METS SIGN INFIELDER PANIK
YORK» The Mets signed NEW second baseman Joe Panik on Friday before their series opener against the wild card-leading Washington Nationals, a homecoming for the New York native.
Born about twenty miles north of Citi Field in Yonkers, Panik lived in suburban Dutchess County and attended John Jay High School in the hamlet of Hopewell Junction. He played college baseball for St. John’s not far from his new team’s Queens stadium
“It couldn’t have worked out any better for myself, personally, a lot of family, a lot of friends in the area,” Panik said. “For me to be coming to a club that’s hot right now... It’s very exciting. For me, it’s a great situation.”
Panik actually played at Citi Field before the big league club took the field for the first time.
“Yeah, actually, back in 2009 when Citi Field first opened I was a freshman at St. John’s and the first game, before the Mets opened up, St. John’s, we played Georgetown,” Panik recalled. “That was the first game ever here.”
The 28-year-old Panik was designated for assignment by San Francisco this week and later released. The Giants selected him in the first round of the 2011 draft, and the former Gold Glove winner played a key role during the club’s 2014 World Series run.
“I think what we have in that clubhouse is something very special. There’s chemistry,” general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. “Any player that we were going to bring into this clubhouse, we wanted to make sure that he fit in.”
An All-Star in 2015, Panik hit .271 with 36 home runs and 221 RBIs in six seasons with San Francisco. He has struggled this year, batting just .235 with a career-low .627 OPS in 103 games.
Orioles’ Davis clears air with manager after dugout clash.
Orioles first baseman Chris Davis said he reached a “breaking point” when he charged at manager Brandon Hyde in the dugout on Wednesday night, and expressed his regret during a lengthy conversation with Hyde on Friday.
The flare-up occurred in the fifth inning of Baltimore’s 14-2 loss to the New York Yankees. Hyde walked over to Davis and said something that the first baseman clearly didn’t like, and Davis attempted to charge at the manager before being restrained by teammate Mark Trumbo and hitting coach Don Long.
“It happened. Brandon and I have talked,” Davis said Friday, hours before the last-place Orioles hosted the Houston Astros. “I knew right after it happened we were going to be fine, and we are.”
Davis is batting .182 with nine homers and 31 RBIs, hardly the production the Orioles expected from a slugger who’s in the middle of a $161 million, seven-year contract. Last season he batted .168, the worst average in major league history by a player with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.
Twins DH Nelson Cruz goes on IL with ruptured wrist tendon.
» Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a ruptured tendon in his left wrist. Cruz was injured on a swing Thursday night in a 7-5 loss to Cleveland.