Morabito Than We Expected: Rookie's First MLB Hit Ices The Rays

Mets 10 Rays 4 (Tropicana Field, Tampa, FL)

Mets record: 63-77

Mets streak: Won 1

WP - Dedniel Nunez (1-0)

LP- Griffin Jax (6-10)

Seat on the Korner: Nick Morabito

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner — just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

After being called up for a second time since May, Nick Morabito has seen himself in some pivotal plays for the Mets. A couple of games ago, he made a great leaping catch to save some runs. Then, with the bases loaded and two outs against the Rays on Wednesday night, Morabito came through in the clutch with his first MLB hit.

Morabito went down in the count 0-2 quickly, taking a strike and then fouling one off. He was previously 0-12 at the Major League level, so it seemed like he was doomed in this plate appearance. Morabito, in very veteran fashion, worked the count back to 2-2. Then they tried to come up and in on the rookie, when he brought his hands in and turned on the pitch to send it down the left field line, for a 3-run double. The base-clearing hit gave the Mets the cushion they needed to finish off the 1st place Rays and take two out of three from them in the series.

The rookie wasn't done showing off his multi-tool talent. In the bottom of the 8th inning, with two outs, Morabito tracked down a line-drive off the bat of Victor Mesa Jr.

Just before the would-be hit touched the turf, Morabito made a sensational diving catch to end the inning.

He added another hit in the top of the 9th, to finish the game 2-2 with a double and three RBIs.

Need To Know

• Late bloomer: In 42 games following the All-Star break (coming into tonight's game), Francisco Lindor is batting .247/.337/.481 with 25 runs, six doubles, one triple, 10 homers, 21 walks, 24 RBI and an .818 OPS

• Juan Soto hit his 23rd home run of the season. The bomb registered 111.8 mph off the bat

• On the road again... The Mets are 13-9 on the road since July 6...Overall, they are 30-38 away from Citi Field this season...They have posted a 4.19 ERA, while batting .239/.304/.398 on the road this year.

• Rose to be honored: The New York Mets announced the club will honor

  legendary broadcaster Howie Rose with a special retirement ceremony

  before the team’s final regular season home game of the 2026 season on

  Sunday, September 20 against the Philadelphia Phillies at 1:10 p.m. at Citi

  Field.

• Playing a kid's game: The Mets have had eight players make their

  Major League debut this year - OF Carson Benge, OF A.J. Ewing, LHP Nate

  Lavender, OF Nick Morabito, RHP Matt Seelinger, LHP Zac Thornton, RHP

  Jack Weisenburger and LHP Jefry Yan...The Mets had nine players make

  their Major League debut in 2025.

• Red-hot rookie: Over his last 31 games dating back to July 29,

  Carson Benge has a .333/.375/.517 (40-120) slash line with 11 extra-base hits,

  14 RBI, 15 runs, and a .905 OPS

Turning Point

In the top of the 1st, the middle of the Mets lineup scorched the Rays for 3 runs. A mishandled throw at home broke up the inning when Bo Bichette slid into home on a play where the ball beat him by a full step.

The catcher bobbled it, and Bichette's awkward slide kicked the ball away from the plate, bringing Carson Benge home as well.

Jared Young then scored on an RBI Double by Marcus Semien down the left field line.

Three Keys

Baty's Bat

Brett Baty cleared the bases with two outs in the top of the 3rd inning with an opposite-field double that just missed being a home run. A.J. Ewing legged out an infield single to set up the bases-loaded scenario for Baty. The hit knocked the starter Griffin Jax out of the game after allowing six runs in 2 and 2/3 innings. Baty is 6-13 with a whopping 17 RBIs with the bases loaded this season.

Baserunning shenanigans

In the bottom of the 4th inning, a wild balk/3rd disengagement play turned ugly when Young missed the tag in a rundown of Chandler Simpson. It appeared Simpson was way out of the baseline from his original position, but the umpire called him safe as Simpson scampered back to first base. The weird part was that it was Chris Devenski's 3rd disengagement on Simpson, so since he wasn't picked off, he was awarded second base on the play. All that happened with two outs; the next two hits were a single and a home run, pulling the Rays to within two runs, making it 6-4.

Sweet Smell of Lavender

Lefty Nate Lavender has still not allowed a run this year. He pitched 1 and 2/3 innings, getting five huge outs against a tough Rays lineup. Lavender's deceptive delivery and cool motion, under pressure has earned him a 0.00 ERA.