Mets reliever Pedro Feliciano is the most reliable pitcher in baseball, at least in terms of volume.
The left-handed specialist appeared in his 89th game of the season on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, breaking his own team record for most appearances in a season.
The next day, the Mets had a double-header — Feliciano pitched in both games.
At one point during the season, Mets manager Jerry Manuel decided he didn’t want to overuse Feliciano, according to MLB.com. But the southpaw was persistent in his efforts to bug his skipper.
"As soon as I pitched in 80 games and I realized that I could break my record, I told them to push me there," Feliciano said of Manuel. "I told them to push me to break my record."
Feliciano is not only durable; he’s pretty good, too. His ERA in 2010 is 3.21 and left-handed hitters are batting just .205 against him.
He’s arguably the most useful member of the Mets’ bullpen, especially in a division that features prominent left-handed hitters like Philadelphia’s Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, Atlanta’s Jason Heyward and Brian McCann and Washington’s Adam Dunn.
Feliciano is a free agent after the season, and in a market where reliable relief pitching is always at a premium, the 34-year-old will likely command top dollar.
But Feliciano is in New York’s record books, and that’s where he wants to stay.
"This is my home," he said.
The Mets would like nothing more than to keep Feliciano right where he is.
