NEW YORK — Jason Bay sat in the visitors’ dugout in Yankee Stadium with his Mariners uniform on, talking about the Mets.
Bay’s struggles with the other New York team were a topic of discussion when he arrived in New York City this week with the Mariners.
Bay signed a four-year, $66 million deal with the New York Mets in 2009 after hitting 36 home runs with a .921 OPS for Boston the year before. In three seasons with the Mets, Bay hit 10 fewer home runs than he did in that single season with the Red Sox.
The Mets flailed along with Bay, often making him a back-page tabloid target.
“You’re trying to do the things you think you can do,” Bay said. “Somewhere along the line, it wasn’t happening. It wasn’t for lack of trying. We tried everything.”
Bay and the Mets agreed to a buyout last fall, which made him available to the Mariners.
“I turned down a couple offers of more playing time to go to Seattle, be close to home and see how that worked,” said Bay, who played college baseball at Gonzaga. “I had to basically make the team out of spring training and I knew that. It was a different mindset. There were no external factors, it was all on me.”
After Franklin Gutierrez was hurt, Bay began to see more at-bats, particularly against left-handed pitching. He’s hitting .241 with four home runs and 10 RBI.
Bay was asked if he thought he’ll finish his career as a part-time player or be able to move back into a full-time role.
“I kind of feel like at this point in my career, I’m quite comfortable with that,” Bay said of his part-time role. “If you deserve to play, you will. If not, you won’t. That’s something, in a weird way, I actually kind of relish.”
Harang scratched
Mariners starting pitcher Aaron Harang was scratched from Thursday’s game because of a tight lower back.
Harang, a large man at 6-foot-7, 260 pounds, often goes to the chiropractor to keep his back in shape. He’s had lower-back stiffness before and was scratched in 2010 while with the Cincinnati Reds.
Harang said he first felt his back tighten Wednesday. He let manager Eric Wedge know and Wedge passed the word along to Hector Noesi, who took Harang’s place in the rotation Thursday. Noesi allowed just one unearned run in 41/3 innings.
Wedge said he did not want to move up rookie Brandon Maurer to take Harang’s spot.
The Mariners anticipate Harang making his next scheduled start Tuesday in Los Angeles against the Angels.
Ichiro struggling
Former Mariner Ichiro Suzuki was in good spirits in the New York clubhouse during the series with Seattle, but he had a dismal time at the plate. A seventh-inning single to center Thursday snapped an 0-for-22 streak. His 1-for-4 night raised his average to .239.
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