I like the premise of this article Was the Miracle Mets 1969 World Series Victory a Hoax? but I think they have the hoax all wrong.
The hoax is actually related to a player named Jose Reyes.
Jose Reyes was invented by the late author George Plimpton for the April 1, 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated. As the story goes, Reyes is an amazing shortstop for the Mets and is best known for his tremendous speed.
Many Mets fans, not realizing that “Reyes” was a made-up player expected that this Reyes would walk, steal two bases and then score on a sac fly in the first inning of every game. He would also hit two triples later in the game.
Some fans caught on that they had never seen “Reyes” at Spring training, but this was explained away by an even more preposterous story that the Mets had sent most of their stars to something called the “World Baseball Classic.”
Finally, the Mets were forced to admit that this was all a put on. There never was a “Jose Reyes” on the 2009 Mets, and Alex Cora was the starting shortstop. Actor Jose Ruiz portrayed Reyes in the publicity photos and can be seen in the upcoming NBC series “Community” starring opposite Chevy Chase.
