NEW YORK — You don’t have to be around professional baseball for 45 years like Buck Showalter to know that Tuesday’s matchup against the Giants was primed to be a good one. But give the Mets manager points for his prognosticating, anyway.
“They have good players,” Showalter said before Game 1 of the doubleheader. “We have good players. It’s going to be fun to watch.”
It sure was. All 10 innings of it.
With runners on the corners and one out in the 10th, Francisco Lindor, who had nearly cost the Mets a run in the top of the inning, golfed a single to center to score Brandon Nimmo as the Mets took Game 1 of the doubleheader, 5-4, at Citi Field in their first walk-off win of the year. Nimmo, who was the ghost runner on second to begin the inning, moved over to third on Jeff McNeil’s groundout, and Jarlin Garcia walked Starling Marte to bring up Lindor.
The win, though, was only courtesy of Showalter’s second successful challenge of the game.
Wilmer Flores led off the 10th with a long fly ball to right to move ghost runner Brandon Belt to third, and Adam Ottavino walked Darin Ruf to put runners on the corners. Ottavino got Brandon Crawford to line out to second and Thairo Estrada hit a routine roller to short that Lindor threw wide to an outstretched Pete Alonso at first. The umpires originally ruled Estrada safe — plating the go-ahead run — but a review showed Alonso managed to keep his toe on the bag, preserving the tie and prompting a raucous celebration from a fist-pumping Alonso.
Starter Tylor Megill didn’t exactly continue the Mets' streak of spectacular starts, but he held the Giants' offense at bay at least long enough for the Mets to tie it. Mets starters came into the day having compiled a 1.07 ERA over their first 10 games — the best start of any pitching staff since ERA became a stat — though Megill’s four runs over six innings did bump them up to 1.60.
The Mets manufactured a run to go up in the first — or rather, Marte did. He hit a one-out single off Alex Cobb, and stole second. Joey Bart's throw sailed over Estrada’s head and landed Marte on third. Then, with two outs, a first-pitch curveball to Alonso got away from Cobb (and Bart) for the wild pitch, chasing Marte home. Bart attempted the throw home, but Marte barreled into Cobb, who missed the ball, for the game’s opening run.
The lead didn’t last long, though, as Megill allowed a leadoff home run in the second to Joc Pederson. The 421-foot shot to center ended Megill’s 17 1/3-inning scoreless streak dating to last season. Megill got the next out, but then allowed three straight singles to Estrada, Steven Duggar and Jason Vosler to put the Giants up 2-1.
Things didn’t get much easier in a laborious third. Megill allowed a leadoff single to Mike Yastrzemski and a walk to Belt, and both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Then, with two outs, Crawford singled up the middle to make it 4-1.
The Mets were finally able to touch up Cobb after a well-deployed challenge in the fifth. After J.D. Davis led off the inning with a single, Travis Jankowski grounded into what looked to be a 3-6-1 double play; the speedy Jankowski, though, was ruled safe after the review. James McCann followed with a one-out double to the leftfield corner, and Jeff McNeil got in on the fun with a double to the rightfield corner, bringing home both runners home to draw the Mets to within 4-3. Meanwhile, Cobb tweaked his groin jumping off the mound on McNeil’s hit, knocking him out of the game.
After Marte nearly tied it in the next at bat on a would-be single that was instead stopped by a diving Belt at first, Lindor finished the job: He lined a ball over Belt’s head and into right for a hustle double. Lindor stole third without a throw, but Alonso struck out swinging to end the inning.
Megill continued to dance out of trouble, retiring the side in order for the first time in his sixth and final inning. He allowed the four runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
