Marte makes emotional return as Mets split doubleheader
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Marte makes emotional return as Mets split doubleheader
The Mets have a Jekyll and Hyde performance in their Coors Field doubleheader. Plus, Starling Marte homers in his first at-bat off the bereavement list.
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets split their doubleheader against the Rockies winning their first game 5-1 (box) and dropping the nightcap 11-3 (box)
RF Starling Marte hit a two-run home run on the first pitch he saw after being activated off the bereavement list following the death of his grandmother
RHP Carlos Carrasco pitched well once again, allowing just one run over 5.1 innings at Coors Field
RHPs Trevor Williams and Adonis Medina did not fair as well in Game 2, combining to allow nine earned runs on nine hits and three longballs
The Mets and RHP Chris Bassitt came to terms in arbitration on a deal for 2022, which includes a mutual $19 million option for the 2023 season
RHP Seth Lugo pitched the final two innings to lock down Game 1 of the twin bill, allowing just one hit and no runs while walking none and striking out three
The Mets are now 7-3 in doubleheader games so far this season
Who’s Hot🔥
With four more hits in Saturday’s doubleheader, 1B Pete Alonso is now hitting .375/.444/.667 with two home runs, a double, seven RBI and a 1.111 OPS over his last six games
2B Jeff McNeil now has seven multi-hit games in the month of May
Following his worst start of the season, RHP Carlos Carrasco has settled back in pitching to a 2.59 ERA with a 2.81 FIP while throwing 68 percent of his pitches for strikes
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (27-15) at Rockies (19-20)
Where: Coors Field — Denver, CO
Starters: RHP Taijuan Walker (1-0, 3.52 ERA) vs. LHP Austin Gomber (2-3, 4.38 ERA)
When: 3:10 PM EST
Where to Watch: WPIX
Resilience, personified 📝
It takes incredible courage and fortitude to do what Starling Marte did on Sunday afternoon in Colorado. Making his first appearance after missing four consecutive games on the bereavement list due to the death of his grandmother, no one would have put great expectations on a man playing with such a heavy heart. Who among us has even been able to return to work so quickly after a death in our lives?
That is what makes what Marte did yesterday all-the-more special. On the very first pitch he saw, the Mets right fielder struck a ball into the air that carried well over the fence in left field for a two-run home run in the first inning. As he crossed home plate, Marte put his hands together and looked straight into the heavens as if to say ‘this one’s for you.’
“She would always give me this prayer to say right before a game,” Marte said after the game. “And that’s what I remembered most today in a situation like that.”
“You can’t make that stuff up,” said manager Buck Showalter following the home run.
This is not the first time Marte has had to deal with adversity in his life, however, as he experienced the loss of his mother at the age of 9 and lost his wife just two years ago. Resilience is nothing new to this man.
“He’s having a hard time,” Carlos Carrasco said of his teammate. “I’m really happy for him that he got that homer in the first inning. … That moment was really special for him.”
I don’t know how many of us would have the strength to deal with everything Marte has gone through in his life, including two great losses in recent years, as he now juggles the responsibilities of being a single father of three young children in addition to a full-time professional baseball player. There is nothing easy about what Marte did on Saturday, and the road will continue to be turbulent and tricky, as all healing is, but what happened yesterday was a special moment that deserves to be recognized.
Resilience personified.
Down on the Farm 🌾
Ronny Mauricio (SS, No. 3 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-5, triple, run scored
Jake Mangum (OF, No. 22 prospect, Double-A): 3-for-4, double, RBI
Nick Plummer (OF, No. 8 prospect, Triple-A): 0-4, walk
Box Scores: Triple-A | Double-A | High-A | Single-A (SUSP)
Around the League 🚩
MLB’s No. 1 overall prospect Adley Rutschman tripled in his major league debut in the Orioles’ 6-1 loss to the Rays
The Yankees defeated the White Sox 7-5 after a benches clearing incident
The Mariners officially signed OF Justin Upton to a one-year major league contract
Angels CF Mike Trout scored the 1,000th run of his career in the club’s 5-3 win over the the A’s