Baseball

Phils’ rare feat caps Pedro’s win in N.Y. return

Victory ends with Bruntlett’s unassisted triple play, 15th in MLB history

Henny Ray Abrams / AP

Philadelphia second baseman Eric Bruntlett, right, celebrates with teammate Jimmy Rollins after completing an unassisted triple play against the Mets. It was the 15th unassisted triple play in baseball history.

The Citi Field crowd of 39,038 stood and cheered as Martinez walked to the plate in the Phillies’ road gray-and-red uniform, a jarring sight for sure after he spent the previous four years with the Mets.

“The ovation, that’s exactly the response I expected because of the mutual bond I have here,” Martinez said. “I respect them and I love them.”

Martinez worked the count to 3-0 and Mets manager Jerry Manuel came out to remove Perez, bothered recently by a tender right knee that sidelined him earlier this season. The move got a loud ovation, and Perez (3-4) was soundly booed as he walked off the field having thrown 47 pitches — 20 strikes — and getting just two outs.

Nelson Figueroa struck out Martinez to end the 26-minute inning.

The 37-year-old Martinez then gave up Pagan’s inside-the-park homer leading off the first.

Pagan’s drive to left-center briefly got stuck under the padding of the wall. Center fielder Shane Victorino threw his hands up, looking for a ground-rule double, as Pagan slowed into third, but second base umpire Rob Drake allowed play to go on and Pagan raced home for his first career inside-the-park homer.

Charlie Manuel said the issue wasn’t covered when the umpires went over ground rules before the game.

“They never talked about that,” he said.

Martinez (2-0) never lived up to the $53 million contract he signed with the Mets after 2004, winning just 32 games and missing the 2006 playoffs with one of many injuries, including major shoulder surgery that limited him to just five starts in ’07 — all during the September collapse.

The wiry three-time Cy Young Award winner was not offered a contract after going 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA in 20 starts for the Mets last year — a trying season in which his father died.

He labored through six innings — and hit an RBI single — while giving up four runs and seven hits in his third start with the Phillies after signing with them as a free agent on July 15.

Notes: Pagan’s inside-the-park homer was the 25th in Mets history, and second leading off a game. Charlie Neal hit the other one in 1963 at the Polo Grounds against Philadelphia. ... Charlie Manuel was ejected in the ninth after umpires reversed a call. ... Francoeur bruised his left thumb while making a diving catch. X-rays were negative.

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