What Happened, In a Sentence:
The Mets scored a franchise record 12 runs in the third inning and won 13-1.
Mets Offense Erupts:
Looking up at the sky to begin tonight’s game, you wouldn’t expect it to be a night of record setting offense. It was 52 degrees for the opening pitch, the wind was blowing in and it was raining. The Giants had Brandon Belt try to steal a base in the second. Neil Walker bunted against a shift in the bottom of the inning, even though he’s currently tied for the lead in home runs. After the next three batters made outs, it seemed like we were headed for another pitching duel in a freezing Citi Field.
Jake Peavy couldn’t get another Met out. He walked Curtis Granderson and David Wright to lead off the inning. Michael Conforto lined to left center. Yoenis Cespedes returned to the lineup with a two-run single. Lucas Duda walked and Neil Walker doubled to deep right when Peavy left a pitch over the plate. Mike Broadway came in for relief and gave a distinctly off off Broadway opening act. Asdrubal Cabrera smashed a double over Angel Pagan’s head to drive in two and close the book on Peavy. Kevin Plawecki walked and Steven Matz made the first out trying to sacrifice bunt up 6-0. Three more singles and two runs left the bases loaded for Cespedes, who launched a line drive over the left field wall to give the Mets an even dozen runs.
Franchise Records Set Today:
- Most runs scored in an inning (12): The Mets’ previous high was July 16, 2006 at Wrigley Field.
- Most RBI in an inning (6 for Cespedes): Butch Huskey drove five in during the sixth inning on May 26, 2998 against the Marlins
- Most consecutive games with an extra base hit (9 for Cespedes): Ty Wigginton held the record with an eight game streak from May 26 to June 3, 2004. Wigginton only played 48 more games before being traded to make room for David Wright at third base.
Now Let’s Get This Over With:
San Francisco got two runners on in the top of the fourth and then let Broadway get his first major league at-bat instead of using a pinch hitter (they eventually used every bat on the bench). Broadway dropped a successful sacrifice bunt. Angel Pagan lined out to end the threat and Giants manager Bruce Bochy said that was enough for Buster Posey. Steven Matz fought through weak command to get six shutout innings and lower his ERA to 3.86. Like his last outing, Matz consistently put runners on base but avoided extra base hits or large rallies. The Mets became very aggressive at the plate in the fourth, possibly looking to finish the game before the weather had any chance to get worse. Pagan homered off Jerry Blevins in the top of the seventh for the Giants’ only run. The Mets responded with three straight singles in the bottom of the inning to get the run back and then put the bats away for the rest of the night.
What’s Next:
It’s Noah Syndergaard-en Gnome day tomorrow. As a reminder, only the first 15,000 fans will get a gnome. The Mets will be looking to win a series at home vs. San Francisco after losing the home series in five of the last six years.
Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports