It’s possible that last night’s Mets game will be one to remember, and not because Livan Hernandez — Livan Hernandez! — threw a complete game to bring his record to an awfully impressive (and pretty surprising) 4–1. Instead, it might be remembered as the first night of the Fernando Martinez Era. Martinez, the gem of the Mets’ farm system, has been highly touted since signing for a $1.3 million bonus way back in 2005. But the outfielder is still just 20 years old, and with injuries to, well, most of the Mets roster, it only made sense to bring him up to the majors now.
Of course, as nice as it is for Martinez to finally get his chance, the Mets’ injuries are far from a cause for celebration. Jose Reyes and Ryan Church joined Carlos Delgado on the disabled list yesterday, and Carlos Beltran is out until at least Friday after receiving a cortisone shot for a bruised and inflamed tibia. And the pressure for Omar Minaya to make a trade will only mount every night the lineup consists of more reserves than Opening Day starters. But in Martinez’s case, he’ll be given a chance to develop if he isn’t a star right off the bat. (He went 0–3 with a hit by pitch in his debut.) This, really, is only problematic for Church, who might just be on his way out.
