Fighting a legal battle with the mother of his son has extracted a toll on David Justice’s baseball ability.

“This has been a crazy year, I have had more to deal with this year than any other year in my life,” Justice said. “I had [hernia] surgery in January and wasn’t able to work out. Then the stuff off the field. I could leave it off the field, but it’s dealing with my son and that’s not easy. I love my son to death.”

The latest round of legal battles resulted in lawyers for Nicole Foster serving Justice with a subpoena on the field Sunday night in Anaheim. Foster’s case was thrown out of Superior Court and filed in federal court last week. Foster is suing Justice for $5 million in a palimony suit. The couple’s son, David, Jr., was born Dec. 27, 1999.

Justice, who missed six weeks with groin problems, has shown signs lately that he can be the run producer he was last year for the Yankees. In the last dozen games, Justice is hitting .350 with eight RBIs.

“As great as last year was, as beautiful and positive, it’s been the opposite this year in some areas,” Justice said. “My concern now is to get right so that come playoff time, if we are fortunate to make it, I can really help us. I am feeling pretty good right now. I am not lost up there.”