The New York Mets were on the brink of another loss, with their season likely headed into a tailspin. Yes, it’s early, but the Mets haven’t won a series in nearly a month. And on Wednesday evening, it was looking like the Mets would go their eighth consecutive series without a win against the Tampa Bay Rays. Until they didn’t.
The Mets got knocked down on the mat by the best team in the majors, but they kept getting back up.
Down 7-5 in the bottom of the 10th inning, Mets slugger Pete Alonso hit a mammoth three-run shot to give New York its first walk-off win of the season. It was the third time on Wednesday that the Mets erased a deficit. Mark Vientos had a game-tying tw0-run home run in the seventh inning and Francisco Álvarez had a game-tying three-run blast in the bottom of the ninth to send Wednesday’s contest to extras.
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, those were the first runs that Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks has given up since last July. Making Wednesday’s win even more improbable.
Prior to Tuesday’s 8-5 loss against the Rays, the Mets had gone 56 consecutive innings without a home run. Alonso hit one on Tuesday and a day later, he followed that up with a timely home run when the Mets so desperately needed one. Energized by their young prospects, with Vientos making his season debut, the Mets finally found the power surge they’ve been missing from their offense.
That wasn’t the only thing energized by Wednesday night’s come-from-behind-win. It breathed life into a fanbase that has been so down in the dumps due to an underwhelming start. And judging by the reactions on social media, those in the baseball world, particularly Mets fans, were absolutely pumped.
Pete. Alonso. ONIONS. An absolute BOMB. #Mets win this crazy thing.
— Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) May 18, 2023
Alonso was also notably pumped up by the win, accidentally dropping an f-bomb in a postgame interview with SNY.
Now, the Mets have a chance to win a series against Major League Baseball’s best team. Perhaps they can use Wednesday’s win as a building block that can get their season back on track. It’s still just May, but a win like this could provide a jolt to a team that was supposed to be a World Series contender.