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Anonymous punch Agbayani, Perez and Payton carrying the Mets
NEW YORK (AP) -- As Timo Perez watched last year's NL championship series on TV in Japan, he never believed he'd be on that same stage in only one year. Jay Payton had just finished his fourth straight injury-shortened season, watching players who had moved past him in the New York Mets' system battle the Atlanta Braves for the NL pennant. Yet this year, it is Payton, Perez and Benny Agbayani - another of the unsung outfielders - who have helped propel the Mets within two wins of their first World Series berth in 14 years and a possible Subway Series against the Yankees. “I was to the point where I didn't think I was ever going to be able to play baseball again,” said Payton, who twice has had surgery on his left shoulder and right elbow. “So for me to be out here playing and having the opportunity to play in the playoffs and help our team get a chance to go to the Worlds Series, I'm on cloud nine right now.” The Mets arrived back in New York early Friday morning, just hours after Payton's ninth-inning RBI single gave them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 3 is Saturday at Shea Stadium. “This is great with the whole world watching,” said Perez, who wasn't seen by many last season when he played in the minor leagues in Japan. One person who had seen him was Mets assistant general manager Omar Minaya, who scouted Perez when he played for the Dominican Republic during the Caribbean World Series. Minaya signed Perez for $95,000, and the 23-year-old outfielder jumped from Class-A to Triple-A to the majors in less than six months. “I thought he'd be in the major leagues within a year or two,” Minaya said. “I didn't think he'd be here now performing at the level he's at. This kid has a bright future.” He has shown it off already, developing from New York's September sparkplug to its postseason pest. He has brought speed to the top of the lineup, dropping bunts with two strikes, taking extra bases and slashing hits to all fields. His legs and fearlessness were on display in Game 2 Thursday night when he scored all the way from first on Edgardo Alfonzo's soft single to right-center. It brought back memories of Enos Slaughter racing home with the winning run for the Cardinals in the 1946 World Series against Boston. “I was never that cool,” Mets third baseman Robin Ventura said. “Timo is cool.” The outfield, once considered the weakness of the team, has been anything but in the postseason. Agbayani, a former replacement player rescued from the minors by manager Bobby Valentine, hit a game-winning homer in Game 3 of the division series against San Francisco. Payton and Perez have been in the middle of many other rallies. The three have combined for 10 RBIs in the playoffs, or two more than the heralded Ventura, Mike Piazza, and Todd Zeile combined. That's not exactly how this season was mapped out in spring training. Perez wasn't even signed to a minor league deal until March 17, less than two weeks before the season began. “Timo is on the fast track,” Valentine said. “He's like a No. 1 draft choice how quickly he went through the system.” Payton was just hoping to stay healthy. “Jay was on the fast track until he was derailed by injuries,” Valentine said. “I didn't have a lot of expectations that he would play as well as he has this year.” Agbayani, the only one of the three with significant major league experience before this year, wasn't even supposed to stick with the team. But his solid play, an injury to Darryl Hamilton and Rickey Henderson's release gave him a reprieve. “Benny has never been derailed,” Valentine said. “He's been on the slow track. He's earned it every step of the way. He continues to disprove some of those people who didn't believe in him.” The Mets outfielders are making believers out of lots of skeptics these days.
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