The Walk Off: Mets ride historic 12-run third inning to victory
Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we’ll look at the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.
The New York Mets offense remained red hot on Friday, scoring a team-record 12 runs in the third inning to help them secure a 13-1 blowout victory against the San Francisco Giants.
Not surprisingly, it was Yoenis Cespedes who led the historic charge. In the third inning alone, he collected six RBIs. That included a two-run single early in the frame, and it concluded with a 355-foot grand slam that may go down as his shortest home run of the season.
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When things are going well, those extra feet seem to go your way. That would sum up how things are going for both Cespedes and the Mets right now.
Check out some of these facts that come from Friday’s win.
The Mets have also now homered 29 times in 12 games after homering just twice in their first nine. Indeed, this offense is going to make them a very scary team.
TOP PERFORMERS
David Ortiz: The Red Sox slugger doesn’t have many swings left against the rival Yankees, but he’s making them all count. In Boston’s 4-2 win on Friday, Ortiz delivered the two-run go-ahead home run off previously untouchable reliever Dellin Betances. The home run was Ortiz’s fourth this season and the 48th of his career against the Yankees.
Juan Nicasio: The Pirates right-hander continues to be one of the best stories of the early season. After winning a rotation spot in spring training, Nicasio has spun a handful of gems. That included his seven innings of shutout ball in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 victory against the Reds. Nicasio allowed just three hits while striking out eight to pick up his third win of the season.
Adam Conley: The Marlins left-hander was removed four outs why of a no-hitter. He allowed four walks while striking out seven, and then watched anxiously as Miami’s bullpen lost the no-hit bid. They nearly lost the game too, only escaping after Jonathan Villar struck out as the go-ahead run. It was a crazy game, but Miami held on to beat the Brewers 6-3.
Rockies offense: After losing five straight at home, the Rockies offense lit up Arizona pitching in a 9-0 win on Friday. That included four homers from four different players. Among them were Trevor Story, who added to his rookie record for April with No. 10. Nolan Arenado also hit his 10th, which means the Rockies sit atop the major-league leaderboard.
Seth Smith: The Mariners only had one hit on Friday. It was the only hit they needed. Smith cracked a solo home run in the sixth inning, and that would prove to be the only run in their 1-0 victory over the Royals.
MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT
Break up the Philadelphia Phillies. Expected to finish last in the NL East, they’re playing some of the baseball in any division right now. With Friday’s exhilerating 4-3 win over the Indians in 11 innings, they’ve now won seven of eight to move with 2 1/2 of the first-place Nationals. And check out the hero too. That’s Ryan Howard delivering the walk-off blast in the 11th, which is only fitting considering they clinched their first winning April since 2011.
THE SCOREBOARD
Cubs 6, Braves 1: Baseball’s best team knocked off baseball’s worst team thanks largely to Matt Szczur’s eighth-inning grand slam.
Orioles 6, White Sox 3: Nolan Reimold ripped a three-run go-ahead homer in the seventh as Baltimore runs its home record to 9-1.
Blue Jays 6, Rays 1: Toronto got two home runs from Michael Saunders and seven scoreless innings from Aaron Sanchez.
Rangers 4, Angels 2: Texas scored three runs in the sixth inning to pull away. Ian Desmond delivered the go-ahead hit with an RBI double.
Tigers 9, Twins 2: Michael Fullmer wins his debut for Detroit, tossing five innings of two-run ball. Victor Martinez backed him up with a four-hit game.
Nationals 5, Cardinals 4: Nice bounce back win for Washington after being swept by Philadelphia. Stephen Strasburg played the role of an ace, holding St. Louis to two runs over seven innings while striking out nine.
A’s 7, Astros 4: It’s been a struggle for Yonder Alonso this season, but he finally has a moment to hang his hat on after delivered a three-run, walk-off homer.
Padres 5, Dodgers 1: Former Dodgers Matt Kemp did most of the damage, hitting a two-run homer and driving in three overall.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
