The Mets' offense was held in check for seven innings but Jesse Winker's two-run triple tied the game and Francisco Lindor walked off the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-2, on a cold, rainy Saturday night at Citi Field.
With the score tied 2-2, Jose Siri drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Luis Torrens' single moved Siri to third and Lindor jumped on the first pitch to drive in the winning run on a sac fly.
It's the first Mets walk-off win of the young season.
Here are the takeaways...
-Both starters were working parallel to one another to start. They both got out of first-inning trouble on this night. Griffin Canning got his first two batters out before allowing the next two on. The right-hander struck out Alejandro Kirk looking to get out of a jam. Chris Bassitt was in a similar situation, allowing a leadoffLindor double. After Juan Soto moved him over with a sac fly, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo weren't able to get the first run across.
Canning worked into trouble again in the second. After getting the first two outs, the next two batters got on. But he got Bo Bichette to fly out for the final out. Bassitt would give up a leadoff double, this time toWinker, to start the second, but the Mets were unable to get the run across.
-Canning was strong in getting out of trouble, but wasn't efficient and it eventually got to him in the fourth. Coming into the inning, Canning had already thrown 83 pitches before giving up back-to-back singles to lead off the fourth. That forced manager Carlos Mendoza to pull his starter and bring in Jose Butto to take on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The slugger pulled a single through the left side of the infield to drive in the game's first run. A flyout, a walk to load the bases, and a strikeout on Kirk led to a groundball out from George Springer to end the Jays' threat.
Canning pitched four-plus innings (89 pitches/60 strikes), allowing one run on four hits. He did strike out six but the walks, which there were three, forced him out.
-Butto's second inning of work was uneven. After getting the first two batters, back-to-back doubles from Al Roden and Bichette put the Jays up 2-0. But the rest of the Mets' bullpen was great, especially Huascar Brazoban. The righty allowed just one hit in 2.1 innings pitched to keep the score close.
Edwin Diaz worked out of trouble in the ninth, striking out three batters in a scoreless frame and earning the win. The bullpen allowed just one run in 4.2 innings pitched.
-The Mets' offense was completely befuddled by Bassitt and his full array of pitches. New York could only muster three hits against the crafty right-hander, until a Mark Vientos single with two outs in the seventh inning knocked the veteran out. Just before that hit, Bassitt had retired 12 straight Mets en route to his best start of the young season.
Bassitt allowed no runs and four hits without walking a batter in 6.2 innings (92 pitches/63 strikes) while striking out nine. Since he left the Mets in free agency after the 2022 season, Bassitt has had two starts against his former team and has not allowed a run in 14.1 innings pitched.
But, as was the case on Friday, the Mets would get to the Blue Jays' bullpen but it would take a bit.
In the seventh, after Vientos snapped an 0-for-17 hitless stretch with a single, Baty ...
