Joe Smith is on the precipice of history.

With Smith’s next appearance, he will become the 51st pitcher in MLB history to appear in at least 800 games, a testament to the veteran’s success and longevity.

“It’s pretty cool, man, just to be around this long and still pitching and still getting outs and knowing you can still do this thing,” Smith said. “But 1,000 was, or is, the goal. It just makes you realize how hard that number is to get to.”

Smith fondly recalled the first outing of his career. Back on Opening Day 2007, Smith was a mere rookie for the Mets, who were at Busch Stadium to take on the defending champion Cardinals in a rematch of the epic '06 National League Championship Series.

Aerosmith performed the national anthem. Tom Glavine was on the hill for the Mets, Chris Carpenter for the Cardinals. New York’s All-Star studded lineup featured José  Reyes, Paul Lo Duca, Carlos Beltrán, Carlos Delgado and David Wright. Smith thought he was only going to spectate, but found himself 60 feet and 6 inches away from one of the best hitters of his generation.

“I got warmed up twice, sat down and warmed up the third time and went in right behind Tommy Glavine and faced David Eckstein, Preston Wilson and Albert [Pujols],” Smith said. “I thought I had a free ticket to the game to watch. I’m like, ‘There’s no way they’re throwing me in this thing.' And then the next thing you know, I was pitching.”

Given how well Smith has performed in recent weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 37-year-old veteran throw another bagel on the board when his number is called to celebrate the milestone in style.

In Smith’s last nine outings, he’s allowed just one run across eight innings with seven strikeouts to one walk. Smith's recent performance has been quite the bounce back; at one point in mid-April, the ever-reliable Smith’s ERA was as high as 14.54.

Much of Smith’s early troubles can be attributed to his slider. The pitch has long been Smith’s best weapon, but this season, Smith’s slider has a Run Value of 8, making it one of the worst pitches in baseball. For context, the slider had a Run Value of minus 5 in 2019, and minus 8 in '17.

“The biggest problem has been my slider all year,” Smith said. “I asked Michael Brantley where it was. He told me I left it on the field in West Palm [Beach].”

There’s also been the matter of once again getting familiar with the ebb and flow of the daily grind after opting out of last season. While Smith has felt good physically, getting reacquainted with the mental aspect of the game has taken time.

“The biggest thing has been the mental component of it,” Smith said. “Just the day-to-day routines, which took me until about halfway into April to start feeling really comfortable again with my day-to-day routine and the pitch routine, the warm-up routine, just everything that you just didn’t even have to think about.”

Off-day for the Birthday Boy

Brantley celebrated his 34th birthday with a day of rest, getting an off-day for Saturday’s contest against the Rangers. Manager Dusty Baker did not intentionally give Brantley his birthday off — Baker said he did not know it was Brantley's birthday until it was referenced pregame — but did so to get the veteran a breather.

“He’s been playing every day,” Baker said. “He hasn’t had an off-day in a while.”

Looking forward to Sunday, Brantley is scheduled to DH, effectively getting two consecutive games off his feet, with Yordan Alvarez getting an off day.

In Brantley’s place, super utilityman Aledmys Díaz made his fifth start of the season in left field. With Brantley scheduled to DH on Sunday, Díaz will likely start in left field on Sunday as well.

Brantley has cooled down following his hot April, but still ranks among the best hitters in the league. In 34 games this season, Brantley is slashing .299/.340/.478 with an American League-leading 13 doubles.

“We’re gonna have to figure out something to do for old Uncle Mike,” Smith said.