NEW YORK — The Mets’ ninth inning provided the 37,694 fans at Citi Field much to be happy about on Saturday.
It featured a clutch Edwin Díaz strikeout to work out of a two-out jam, flexing in celebration as he walked the dugout. It also included a Francisco Lindor walk-off sacrifice fly, his seventh career walk-off RBI.
The inning started with speedy Jose Siri drawing a one-out walk. Catcher Luis Torrens, who had previously been scratched from the lineup with a right forearm contusion, followed with a single, allowing Siri to go to third, setting up Lindor for a big moment.
What was Lindor thinking as he stepped up to the plate with a chance to win the game?
“We have one of the fastest guys on third base,” Lindor said, referring to Siri. “He made it pretty easy for me in terms of, I just gotta barrel the baseball.”
That’s what Lindor did. The de facto captain delivered a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
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For most of the game, the only entertainment they’d gotten was a fan running onto the field and getting viciously tackled by security in the fifth inning.
It all changed in the eighth inning, thanks to the designated hitter, Jesse Winker, who tied the game on his second triple of the night — he had three career triples before Saturday.
Previously, Winker, who went 3-for-4 with two triples and a double, had been left stranded in scoring position. This time, he made sure to come through, scoring Lindor from third and Juan Soto from second, tying the game 2-2.
“I love it,” Lindor said after the game. “When Jesse starts doing crazy stuff on the bases, he’s locked in. … He was the one that sparked us today.”
Before Winker’s eighth inning triple, it was a game of missed opportunities for the Mets, who had been 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
The disappointments started in the first and second innings with lead-off doubles. Unfortunately, the next three batters in each inning went down in order, wasting runners in scoring position.
Another opportunity arose in the fourth inning. Winker hit a sharp line drive to right field that bounced right past George Springer to the wall for a triple.
The next batter, a slumping Mark Vientos, couldn’t capitalize, striking out to end the inning.
Vientos has one hit in his last four games (1-for-16). He’s only managed three hits and two walks and is batting .097 with a .152 on-base percentage.
Then, in the seventh inning, the Mets loaded the bases with two outs. But Blue Jays reliever Yimi García got Starling Marte, pinch-hitting for catcher Hayden Senger, to ground weakly to the pitcher to end the inning.
Mets pitchers did everything they could to stay in the game. Starter Griffin Canning allowed one run in four innings, striking out six batters. Relievers finished the job, allowing one run in five innings, with Díaz getting his first win of the year.
“I’m going to be the one that they show in the highlights,” Lindor told a reporter in Spanish, “but the heroes of these games are (Huascar) Brazobán, (José) Buttó, (Jose) Siri, and (Jesse) Winker.”
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Manny Gómez may be reached at [email protected].
