Mets Cut Henderson After Loss

On the day the New York Mets finally got rid of Rickey Henderson, they were reminded why they should have held on to Preston Wilson.

A one-time Met prospect, Wilson hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the seventh inning to lead the Florida Marlins past the Mets, 7-6, at Shea Stadium on Saturday. After the game, the Mets released the veteran outfielder Henderson, five days after placing him on waivers.

Henderson, 41, was batting .205 with no home runs in 30 games and had several clashes with Manager Bobby Valentine and team management.

No other major league team claimed Henderson off waivers, so he remained in the lineup. But he was criticized by Valentine after failing to run out a single off the wall in Friday night’s loss to the Marlins, thinking it was a home run.

“It gets to the point where the piling on is too much and it’s time to make a decision,” Met General Manager Steve Phillips said. “We said if we don’t act this time, we’re not going to be able to act the rest of the year. Because there is going to be a next time.”

Henderson is baseball’s all-time leader with 1,336 stolen bases. He’s third on the all-time walks list with 1,991 and fifth in runs scored with 2,117.

Henderson had expressed displeasure on numerous occasions with the Mets’ refusal to extend his $1.9-million contract beyond this season.

As for Wilson, his day was made even sweeter with stepfather Mookie Wilson coaching for the Mets.

“I always like playing well against this team, with my dad over there, even though he can’t cheer for me,” said Wilson, who has hit a home run in four consecutive games.

His power has sparked the Marlins to a season-high four-game winning streak. The Mets have lost nine of 12.