Birthday Bash

The Arizona Diamondbacks completed a four-game series against the New York Mets today. Both Arizona and New York have been struggling most of the season, but this series had all the makings for a good battle. Each club went into this year thinking it would be competing for the league championship and both find themselves well out of the lead in their respective divisions.

When the 2009 regular schedule was first announced I looked at this series as one that would be a gauge of how competitive the Diamondbacks would be against the best the National League East had to offer. It was a gauge, but not in the way anyone could have predicted.

This four-game series marked the Diamondbacks first visit to the new Citi Field in New York. It is an amazing venue and one the fans will enjoy for years to come. Before the first pitch was even thrown the Diamondbacks were told that Citi Field was carnivorous and was a pitcher's haven.

Perhaps the team wasn't paying attention. Instead the Diamondbacks were firing balls over the fence at a hectic pace. Leading the barrage was none other than Mark Reynolds.

On his 26th birthday he took Mets' pitchers deep on consecutive at-bats. These were not gift home runs that barely clear the wall with a tail wind. No, these were balls that were hit to areas within Citi Field that no ball had ever been hit before.

Reynolds took advantage of the Mets' pitching staff hitting four home runs in three games and is now counted among the all-time home run hitters at Citi Field eclipsing many members of the Mets who play a half season in this ballpark.

I only hope that before Reynolds blew out the candles on his birthday cake that he made a wish that he could continue to hit home runs as though he was in Citi Field every night. Now that would be an awesome birthday present.