Lindor Homers from Both Sides, and the Defense Sparkles, as Mets Defeat Historically Bad Rockies

Mets 4 Rockies 2 (Citi Field, New York, NY)

Mets Record: 34-22

Mets Streak: W1

Mets Last 10: 6-4

WP: David Peterson (4-2)

LP: Kyle Freeland (0-8)

SV: Edwin Diaz (12)

Seat On The Korner:

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

Francisco Lindor led off the game against lefthander Kyle Freeman with a home

run to leftfield into the Coors Party Deck and, if statistics meant everything, the game was as good as over after that first batter. The Mets have now won the last 25 games in which Lindor has homered, a streak that goes back to July 9, 2024. It is the longest streak in team history, and he is now tied with Lou Gehrig for the 3rd longest such streak in MLB history (Carl Furillo’s Dodgers won 29 straight games in which he homered, between 1951 and 1953.) That was Lindor’s 5th leadoff HR already in 2025 in a little over 1/3 of the season. He now has 7 lead-off homers as a member of the Mets (remember he didn’t move into the leadoff spot until about one year ago), breaking a tie with Mookie Wilson and moving into a tie with Michael Conforto for the 6th most in team history. Overall, it was Lindor’s 121st home run as a Met, breaking a tie for 12th place with Edgardo Alfonzo.

Lindor added a sharp base hit up the middle, and his 2nd home run of the night,

this time an opposite field shot from the left side, to finish the night 3-4 with 2 HR, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored.

He also added a huge defensive play with the bases loaded in the top of the 3rd . With Peterson struggling with his command, he loaded the bases with 2 singles and a walk. Up came Estrada and he lined a ball that looked like it would give the Rockies the lead. Lindor leaped, with full extension, to nab a line drive seemingly 10 feet above the Citi Field dirt to end the inning.

SHOHEI-WHO? As the first batter of the game, Lindor is now batting .358 (19-

53). His 10 extra-base hits are the most in the majors leading off the first inning, as are his 19 hits.

Need To Know:

• The Rockies are now 3-26 on the Road this year, the worst start in MLB history

  for a team on the road.

• They’ve been particularly bad against LHP, hitting .201/.269/.324.

• The Mets are now 22-7 at home this season, the best in the majors, which is tied with the 1986 team and the 2021 team for the best mark through the first 29 home games of a season in franchise history.

• Mets are now 14-5 in Series Openers including 8-1 in Series Openers at Home.

• Mets pitchers came into tonight with a 2.59 ERA at home this season which is

  the lowest in the majors. The Mets lead the majors with a 2.87 ERA overall, with both the 2nd best starting staff and second-best bullpen in the majors (in ERA).

• The team's 7 consecutive wins in Peterson's starts are the 4th longest season-opening streak in franchise history and marks the first time the team has won each of a starter's outings to open the season at home since Taijuan Walker (8-0 in 2021).

• The Mets are 7-0 in Peterson's home starts this season and 13-3 in Peterson’s 16 combined home starts since the beginning of 2024.

• The Mets are 30-23 against the Rockies at Citi Field since the ballpark opened in 2009.

• Pete Alonso heating up: coming into tonight, in his last 5 games: .316 (6-19), 2

  HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R, BB, HBP. With tonight’s double, Alonso has 4 extra-base

  hits in his last 5 games.

• Juan Soto has taken the first strike 68% of the time (v. 58% last year and 55% for his career).

• Although everyone – including Soto – is disappointed with the start to his Mets career, Soto has reached base safely in 46 of 55 games this season, including his first 11. It was the longest on-base streak of his career to open a season. His 31 games reaching base two or more times are the ninth-most such games in the majors.

• Soto became the first player in MLB history to accumulate 800 career walks

  before their 27th birthday. He reached 800 walks in his 978th career Major

  League game, the fourth-fewest games in Major League history to reach the 800-career walk plateau. Only Ted Williams, Max Bishop and Frank Thomas reached 800 walks in fewer games.

• Luisangel Acuna had not started a game in a week, but started tonight against the LHP. He was named NL Rookie of the Month for the month of March/April. Acuna is the fourth player in franchise history 24-years-old or younger to have at least 20 hits and five stolen bases in the first month of the season (also: José Reyes 2006, Darryl Strawberry 1984 and David Wright 2006). Has 11 stolen bases through his first 61 career games, tied with Lee Mazzilli and Lenny Dykstra for the fourth-most by a Met in as many games (most: Mookie Wilson, 14 SB Carlos Gómez and José Reyes 12 SB).

Turning Point:

After the Mets built a 3-0 lead, David Peterson got the first 2 outs in the 6 th before fading. After a hit batsman, a single and an RBI double to Ryan McMahon, Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza pulled his big left hander. In came Huascar Brazobán. Coming into tonight, over his last 12 games, Brazobán had pitched to a 0.56 ERA (1 ER/16.0 IP) and had held opposing batters to a .137 (7-51) average. He had nine scoreless outings of four outs or more -- tied for the most in the majors among relief pitchers --- and Mendoza was asking him to get another 4 outs tonight. But first, Brazoban had to retire Mickey Moniak with the bases loaded and the go ahead runs on base. Moniak, the first overall pick in the MLB draft back in 2016, has not done much in the majors, but he was brought in as a pinch hitter to face Brazoban with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs. Two pitches later, a soft fly ball to left field, and the Rockies’ rally disappeared.

Brazobán then pitched the 7th , and retired 3 more batters but surrendered a home run to Hilliard in his 1st AB of the 2025 season. Brazobán has now stranded 18 of 20 inherited runners (90%), the best mark in the majors (min. 15 inherited runners).

Three Keys:

Freeland Throws Well but Makes 3 Big Mistakes

Tonight was not only a battle of two left handers, but a duel between two old

friends. Kyle Freeland from Denver, Colorado v. David Peterson from nearby Aurora, who met when Peterson was attending the University of Oregon. Peterson was actually in Freeland’s wedding party. Freeland came into tonight struggling badly, with an 0-7 record, and a 5.86 ERA, and a whopping 13 hits per 9 innings pitched. But Freeland battled the Mets through 6 innings, surrendering only 7 baserunners.

However, among his 90 pitches – 62 for strikes – he grooved three different

fastballs that were the keys to his leaving the game behind 3-2. The first was Lindor’s opening at-bat of the game. On a 1-2 pitch, Freeland caught too much plate with a 92 mph fastball and Lindor deposited it into the seats to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. As noted above, when Lindor homers, the Mets win – that’s been the case now for 25 straight games in which Lindor hits a home run.

In the third, up stepped the struggling Juan Soto with 2 outs and a runner at 1st .

On a 2-2 pitch, Freeland served up a 93 mph 4-seamer into Soto’s wheelhouse. He is fortunate that Soto has not been elevating the ball, but Soto was able to line a double into right center to score Lindor from first base, to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.

The next inning, Starling Marte who has hit only 2 home runs all season, hit a

long home run over the Great Wall of Flushing on an 88 mph “fastball” from Freeland. Although called a “cutter”, the ball didn’t move at all, effectively a batting practice pitch for Marte.

Other than those 3 mistakes, Freeland pitched well enough to win Colorado’s 19th game of the season. Fortunately for the Mets, his buddy Peterson was able to outpitch him on a night when he didn’t have his best command.

The Bullpen Dominates Once Again

In addition to Brazoban’s huge moment in the 6 th (the Turning Point of the Game described above), and another 4-out appearance from him (this time with one mistake to Sam Hilliard), Reed Garrett and Edwin Diaz continued their recent dominance.

Garrett extended his scoreless inning streak to 8.0 innings. Coming into tonight,

Garrett’s 0.76 ERA (now 0.73) was the fourth lowest in Mets history through a Mets pitcher's first 24 games of a season.

Edwin Díaz came into tonight having pitched a “reliever’s no-hitter”: he had not

allowed a hit in 27 consecutive at-bats, the longest active streak in the majors. That streak continued tonight with “Sugar” facing 3 batters and striking out all 3. He has not allowed an earned run over his last 13 games, recording 6 saves and allowing only 4 hits and 5 walks with 19 strikeouts during that span. He has not allowed a hit over his last 9 appearances, the longest streak of his career.

Stellar Defense

Defense is often overlooked – unless it’s bad defense – but tonight, there were

gems all around Citi Field, with significant contributions from several Mets. There were both “web gems” and under-the-radar ones, all of which contributed to the Mets win, particularly with David Peterson struggling with his command all night.

The biggest and most outstanding defensive play was from Francisco Lindor

(described above), a leaping snare of a line drive on its way to tying the game that no lesser athlete could have caught. However, his was not the only defensive contribution.

In the top of the 3rd , with one out, Tyler Freeman singled to center. Then, Jordan

Beck singled to center, but Tyrone Taylor charged the ball to keep Freeman at 2nd . This allowed Peterson to use his entire arsenal, including bouncing balls to Francisco Alvarez without worrying about a run scoring from 3 rd . He struck out Tovar in a 7-pitch battle.

Earlier that inning, leading off the inning, Brandon Nimmo – who is 2nd in the MLB for in Defensive Runs Saved by a leftfielder, made a smooth, running catch to left center on a ball driven by Michael Toglia. Considering Peterson’s struggles that inning (surrendering 2 singles and a walk after that catch), this was a, perhaps, overlooked defensive key.

Juan Soto got a big hand from the hometown crowd when he made an athletic,

over his shoulder leaping catch in the 7 th inning with the Mets clinging to a 3-2 lead. (A critic might note that he took a bad route to the ball, necessitating his athletic catch, but it was a nice catch nonetheless.)

In the prior inning, however, Soto too made an under-the-radar play. With

Peterson struggling and down to his last batter after a visit from Jeremy Hefner, Ryan McMahon stepped up with runners on 1st and 2nd . McMahon lined the first pitch he saw down the RF line. Soto got to the ball with some actual hustle, quickly released his throw to Acuna, who was able to get it home to stop Brenton Doyle at third base. Brazoban was brought in to get Moniak to stop the rally and keep the Mets lead at 3-1. Without Soto’s hustle, it’s at least a 3-2 game and perhaps Hilliard’s 7th inning home run ties the game.

Pete Alonso added two nifty picks of short-hopped throws at first, showing that

he may be the best in the game at that particular defensive skill.