Mark Vientos homers and hits a go-ahead double in the 10th as the Mets top the Diamondbacks 3-1
The New York Mets secured a 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a thrilling extra-inning game on Friday night. Mark Vientos was the hero for the Mets, as he kicked off the 10th inning with a tiebreaking double after hitting a solo home run earlier in the game.
The Mets, who currently sit at the bottom of the standings with a 15-23 record, have been on a hot streak lately, winning four of their last five games. This victory marked their fifth win in seven games on their current road trip, a stark improvement after a rough patch where they lost 17 of 20 games.
Vientos wasted no time in the 10th inning, driving a double down the left-field line on the first pitch he saw from Kevin Ginkel, scoring Brett Baty from second base. Carson Benge followed with another RBI double to extend the Mets’ lead to 3-1.
Tobias Myers closed out the game for the Mets, recording his first career save by striking out Ildemaro Vargas to end the game. Mets’ right-hander Nolan McLean put on a stellar performance, allowing just three hits over six innings while striking out six batters.
On the other side, Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson had a strong outing, giving up only two hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings, his longest appearance of the season. However, it was not enough to secure the win for Arizona.
The Mets took an early lead in the second inning with Vientos’ fifth home run of the season, but the Diamondbacks quickly tied the game with a home run from Nolan Arenado. The game remained deadlocked until the 10th inning when Vientos’ heroics sealed the win for the Mets.
The Diamondbacks had a chance to take the lead in the seventh inning, loading the bases against Mets’ pitcher Luke Weaver. However, Weaver managed to escape the jam by inducing a weak groundout from Geraldo Perdomo. Weaver, Brooks Raley, Devin Williams, and Myers combined to toss four scoreless innings in relief.
Despite the loss, Diamondbacks top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt made a memorable debut, singling in his first big league plate appearance. Second baseman Ketel Marte was a late scratch from the lineup due to illness.
With the win, the Mets improved to 3-4 in extra-inning games this season, while the Diamondbacks have now lost seven of their last eight games. The two teams will face off again on Saturday, with the Diamondbacks sending RHP Merrill Kelly to the mound to square off against Mets’ RHP Clay Holmes.
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