Mets Walk Off Win

📸 Photo Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports

On May 7, 2021 the New York Mets were involved in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks that could have a major impact on their 2021 season. Trailing 3-0 in the 2nd inning and with starting pitched David Peterson having trouble finding the strike zone Manager Luis Rojas called up Robert Gsellman to get them out of the inning and true to form Gsellman did exactly that.

Little by little, the Mets chipped away at the Diamondbacks lead, and by the 7th inning with the score 4-2 in favor of the Diamondbacks Francisco Lindor, who had been in a season-long slump, stepped to the plate. Lindor hit a blast that cleared the left-field wall to tie the score 4-4. Lindor’s shot was his first home run in Citi Field since signing his historic contract to be the ‘face of the team’ for the next 10 years. 

Although there was jubilation in Metsville after the inning ended Lindor and 2nd baseman Jeff McNeil were involved in some sort of altercation in the tunnel adjacent to the dugout. While it’s still not clear what brought about their misunderstanding, the Mets and Diamondbacks were still tied 4-4 after the 9th inning.

In the 10th inning, Aaron Loup took the mound and held the Diamondbacks hitless. The Mets half of the 10th started with Pete Alonso on 2nd base due to the new ruling putting a runner on 2nd to start extra innings. With the Diamondbacks Stefan Crichton on the mound, the Mets loaded the bases. Up came Patrick Mazeika, the last position player on the Mets bench. Mazeika, who had one major league at-bat prior to his appearance in the bottom of the 10h inning, hit a dribbler up the first baseline as Pete Alonso barreled towards the plate. The pitcher Crichton made a desperate throw towards home plate, but it was too late as Alfonso slid and scored the winning run.      

Immediately Alonso and the entire Mets squad rushed the field to congratulate the unlikely hero, Patrick Mazeika. Mazeika had his head doused with liquid and his uniform shirt torn off his body in a celebratory gesture by the happy team.

Besides the last inning heroics of Patrick Mazeika and the first Citi Field home run by Francisco Lindor, the Mets bullpen lead by Tommy Hunter, Jacob Barnes, Miguel Castro, Edwin Díaz, and Aaron Loup, who held the Diamondbacks to 2 hits and no runs over 6 innings, also have to be congratulated for this improbable come from behind victory. 

Hopefully, the results of this game will be the impetus the Mets need to make the 2021 season one to celebrate for the New York Mets.