NEW YORK — This time, Harrison Bader hit the ball with such force that it left no doubt.
One night after leading the Mets to victory with a 54-mph infield chopper in the eighth inning of the final game of the series against the Royals, Bader hit again on Monday against the Pirates — this time with more power. . On Jackie Robinson Day at Citi Field, a 166.1 mph double tied the game in the 8th inning, giving the Mets a 6-3 victory over the Pirates.
With the win, the Mets (8-8) reached a batting average of .500 for the first time this season. They went 8-3 after starting the season 0-5.
Starting pitcher Adrian Hauser said, “This team never gives up.''
For the second game in a row, the Mets had to wait on offense, as Martin Perez went 0-0 against Hauser through the first five innings. But Hauser and Drew Smith scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning, and the Mets responded with three runs from Perez in the bottom of the inning.
The turbulence continued until the 8th inning, when Jeff McNeil got on base on a wild pitch, DJ Stewart got on base with a walk, and Bader stole second in front of him, before ex-Yankees teammate Aroldis Chapman's He finished off both runners with a double. . Unlike Sunday, when Bader had to sprint down the first base line, he was able to rush to second base this time while standing.
“Listen, the way the team does it to get through the situation, they all feel great,” Bader said. “Double is definitely amazing.”
Bader started the season with five hits in 26 at bats and has reached base multiple times in five consecutive games. If you look at this roster, this is not an unusual story. Stewart, who started the season 0-for-12, then had some memorable hits, including a game-tying pinch-hit double in the sixth inning of Monday's game.
Brandon Nimmo, McNeil, and Francisco Lindor have all experienced varying degrees of thaw following a slump in early April. Pete Alonso hit .167 in his first 10 games and went on to win the National League Player of the Week award.
So it's not really surprising that the Mets, once three outs away from 0-6, have recently become one of baseball's hottest clubs.
“I don't like saying 'it's still early,'” coach Carlos Mendoza said. “I like where we are as a team right now.”
When the Mets weren't winning, Mendoza didn't think about calling a team meeting like the Angels' Ron Washington did. Every situation is different. Mr. Mendoza is not opposed to the idea of such intervention, but he prefers one-on-one conversations to get his message across.
If Mendoza feels he needs to say something to the larger group, he can do so at one of the many smaller pregame meetings that hitters, pitchers and catchers hold each day.
At 0-5 and just 3% of the season left, Mendoza didn't think there was any need to panic. He knew things could turn around quickly. So it wasn't really a surprise to him or anyone else in the clubhouse when that exact scenario occurred.
“It's part of the journey,” Hauser said.
There are other strong signs for the Mets, including the fact that they achieved this success despite one of MLB's toughest early schedules. All six of their opponents thus far are batting above .500, but the Mets still boast one of the most courageous offenses in the game, with a top-10 rotation and bullpen ERA. They have scored a league-leading 30 points after the eighth inning, including three from Chapman on Monday night.
As Stewart finished his role at the rally and was answering questions, teammate Tyrone Taylor walked by, stuck his head into the media scrum and yelled, “Pinch-hitter Barrel!” I can’t tell you that, baby.”
Do wins come with good vibes, or do good vibes lead to wins? Either way, the Mets are clearly working on both.
“We started out 0-5 and now we’re .500,” Stewart said. “We never give up. We keep pushing every day. We're a tight-knit group in this clubhouse. Everyone else can doubt us all they want, but I We know what we have here and we're happy with what we have, so we're going to keep going.”
