NY Mets Player Wins Batting Title

NY fans did not appreciate the tactic.  Note that Statement Analysis is in bold type. 

Analysis Question:   For whom was this action done?  

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For those unfamiliar with the case, the NY Mets shortstop, Jose Reyes was leading the National League in batting average.  He is also a free agent after this game and has not resigned with the team, who wants him back. 

Being in an almost tie with another player for the individual award, the Mets took him out of the game after bunting for a single, so that in the event he does not get more hits, he would win the personal achievement award. 

Reyes booed after leaving game, but wins Mets' first batting title

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By MIKE PUMA

Last Updated: 9:50 AM, September 29, 2011

Posted: 3:13 AM, September 29, 2011

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Jose Reyes’ potential final game with the Mets turned into the kind of fiasco only this franchise could manufacture.

Maybe some is forgiven, after Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun finished 0-for-4 against the Pirates last night, making Reyes the first NL batting champion in Mets history. But a questionable decision by Reyes in the Mets’ 3-0 victory over the Reds to complete the 2011 season may have tainted the accomplishment in some quarters.

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In a one-and-done appearance, the All-Star shortstop’s batting title pursuit trumped all other considerations, bringing a chorus of boos from the small crowd — maybe 20,000 — at Citi Field that hoped to savor Reyes for possibly the last time.

Reyes bunted for a single in the first inning and was promptly removed from the game with a .337 average, leaving Braun, at .335, in need of at least a 3-for-4 performance to win the crown. Braun’s 0-for-4 night at Miller Park left his final average at .332.

Reyes decided before taking the field he wanted out if he got a hit in his first at-bat. It was a decision supported by manager Terry Collins, who didn’t want to risk losing the trust of a valued player whom the Mets will attempt to re-sign this offseason.

“It’s kind of tough. I wanted to stay in the game,” Reyes said. “But [fans] have to understand, too, what’s going on. They have to feel happy about it if I win the batting title. I do that for the team, and the fans, too.”

For whom did Reyes come out of the game for?  Note that he said "I wanted to stay in the game".   Is this a truthful statement?  Noted is that to stay in the game is not "tough" but it is "kinda" tough; qualifying.  Was this a decision made against his will, since he wanted to stay in the game?  Is he being truthful?

For Whom Did He Leave the Game?
	himself
	team
	fan
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Collins hinted before the game that Reyes could depart early, but few could have suspected he meant one at-bat. A stunned silence, followed by a scattering of boos, overtook the ballpark as Justin Turner was announced as the pinch runner for Reyes in the first inning.

“We talked [yesterday] morning when [Reyes] came in and I asked him how he wanted to go about this,” Collins said. “I wanted to take him out at the appropriate time. He said if he got a hit his first time up he wanted to come out. I said, ‘I want you to win this thing,’ and he said, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ It was decided then.”

Note that Collins quotes Reyes in stating that coming out of the game after the first hit is what Reyes wanted to do. 

Collins got emotional discussing the dilemma he faced, trying to placate the fans and Reyes, who will be a free agent.

“I understand, and I’ve heard some comments in the stands, and I don’t blame them,” Collins said. “People pay a good price to come to these games, and they’ve got to understand that I ask these players to do a lot. [But] we worked hard to get [fans’] respect this year and they deserve ours.

“If I don’t follow [Reyes’ request], I could possibly lose the one thing I helped create all summer long in one instance, and I wasn’t going to let that happen today,” Collins added. “I can understand anybody in this room or in the stands being upset or being offended by it, I truly understand it.

“But when I now walk in that room and say something, [players] know I’ll stand behind it. And down the road that is going to mean a lot.”

Among Reyes’ detractors was Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson, who took a shot at Reyes on Twitter.

“Seriously people — taking out a star player to preserve his batting average lead...weak!” Wilson tweeted. “I hope ryan braun goes 5- 5 and wins the title now.”

David Wright defended Reyes.

“He’s had a great year, obviously, and it’s his call,” Wright said. “I don’t think the criticism is on point in this case.”