NEW YORK -- With two stolen bases Thursday, Eric Young Jr. has caught Milwaukee's Jean Segura for the National League lead at 44. And Young now firmly is targeting winning the league crown.
Eric Young Jr.
#22 LF
New York Mets
2013 STATS
- GM145
HR2
RBI30
R69
OBP.313
- AVG.251
"I didn't want to worry about it too much, put too much emphasis on it until we actually got to this last series," Young said after the 4-2 loss to the Brewers. "I knew I was going to be facing him head to head."
Segura is sidelined with a hamstring strain. Asked if it would be a little more dramatic if Segura were playing, Young offered no sympathy to his injured competitor.
"I didn't become an everyday [player] until June. He had a two-and-a-half-month lead on me," Young said, alluding to his own time early this season with the Colorado Rockies. "I saw [Segura] out there running today. So he might try to get out there these next three days.
"It's going to be fun. Regardless of the results, it's been fun the whole way, this whole season."
When did Young think winning the league title was doable?
"I knew [now-suspended Everth] Cabrera was leading for the longest [time] at 37," Young said. "So that was my original goal -- to catch him. And once I got to 37, then I was like, 'OK, we'll just see where we're at coming into this last series.' When I was only two away coming into today, I was like, 'OK, well, let's make a run for it then these last couple of games.'"
