Obscure All-Stars to Play for the New York Mets: Jason Isringhausen

Jason Isringhausen was originally a New York Mets draft pick in 1991 and part of the failed “Generation K.” He lived up to the hype during his rookie season, but the following two seasons were sub-par due to various injuries, including punching a trash can.

The Mets opted to make Isringhausen a deliver during the 1999 season, and he started to pitch much better. Manager Bobby Valentine was reluctant to use him as a reliever, and the Mets traded Isringhausen to the Oakland Athletics. As usual, the Mets missed out big time, and 293 saves he was an integral part of the A’s and St. Louis Cardinals’ success.

Return to His Beginnings

During the 2009 season, Isringhausen learned he needed his third Tommy John Surgery. He was 36 at the time, and his return to a major league roster was a steep climb. Isringhausen did not make it back to the big leagues in 2010 and signed a minor league deal with the Mets heading into the 2011 Spring Training.

The fastball velocity dipped, but his knuckle curveball still had the vintage sharp bite to it. On April 10, the Mets called-up the 38-year old Isringhausen to join their bullpen. He looked like the two-time All-Star he once was for most of the season. Over 42 games (36.2 innings), he had a 2.70 ERA and held batters to a .192 batting average.

After the Mets traded Francisco Rodriguez, Isringhausen earned the closer role with Bobby Parnell waiting in the wings. He converted seven saves and eight opportunities, including his 300th of his career. Isringhausen was the third Mets to pick up his 300th save with them and the first pitcher in MLB history to return from three Tommy John Surgeries.

He faded during the final month-plus, allowing 11 runs in the same amount of outings. Despite his ERA increasing to 4.05, Isringhausen pitched a lot better than the story the numbers told.

Bigger than Baseball

The return to the Mets was a solid career coming full circle. During his first stint with the Mets, he was the young, immature prospect who was living it up in the city. He matured from a person destroying his career to a veteran player could look up to and learn from his career. Isringhausen is one of the rare Mets who spent time as the youngest and oldest player in the clubhouse.

Those who may not remember the history he had in New York forget his injuries from drunkenly falling while climbing his girlfriend’s balcony or slicing his leg with a box cutter while trying to open a driver’s wheel lock. Anyone who spent time around the franchise during his second go-around could immediately see a person who was ultimately the opposite of his younger years.

Isringhausen spent the 2012 season with the Los Angeles Angels and had to be forced into retirement when no team signed him for the 2013 season.

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