to the win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. On August 5, 2009, he went 3-for-4 against the Cardinals, with a home run, triple, and single, missing the cycle by just a double. On August 23, 2009, he hit 2 home runs (one of which was inside the park) against Pedro Martínez and the Philadelphia Phillies. On October 4, 2009, Pagán went four-for-four against the Houston Astros, falling a home run shy of a cycle. 2010 Pagán was not the 2010 Opening Day center fielder (the nod went to newly acquired Gary Matthews, Jr.), despite making a strong case in 2009. Due to Matthew's poor performance, Pagán shortly found himself back in the starting lineup and quickly established himself as a quality everyday player. On May 19, 2010, Pagán started a triple play from center field in the 5th inning against the Washington Nationals on a ball hit by Cristian Guzmán. After catching the bloop hit, his momentum carried him right into the infield and he threw the ball in. Since the baserunners each advanced a base, had Pagan opted to run the ball in himself, he could have recorded an unassisted triple play and would have been the first ever outfielder to do so. He hit an inside-the-park home run in the same game, the first in Nationals Park history. On June 22. 2010, Pagán fell one home run short of a cycle. With the return of Carlos Beltrán as the starting center fielder on July 15, 2010, Pagán became the starting right fielder for the Mets, replacing Jeff Francoeur. He finished the year batting .290, with 11 home runs and 69 RBI. He had 168 base hits in 579 at bats on the season. He hit 31 doubles, 7 triples and stole 37 bases. His first career hit by a pitch came on September 4, 2010, against the Chicago Cubs. All facets of Pagán's game improved in 2010, most notably his ability to make smart decisions while running the bases. 2011 With the uncertainty of Beltran's health as well as his range, the speedy Pagán was inserted into the starting center fielder position for the 2011 season. Beltran was moved over to right field by manager Terry Collins. He was placed on the DL on April 21, 2011, due to a rib injury. On May 27, 2011, he came back from the DL as the club sent down Fernando Martínez