Ryota Igarashi. Met fans call him Iggy The Gook. Iggy's a Japanese Deviate. You know this. Look in his eyes and you know that it's true. There was a power failure at the Hello Kitty factory the day Iggy came down the assembly line... He was dropped by Godzilla as a child... God was blinking when the boy was born. But what do we really know about Japanese Deviates?
They love ketchup. Can't get enough. They love the sweet taste of ketchup and carbonated cola beverages. They also enjoy battery-powered AM radios, action calculators and popsicle sticks. And all we know about Iggy is that his most famous Met moment was on May 23, 2o10, when he came in for relief against the New York Yankees. It was the ninth inning and the Mets were up by five, but that didn't stop Iggy from imploding on national television.
You could blame the high-pressure situation, or the fact that this was Iggy's first appearance back from the DL, or maybe the guy just didn't get enough ketchup that morning. Whatever the reason Iggy began to sweat Kung Pow-style as he stepped on the mound, his body trembling, getting the ball and firing it back at catcher Rod Barajas as fast as he possibly could. He couldn't find the plate, could barely control his bladder. He walked Nick Swisher, threw wild pitches, and gave up hits to Francisco Cervelli and Juan Miranda. All three would score, all charged to Iggy as he was led off the mound in tears.
Iggy The Gook is a Japanese Deviate. He'll implode again... it's just a matter of time...
Somebody get this guy a drink.
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