Al Leiter remembers coming to Shea Stadium after he was traded to the Mets in 1998 from the Marlins and the pressure that came with that situation.
“I knew as good as I felt and I had some pretty decent years before that, I had to do it in a Mets uniform, in Shea Stadium, for these fans to respect me,” said Leiter, now an MLB Network and YES analyst.
“Once you get a base, a résumé in front of them, then you can afford a stretch when you are not as productive.”
Giancarlo Stanton can relate, with a chorus of Bronx jeers ringing in his ears to prove it.