Major League Baseball

Another New Yorker, Pipped

Updated Aug. 1, 2022 4:08 p.m. ET

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Jenrry Mejia has been Pipped. 

In 1925, Wally Pipp was the starting first baseman for the New York Yankees, and was mentor to a young Lou Gehrig. Depending on which story you believe, Pipp was either benched for a headache or a terrible batting average. But he was replaced with Gehrig, who didn’t take a day off for the next 2,130 games.

Meanwhile (or 90 years later), New York Mets closer Jenrry Mejia missed 80 games due to a PED suspension when he tested positive for stanizolol. In those 80 games, he had plenty of time to reflect on what he’d done – and to take more stanizolol! I’m kidding – he also had time to take boldenone. He tested positive for both, and has been suspended an additional 162 games. 

What a great ad campaign for boldenone.

"Make a bold move", Mejia would say, holding a needle. "Like I did, when I got suspended again, just 16 days after returning."

The crazy thing is that Mejia hadn’t given up a run in his seven appearances since coming back from the suspension. The crazier thing is the Mets JUST traded for Tyler Clippard, a closer they were going to use as a set-up man. So Mejia is getting completely Pipped. 

(As an aside, I’ve always wanted to host a prank show called Pipped, where people show up at work to find out they’ve been fired and replaced by the person they mentored.)

When Mejia was suspended, the Mets said his job would be waiting for him when he got back. And then it kind of wasn’t, since Jeurys Familia has emerged as a dominant closer with a 1.70 ERA and 27 saves in 31 chances. In an odd statistic, the Mets have also won all four of Familia’s blown saves. But Mejia was battling for his old job, tossing seven nearly unhittable innings. It’s almost as if Mejia’s performance was enhanced.

This week, the Mets added Clippard, who has a 2.79 ERA with 17 saves in 21 chances. And they still have Bobby Parnell, their closer in 2013. Mejia now has as much chance of regaining his closer role when he returns to the Mets as he does, well, of actually returning to the Mets. Maybe Mejia figured he’d wait it out on the suspended list until the Mets were a playoff team. 

Two things are unprecedented about this suspension. One, the number of games. If this suspension stands, it will be the longest ever. Two, the Mets actually have enough depth to weather it.

Goodbye, Jenrry. You’ve been Pipped.

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