Mets 7
Rockies 4
DENVER – Bobby Valentine didn’t have a problem with Timo Perez’s post-homer antics on Saturday night. Some of his players did, and so did the Rockies.
What should have been a beautiful day for baseball and an opportunity to savor a second straight Mets victory was at least partially stained by the Rockies taking serious issue with Perez’s histrionics the previous night.
Al Leiter’s seven-inning gem, Edgardo Alfonzo’s home run and three RBIs and newcomer Raul Gonzalez’s two homers propelled the Mets to a 7-4 win, but Perez was the focal point for a second straight day.
Rockies starter Denny Neagle threw behind the Met center fielder in the first inning in retaliation for Perez’s arm-raising post-homer pose in the ninth inning Saturday.
The Mets (60-69) felt the message was sent and the issue put to rest with that pitch, but in the ninth inning, the game disintegrated when reliever Kent Mercker also threw behind Perez. Mercker and Colorado manager Clint Hurdle were immediately ejected.
Mets reliever David Weathers responded, with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth, nailing Juan Uribe in the back. Weathers and Valentine were tossed by plate umpire Jerry Crawford, and the game ended without further incident.
Asked if he could understand why the Rockies took issue with Perez, Valentine responded, “Whatever.” The Met manager later said, “The second one was excessive.”
Told of Valentine’s comment, Hurdle responded angrily, “If Bobby Valentine said it, it’s gospel. I’m not good enough to manage two teams. Hopefully one day I can get to that level.”
The players naturally took two different sides.
“They made their point with Timo early,” Weathers said. “You just don’t do that [second pitch].
“I thought the second part was brutal. . . . Denny Neagle took care of it, that’s where it should’ve stayed.”
Mercker, who was bench-jockeying early in the game and apparently also was vocal Saturday night, pointed at Perez after moving out to the bullpen. Perez couldn’t hear what he was saying, but Mercker spoke with a high fastball behind the Met outfielder.
“Last night a guy with [13] career home runs wants to act like that,” Mercker said. “I don’t know what was going on, whether it was Game 7 of the World Series or he had just hit 756 to break the all-time home-run record.”
Perez thought the matter was resolved after the first inning.
“I felt that was kind of bull,” Perez said of Mercker’s pitch, through interpreter Juan Lopez. “I didn’t try to show anybody up. I don’t appreciate throwing at somebody’s head. That can hurt somebody.”
Before the game, Valentine was told of remarks Steve Trachsel made Saturday about Perez. “I was a little disappointed in Timo’s actions . . . ” Trachsel had said. “Obviously it’s a huge home run and everyone pimps their home runs nowadays.”
Leiter, Scott Strickland, Vance Wilson and Mike Piazza were among other Mets who understood that Perez’s actions could have come off as showboating, but Valentine disagreed.
“Timo just can’t do anything right, can he?” Valentine asked. “It’s the biggest hit of the year and we’re going to get criticized for being happy for it. That’s great.
“I’ve seen a lot worse than that that meant a lot less than that. Considering we hadn’t come back in the ninth inning this year and that we were in a 12-game slide and we hit the ball over the fence with two outs, I don’t think there could’ve been any play that could’ve been celebrated all year more than that play all year than that year.”
Hurdle summed it up, asking: “Did we have a problem with Timo? I think that question was answered today.”