After a tough loss in Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers to drop to 0-5 on the year, the New York Mets rallied in the ninth inning in Game 2 to win 2-1 at Citi Field on Thursday.
The Mets were looking to avoid a 0-6 start for the first time since the franchise’s infancy. Buttó finished 2023 strong and had solid spring training heading into this spot start. Butto struggled early and couldn’t find the strike zone but settled in for six strong innings.
The Mets’ offense remained ice-cold in the freezer until the ninth inning. New York was no-hit through eight innings before Harrison Bader broke it up with a single. Then a Pete Alonso home run to tie the game at 1-1 and Tyrone Taylor‘s walk-off hit propelled them to win number one in 2024.
As mentioned, Buttó had a tough beginning. He had trouble with his command and was behind in the count. Buttó battled for six good innings and gave the Mets a chance. In those six innings, he had six strikeouts and allowed just one run on three hits. In his last eight starts with the Mets big league club, Buttó has an ERA of 2.93. Butto stepped up when the Mets needed him on Thursday.
This game got pretty low for the Mets offense. They were no-hit for eight innings and didn’t have a hit for 13 consecutive innings (new team record) dating back to the fifth inning of Game 1 of this doubleheader. In Game 2, Bader finally got New York in the hit column in the eighth inning but the Mets also wasted a chance to score with Bader being stranded on second.
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To lead off the bottom of the ninth, Alonso reached out and golfed a game-tying home run. Brett Baty then walked before Starling Marte sacrifice bunted him into scoring position. That set the stage for Taylor to notch his first career walk-off hit with a line drive into left field and scoring Baty.
The Mets’ offense looked lethargic and flat throughout the game, and it has so far this season. Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, and Jeff McNeil continue their rough starts. Starling Marte was hitless in this doubleheader, and they are not getting much out of Bader and the designated hitter position. J.D. Martinez‘s arrival looms, but it’s still a few days away. For now, the offense has to be better.
With his ninth inning home run, Alonso knocked in his 500th run of his career. He’s the fastest player in Mets history to reach that plateau at 690 games, passing the 727 games it took David Wright.
I’m going to give the nod to the first winning pitcher of the 2024 Mets season: Reed Garrett. With the bullpen being used a lot in Game 1, Garrett had to come in and give the Mets innings. He did just that with three shutout innings of relief and four strikeouts. Garrett was called up after Tylor Megill‘s injury and stepped up in a big way in Game 2.
The Mets will travel on the road for the first time this season on Friday night, taking on the Reds. The game will be televised on Apple TV+ at 6:40 p.m. ET, and Jose Quintana will make his second start of the season. Quintana will be matched up against Hunter Greene.
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