With two out and none on in the eighth inning of the second game of a double-header between the Mets and Braves on Thursday night, Jason Bay squeaked a single past the shortstop. Willie Harris left the on-deck circle and walked toward the Mets’ dugout. As Harris stepped down the stairs toward the bench, up came Val Pascucci.

When the stadium P.A. announced Pascucci into the game, the thousand-some fans left in the ballpark cheered — some politely, some heartily, some with the type of slap-happy fervor brought on by 17 innings of underwhelming baseball spread out over six and a half hours.

Pascucci’s last at bat came at Shea Stadium, which no longer exists, for the Montreal Expos, who no longer exist. He went 3-for-4 in that game, but after the season signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines when manager Bobby Valentine promised him regular playing time and the new Nationals management could not.

He played two seasons in Japan, then returned to the U.S. and played five years of Triple-A ball in five different home cities and for five different organizations.

“This guy’s a legend in my office,” said a voice in the press box when Pascucci stepped to the plate. “A mythical legend.”

“A mythical legend?” someone asked. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Well… he hits a ton of home runs in the Minors every year,” said the first voice as Pascucci took strike one from Eric O’Flaherty.

A cowbell clanged out through stretches of empty seats in Citi Field’s upper deck. “Everybody hit!” someone yelled from the field level.

O’Flaherty fired a fastball and Pascucci swung over it, a massive uppercut. With an 0-2 count, the pitcher threw a slider below the strike zone, and Pascucci laid off.

After a pickoff attempt, O’Flaherty hung a slider over the middle of the plate. Pascucci lined it into left field, his first Major League hit in six years and 342 days. Pinch-runner Jason Pridie jogged out to first base, and Pascucci returned to the dugout.