Yankees’ Carlos Beltran Frolics on LIU Brooklyn Field

Fresh off a thrilling performance last night in the Bronx where he led the New York Yankees to a 3-2 win over the hated Boston Red Sox, on Monday afternoon Carlos Beltran was spied gracing the diamond at LIU Brooklyn. Beltran, who Sunday night delivered a single, double and game-winning two-run homer while playing out of position at 1st base, took advantage of a rare off day to film a commercial for Five-Hour Energy Drink on LIU’s resplendent turf field in downtown Brooklyn.

As with any celebrity sighting a crowd of admirers flocked to gawk at the former Met who recently inked a three-year deal to patrol right field for the crosstown Yankees. Standing outside the field was Melvin Rios, whose son Melvin Jr. plays for the LIU Brooklyn baseball team. After greeting Beltran in Spanish and identifying that he too is a native of Puerto Rico, Rios commented that the 17-year major leaguer—notorious for taking a called third strike to make the final out for the Mets against the Cardinals in game seven of the 2006 National League Championship series—was a “great Met.”

Of course, if Beltran had been using Five-Hour Energy eight years ago, perhaps the Mets’ fortunes might have been entirely different.

With a .311 average, three home runs and eight runs batted in—as well as the willingness to be flexible, proven last night by donning a 1st baseman’s mitt for the first time in his major league career—Beltran is fast on his way to winning back New York's baseball fans.