PHILADELPHIA — The Mets called up catcher Johnny Monell as the backup to the backup early last week, and not surprisingly, he sat. He waited. He made his team debut Saturday, grounded into a double play and cursed his fate, unsure of when another opportunity might be tossed to him.
So early in the eighth inning Sunday, when Manager Terry Collins told him to be prepared, Monell had already started swinging by the seventh. This was his chance. He delivered a two-run double that gave the Mets the separation they needed for a 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.