OMG and a few of the vibes of 2024 are gone, but when the Mets are going to duplicate their success from a 12 months in the past, this group will want lots of the identical traits they’d a 12 months in the past.
And in Saturday’s 3-2 comeback win over the Blue Jays, it certain felt like final season’s never-say-die perspective was nonetheless round.
It began within the eighth with a two-out, two-run triple from Jesse Winker that tied the sport and it carried over into the ninth, with a one-out stroll from Jose Siri, successful by Luis Torrens and a game-winning sacrifice fly by Francisco Lindor, because the Mets received their third straight and fourth in 5 video games after dropping two of three in Houston.
“Now we have lots of guys again,’’ Carlos Mendoza mentioned of the similarities between final 12 months and this one. “It’s nonetheless early, however there are good indicators. We’re all the time shut.”
For many of the evening, a lot of the Mets lineup seemed prefer it wished to be wherever however a chilly and damp Citi Area in opposition to the Blue Jays, dealing with ex-Met Chris Bassitt.
They wasted leadoff doubles in every of the primary two innings and at one level Bassitt had retired 17 of 18 batters.
After which the Mets left the bases loaded within the seventh earlier than they lastly broke by within the eighth — courtesy of Winker’s two-run triple.
After Edwin Díaz stranded two runners within the prime of the ninth by placing out Anthony Santander and Andrés Giménez, the Mets received it within the backside of the inning.
Siri arrange the successful rally with a one-out stroll and moved to second on a wild pitch.
He acquired to 3rd on Torrens’ single to left and scored when Lindor smoked a line-drive sacrifice fly to heart on the primary pitch he noticed from Jeff Hoffman.
“We had one of many quickest guys on third base,’’ Lindor mentioned of Siri. “He made it fairly straightforward for me. I’ve simply acquired to barrel the baseball. I wasn’t even choosing a spot to hit it. He’s fairly electrical when he will get on base.”
It was an encouraging evening for Lindor, who has gotten off to a gradual begin however reached base twice and delivered the decisive run.
And it occurred largely within the eighth, as Lindor opened with a stroll and Juan Soto despatched him to second with a single.
Left-hander Brendon Little struck out Pete Alonso and acquired Brandon Nimmo to fly out to deep heart to ship Lindor to 3rd with two outs.
Mendoza saved the lefty-swinging Winker — the one batter to determine Bassitt earlier within the recreation — in in opposition to Little and he responded with the two-run triple to proper to tie the sport.
“That was not a straightforward resolution,’’ Mendoza mentioned.
It paid off.
The comeback was made attainable due to a strong effort from the pitching employees, as Griffin Canning gave up only one run in four-plus innings and the bullpen was once more sturdy.
Canning retired the primary two batters of the sport earlier than a stroll to Santander and a base hit to proper by Giménez. With runners on the corners, the right-hander struck out Alejandro Kirk to flee the jam.
José Buttó left the bases loaded after the Blue Jays took the lead within the fifth, however consecutive two-out doubles within the sixth gave Toronto a 2-0 lead, with Alan Roden and Bo Bichette combining to knock Buttó out of the sport.
Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider pulled Bassitt within the seventh and Yimi García gave up successful to the slumping Brett Baty to deliver up Siri, who walked on 4 pitches.
Pinch hitter Starling Marte grounded out, however the Mets offense confirmed indicators of life the remainder of the evening.
“Immediately was not comfy,’’ Lindor mentioned. “It was chilly.”
However lots of the 37,694 had been nonetheless there on the finish, and just like the Mets, they left glad that the group has an opportunity to complete a sequence sweep Sunday.
