NEW YORK - The Mets are en route to an 11-0 beating by the lowly Seattle Mariners at Shea Stadium. Starting pitcher Oliver Perez is getting booed mercilessly. His luck goes from bad to worse when he gets drilled trying to lay down a sacrifice bunt. He lies in the dirt, writhing in pain, as the umpire signals a strike. When he returns to the bench, only one player gives him a pat of encouragement.
The newest Met, Christopher Trotman Nixon.
"He's a great spirit," says Mets pitcher Pedro Martínez, Nixon's teammate on the 2004 world champion Red Sox. "It's going to rub off on the other players that you've got a great teammate that's going to keep everybody upbeat. A great hustler and also a very good player. Very steady on defense."
With three outfielders on the disabled list, the Mets desperately needed a lefthanded bat. They gave Trot Nixon his greatest Father's Day present. A ticket from Tucson in Triple A back to the Show.
"I love it," he says. "Obviously, I'm playing at the major league level with a very competitive and talented team. I'm very lucky to have the opportunity to come to a team like this. The sky's the limit."
Nixon grew up in North Carolina, following the Mets on cable television.
"That's when they had [Lenny] Dykstra and [Darryl] Strawberry and all those guys," he says. "I was a huge Dykstra fan when I was younger. I just liked the way he approached the game, and here I am playing in the same ballpark as most of these guys. So it's exciting for me."
Nixon, 34, who was sent to New York June 13 for cash or a player to be named, failed to make the Diamondbacks this spring and was assigned to the Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League. He was hitting .309 with 39 runs, 15 doubles, 10 home runs, and 31 RBIs in 58 games, mostly in left field.
But things have started slowly with the Mets. Since going 2 for 3 in his debut, on Father's Day against Texas, Nixon has struggled. He's hitting just .156 in nine games with one home run and one RBI.
"I kind of started out a little slow offensively, but sooner or later, I'm going to break out of it, " he says.
It had better be sooner.
The Mets, with left fielder Moises Alou (calf) and right fielder Ryan Church (post-concussion syndrome) and reserve outfielder Angel Pagan (shoulder) sidelined, need help now.
"They haven't said anything, but I understand the possibility it might be short term," says Nixon. "But you know, wherever I'm at, I want it to be a positive experience for myself and the guys that are around me. And I'm going to go out and produce."
Manager Jerry Manuel says Nixon is probably pressing but he loves his gritty play.
"He'll be fine," says Manuel, who recently took over for fired Willie Randolph.
Nixon says he doesn't need pep talks.
