Mets’ Angel Pagan has inside-the-park home run, followed by a triple play

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It was quite a night for Mets center fielder Angel Pagan.

In the fourth inning in Wednesday’s road game against the Washington Nationals, Pagan hit an inside-the-park home run off right-hander Livan Hernandez.

An inning later, Pagan started a triple play with a shoestring catch of a liner by second baseman Cristian Guzman. It was the Mets’ first triple play since May 17, 2002 and the 10th in team history.

One player doing both in a single game is a rarity. Phillies shortstop Ted Kazanski was the last to do it, in 1955, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The triple play was aided by some confusion on the part of two of the Nationals’ runners. Center fielder Nyjer Morgan was on first, Hernandez was on second and Ryan Zimmerman on third with no outs. No clear call was immediately made on the catch by Pagan, who almost in a single motion threw the ball toward home because Zimmerman had tagged up. But Morgan and Hernandez kept running.

Catcher Henry Blanco picked up the ball just in front of the mound and threw it to shortstop Jose Reyes, who was covering second, doubling off Hernandez. Reyes then first it to first baseman Ike Davis to double off Morgan. The umpires conferred and then confirmed the triple play.

The Mets, however, lost the game, 5-3.

-- Debbie Goffa