The Justice

Media Credit: Ed Betz/Associated Press Nelson Figueroa '96 pitches in the Mets' May 12 loss.

Monday, May 12 wasn't one of Nelson Figueroa's '96 finest days as a member of the New York Mets. He surrendered six runs in five innings to the last-place Washington Nationals, leaving the mound to a chorus of boos from the sparse Shea Stadium crowd.

As reporters surrounded his locker, Figueroa maintained his composure but called out his opponents as a "bunch of softball girls" for cheering during his pitches. One day later, the Mets designated him for assignment, giving him the choice to accept a minor league demotion or to be released from the organization.

Still, as reporters moved away from his locker, Figueroa's lips, slowly, but surely, curled into a smile. Despite his demotion, he has overcome so much to even make it back to the major leagues and start six games for his boyhood team this season-a team that originally drafted him in 1995 before trading him prior to his big league debut.

"It's a dream come true. I had the opportunity to be a Met early in my career and to finally get up here and put on the uniform of the team I adored as a kid; it's a great feeling," he said.

Figueroa became the first Brandeis graduate to appear in the major leagues when he debuted as a 26-year- old with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000. He bounced around for five years with four different teams. After missing the 2005 season with a torn rotator cuff, he didn't make it back to the majors in 2006 and was cut by the Seattle Mariners before the 2007 season.

Undaunted, Figueroa went on a world tour to get back into the majors. He began the 2007 season in the Mexican League, but also pitched in the Dominican Republic. In September, he went to Taiwan, where he was named the Most Valuable Player of the league's World Series.

The Mets gave him an invitation to spring training and recalled him from the minors early in the season after star pitcher Pedro Martinez went on the disabled list. Initially, Figueroa excelled, winning his first start against the Milwaukee Brewers April 11 and retiring the first 14 hitters in an eventual no-decision against the Nationals April 17 in his second start. But the shine eventually wore off, as Figueroa allowed five runs in each of his last two starts before being released.

Still, Mets manager Willie Randolph praised Figueroa's contributions even after his final start.

Continued...

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