Mets’ Ojeda Nearly Severs Part of Finger in Accident

NEW YORK — The New York Mets’ champagne remained on ice Wednesday night, which is just as well. The Mets weren’t in a celebratory mood.

In a freak accident at his Long Island home, left-handed pitcher Bob Ojeda nearly severed the upper one-third of his left middle finger at the joint with an electric hedge clipper late Wednesday morning.

Ojeda was scheduled to start Game 4 of the National League Championship Series for the Mets, who clinched a tie for the East title with Wednesday night’s 4-3 victory over Philadelphia but were unable to wrap up the title outright when Pittsburgh beat St. Louis, 5-0.

However, Ojeda, 30, will not throw again until the spring--if then.

The accident severed the bottom and top arteries, nerves and tendons, Dr. James Parkes said, but the nearly severed tip remained attached to the rest of the finger by a flap of skin. That facilitated a four-hour microsurgical process in which the joint was fused, the nerves and blood vessels reattached and the finger stabilized.

“I think there’s a very good chance Ojeda will be able to pitch again in the spring,” said Parkes, who assisted Dr. Richard Eaton in the delicate surgery at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital.

Parkes said he was optimistic because:

--The joint was stabilized in a position that will make it easier for Ojeda to throw.

--The fact that the top third remained attached--if only by that flap of skin--allowed for a continuation of blood flow and some retention of feeling in the tip of the finger.

--Ojeda is a “highly motivated” athlete who was back pitching in September last year after Parkes repositioned the ulnar nerve in his left elbow.

All of that didn’t erase the Mets’ immediate shock.

General Manager Frank Cashen said the loss of Ojeda is “a blow to our club, adding: “We do have substantial resources in our farm system and current staff, but whether you can replace an Ojeda in kind, only time will tell.”

Sid Fernandez, who had been scheduled to pitch long relief in the playoffs, will return to the rotation, replacing Ojeda as the Game 4 starter.

Ojeda’s spot on the playoff roster will be taken by Rick Aguilera, who has been on the disabled list for most of the season with an elbow injury, or David West, who spent the season in triple-A.

Fernandez, helped by Darryl Strawberry’s 36th home run that broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning, got the victory Wednesday night, allowing only 6 hits in 8-plus innings. He is 10-10 with a 3.05 earned-run average and 1 complete game. By comparison, Ojeda, a persistent victim of poor support, is 10-13 with a 2.88 ERA and 5 complete games (all shutouts).

In 1986, when the Mets won the World Series, Ojeda was 18-5 in the regular season and 2-0 in the postseason. Fernandez was moved to the bullpen for the Series, and he pitched well, particularly in Game 7, despite his displeasure with the role.

Fernandez, who had not been talking to the media recently because of his annoyance with stories pertaining to his weight, was asked about his return to the playoff rotation. He said: “As far as I know, I was never taken out of the rotation, so I guess I’ll start.”

The Mets, who are likely to face the Dodgers in the National League playoffs, are optimistic that they can overcome the loss of Ojeda because of their pitching depth.

Mel Stottlemyre, the team’s pragmatic pitching coach, said Ojeda’s absence weakens the staff only if the starters falter, since Fernandez will not be available for long relief.

“The way our starters have been going, I don’t think it makes any difference,” he said, alluding to a stretch of 28 games in which New York pitchers have a 1.88 ERA.

The Mets have won 12 of their last 13 games and 22 of their last 27.

Hundreds of police officers, some mounted, ringed the field at Shea Stadium during the final inning Wednesday night to discourage zealous fans from destroying the grass.

Maybe they should have apprehended the Met public relations department, which first announced that the injury was to Ojeda’s index finger and did not begin to correct that until the game was almost over, pleading a communications breakdown with the hospital.

Met Manager Davey Johnson, among others, was even less happy to hear the corrected version. He believes that an injury to the middle finger, with which most of the pressure is applied to the ball, will be more difficult for Ojeda to overcome.

“Bobby will be missed,” he said. “He’s one of the most fiery and intense players on the team. He demands excellence from himself and everyone else.”

The security force will return tonight, when the Mets can clinch the division title with a victory, no matter what the Pirates do. By then, they may be in more of a mood to celebrate.