Chasin' Jason All the Way Home

After Jason Bay's perplexing power outtage at CitiField last year, he'll take any home runs he can--even the Little League variety.
Bay's return to the Metsies' lineup has been key to the club's resurgence, and an oddball four-bagger he was responsible for late last week sparked the Mets' four game winning streak.

Jay Bay and his missus

Writes the NY Times:
Bay, meanwhile, went 1 for 4 with a bloop double and scored a run on a four-base error that looked like a Little League-style inside-the-park stand-up home run.

The Little League home run. There's nothing more American: Your kid hits a dribbler to third, the third baseman throws it past first, the first baseman throws it past second as your kid scoots into the base. Finally, the left fielder throws it past third, enabling your kid to step on the plate and burst into tears of joy.
Then everyone hits Mickey D's for a celebratory Happy Meal.
The BoSox blog FenwayWest.com used the term as a proper noun to describe Bay's round-tripper:
Former Red Sox Jason Bay hit a 'Little League Home Run' last night against the Houston Astros in New York yesterday.
ESPN.com takes it a few bases further, with a brief written history of the Little League Home Run and the Mets. In fact, the Queens Quarrelers (Bronx Bombers-esque nickname for the Mets that isn't quite there yet) have had four times in their history where a batter has touched 'em all on his own hit without the aid of a basehit.
The most recent example was two years ago -- Aug. 24, 2009 against the Phillies -- when Angel Pagan’s leadoff popup against Cliff Lee was dropped by second baseman Chase Utley. Utley then tried to throw Pagan out at second base and threw the ball away, allowing Pagan to scamper all the way around and score a run. In the end, such a break against Lee wasn’t enough, as the Phillies won anyway, 6-2.
As one might expect, you don't see a lot of Little League home runs at the Major League level.

JayBay obviously felt compelled to show the world he could hit a proper home run; on Saturday, he took D-backs hurler Barry Enright 400-plus feet to right, and could circle the bases at his leisure.

[image: NYPost]