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New York Mets-Pittsburgh Pirates rainout delays Neil Walker's return

By The Sports Xchange
New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker (20) rounds first base after hitting a rbi single in the 6th inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day at Citi Field in New York City on April 8, 2016. Photo by Rich Kane/UPI
New York Mets second baseman Neil Walker (20) rounds first base after hitting a rbi single in the 6th inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day at Citi Field in New York City on April 8, 2016. Photo by Rich Kane/UPI | License Photo

PITTSBURGH -- Neil Walker's comeback to Pittsburgh -- his previous, current and future home -- was months in the making, so one more day probably won't make that much of a difference.

Walker, the Pirates' starting second baseman the previous six seasons and now a key member of the New York Mets at the same position, planned for weeks and weeks for his first trip back home to Pittsburgh on Monday.

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He secured dozens of tickets for friends and family members. He prepared to hold a news conference at PNC Park -- an almost unheard-of event for a visiting player.

However, after receiving a standing ovation from hundreds of PNC Park employees as he entered the field for batting practice, well before fans were admitted to the park, Walker had to push back his preparations for a day. The Mets-Pirates game was postponed by rain following a delay of about 1 hour, 35 minutes.

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The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday.

The scheduled starting pitchers for Monday were pushed pack to Tuesday's first game -- left-handers Steven Matz (7-1) for the Mets and ex-Met Jonathon Niese (5-2) for the Pirates. In the second game, right-hander Jacob deGrom (3-1) will pitch for New York, while Pittsburgh's tentative starter is lefty Francisco Liriano (4-5).

The Mets no doubt will welcome back center fielder Yoenis Cespedes after a sore hip prevented him from starting for two days in Miami. He was in the scheduled lineup Monday. Likewise, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (sore right thumb) and catcher Francisco Cervelli (bruised right foot) were in the planned lineup Monday after being bothered by injuries for several days.

Walker, a native of suburban Pittsburgh, was with the Pirates since being a first-round draft pick out of Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pa., in 2004. But the Pirates, apparently intent on playing Jung Ho Kang at third and Josh Harrison at second, chose to trade him to the Mets in December for Niese rather than to risk losing him in free agency next winter.

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With the Mets, he has been so valuable offensively -- with a .279 average, 13 homers and 25 RBIs -- that was scheduled to bat cleanup Monday, a spot he filled only occasionally in Pittsburgh.

Because he was so closely watched in his hometown, Walker might be one of the few players who undergoes less media scrutiny in New York than he did with his previous team.

"My daily routine has been a little less packed than in the past, and that hasn't been something I've had since I was in Triple-A," he said. "I've been able to have a little bit less stress with what's going on. ... I've been able to blend in, whether it's been in Manhattan or at the ballpark."

With the Pirates, he was the unofficial spokesman in the locker room, the go-to man for the Pittsburgh media when they need insight or a comment or a player for an off-day event.

"I bled black and gold for a long time," he said at the pregame news conference. "But I don't need to retell any tales about the business (of baseball). Here I am now, in a Mets uniform, and they've embraced me with open arms. I couldn't be happier with where I've landed."

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Walker also is popular in New York, even though he's filling the role of 2015 postseason star Daniel Murphy, who is now playing second base for the Washington Nationals.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle remains close with Walker and his dad, former Expos pitcher Tom Walker, and he talked with the elder Walker in advance of Neil's first major league game in Pittsburgh in anything but a Pirates uniform.

"It sure is a good time for everybody in the (Walker) house," Hurdle said.

And a new house it is. Walker recently sold the home he occupied while with the Pirates, yet rather than move to his new big league city, he bought another house near his family in Pittsburgh.

No wonder why Walker said he is happy with both of his new homes.

"By the end of spring training, it was like I'd been with the Mets for a long, long time," Walker said.

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