FLUSHING, NY — Wednesday night in Queens was capped off by rookie Carson Benge, one of the youngest Mets on the team’s active roster, coming through in the clutch.
The 23-year-old, appearing in his 39th career MLB game, stepped up to the plate of Citi Field in the bottom of the tenth inning with Tigers reliever Drew Anderson toeing the rubber, fellow rookie A.J. Ewing on second base as the Mets’ ghost-runner, one down and the game tied up at two.
After settling in, which only took one pitch, a 90-MPH changeup called for a strike, Benge did not take long to seal it—smacking a 97-MPH fastball from Detroit’s right-hander up the middle to center field.
“It’s just about trying to stay where you are and not letting the moment get too big,” Benge said of the at-bat in the tenth, finishing the night 3-5 with a walk-off RBI single and one stolen base. “You treat it like every at-bat—you’re always trying to hit the ball hard, have a quality AB, and that’s all I was trying to do in that situation.”
His first career walk-off hit to complete his first career three hit game and to make the moment even more memorable, the 21-year-old speedster Ewing, scoring easily from second, and Benge developed their skillsets together through the Mets’ farm system.
“Definitely pretty cool. After he (Ewing) made the last out in the ninth, I was like ‘well that makes it pretty easy,’” Benge said of driving in his rookie teammate. “Anything that leaves the infield, he is going to score on no matter what. Having his type of speed out there is pretty special.”
Ewing (21), making his MLB debut on Tuesday, is the youngest active Met while Benge (23), beginning his MLB career on Opening Day back in late-March, is second on the list.
It was only right that Carson Benge, 23, drove in his rookie teammate A.J. Ewing, 21, for his first career walk-off hit – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
“I’ve already been treating him like a rookie since he’s been up here,” Benge said with a laugh in the postgame, adding he has made Ewing pick things up for him and such.
Rookie right-hander Nolan McLean (1-2, 2.78 ERA), the third-youngest active Met at the age of 24, is slated to start Thursday’s series finale as the Mets (17-25) go for a three-game sweep of the Tigers (19-24) with first pitch scheduled for 1:10PM ET.
Injury Concern Level with Soto?
Three-time LatinoMVP Juan Soto, DHing Wednesday night, fouled a ball off his right foot in the bottom of the third inning and was able to battle through it at first, finishing off the at-bat and completing his next in the home half of the sixth. However when the 27-year-old’s next time to the plate came around the next inning in the seventh, a big-time spot, runners on first and third and two outs, Soto was replaced for MJ Melendez.
Juan Soto (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is considered day-to-day after fouling a ball from LHP Framber Valdez (Palenque, Dominican Republic) off his right foot in the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Tigers on Wednesday night – Image Credit: Simon Lindenblatt/Latino Sports
His third and sixth inning at-bats, each against left-hander Framber Valdez (6.2 innings pitched, two earned runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts), resulted in a strikeout and ground out, respectively, following a first inning ground out.
“I was concerned as soon as he got hit because he got him pretty good there,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, revealing Soto is day-to-day after X-rays on his right ankle came back negative.
“We got good news there… We’ll see how he comes tomorrow and whether he’s a player for us and in the starting lineup, but we’ll see.”
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