Maybe this isn’t exactly what the Mets envisioned when they drafted Brett Baty in the first round of the 2019 draft, and his timeline certainly isn’t what the club envisioned. But Baty has finally blossomed from prospect to big leaguer.
The second baseman/third baseman broke a tie in the bottom of the seventh inning to help the Mets edge the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night at Citi Field. One night after walking off against the Bucs, Baty ensured a stress-free ending.
The Mets (28-15) were cruising right along. They held a 1-0 lead against Pittsburgh going into the top of the sixth and were protecting it with relative ease. Right-hander Kodai Senga deftly worked out of jams and the defense gave him help.
The game came to a screeching halt in the top of the sixth.
Before Senga even threw a pitch, the umpires conferred for several moments about a pitch timer violation. The fans grew restless and began to boo, and Jesse Winker gave the officiating crew a thumbs down from the dugout. It started to rain and with two outs, Senga lost the strike zone, a ball went right through the netting in Mark Vientos‘s glove and Reed Garrett couldn’t find the zone either.
Garrett, debuting a pair of new glasses, came in to face Nos. 8 and 9 hitters Ji Hwan Bae and Henry Davis with two outs. He walked both of them to load the bases and walk in a run. The damage was minimal, but the game was tied.
Right-hander Mitch Keller gave the Mets almost nothing to work with after a Brandon Nimmo drove in Juan Soto in the first inning. The Mets had only three baserunners through the middle innings and went down in order after giving up the tying run in the bottom of the sixth.
But with two outs, Baty took a 1-1 changeup from Keller and took it the other way into left field for his fifth homer of the season.
Keller (1-5) was great, allowing only two earned runs on five hits, walking one and striking out eight over seven innings. But the resilient Mets got the big hit when it mattered the most.
Senga was charged with one earned run on six hits, walking two and striking out seven. He had a runner on third in the second inning, and runners on second and third in the third and fourth. After he struck out three to strand both in the fourth, he looked like he was in full control of the game.
But his pitch count got up to 99 in the sixth, and the Mets were forced to go to the bullpen.
Max Kranick (3-1), who was drafted by Pittsburgh and came up in the organization, gave the Mets a scoreless inning in relief, retiring the Pirates (14-29) a scoreless seventh. Ryne Stanek held the lead in the eighth for Edwin Diaz, who pitched around two baserunners to convert the save (nine).
Originally Published:
