hoped the former D'backs and A's outfielder might -- after three consecutive seasons of decline -- recapture the form that made him a 2010 All Star. But his underwhelming performance made Alderson's decision look bad -- especially when Nelson Cruz, also a winter '14 free agent, signed with the Orioles and quickly became the anchor of their offense. Cruz, who signed just before spring training began, got a one-year deal for even less money than Young.
Hitting just .205 in mid-August, the Mets pulled the plug. And no one would have been surprised had we never heard from Young again. Instead, the Yankees inked him to a minor league deal, and sent him to Scranton with the idea he'd serve as a backup outfielder when rosters expanded in September.
But fate can play tricks -- sometimes bad, but sometimes VERY good. Thanks to injuries to Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran, Young has been the Yankees hero the last two nights, playing a big role in a pair of stunning, come-from-behind wins over Tampa Bay:
  • Wednesday, Young hit his first homer as a Yankee, to tie the game at 4 - 4. His RBI double in the eighth provided a pair of insurance runs. He also singled, to finish the night a triple shy of a cycle.
  • Thursday was even more impressive: his eighth inning double broke up Alex Cobb's no-hit bid. (Keep in mind, the Rays were up 4 - 0 at the time.) Young soon scored on Martin Prado's home run. An inning later, with two men on, he blasted a game-winning three-run homer to bring the Yankees from behind for a 5 - 4 victory. (Here's the video, courtesy of mlb.com)
  • The home runs also earn Chris a place in New York baseball history. He joins Dave Kingman (in 1977) as the only players to hit home runs for the Yankees and Mets in the same season.
Yep, the guy who looked lost and washed up in Flushing is suddenly Young Again in the Bronx. 

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