In the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game, Arizona Diamondbacks fielders didn’t even turn around to watch Pete Alonso, the first baseman for the Mets, hit a 416-foot home run into the second level in left field.
They had already watched two balls hit home runs. When the umpire swirls his finger to indicate that someone else has departed the building, why should the Mets be given the satisfaction of watching them slump over again?
Alonso tied Mets great Ed Kranepool for seventh place in team history with his single home run, which was his 28th RBI of the season and 614th overall. Additionally, it gave the Mets a decisive 8-0 lead.
The Mets scored four runs in the second inning of Tuesday’s 8-3 victory, continuing their run-scoring spree.
After center fielder Tyrone Taylor doubled with two outs after second baseman Luisangel Acuña singled with one out to start the inning, Acuña was able to score from first base. The Mets led 2-0 when left fielder José Azocar, who replaced Brandon Nimmo, who missed a game due to flu-like symptoms, hit an RBI single.
The home run then bounced off the fence and back onto the field when shortstop Francisco Lindor slipped it off the top of the left-field wall. Umpires reviewed Lindor’s ball and determined it was a home run, increasing the Mets’ advantage to 4-0.
New York scored three more runs in the third inning, including two home runs by DH Starling Marte. Marte’s hit, which landed 386 feet away above the home run apple in left field, was undeniable, unlike Lindor’s.
Taylor singled in Acuña from second base to give the Mets a 7-0 lead and drove in the third run of the inning.
The Mets have scored 34 runs in their previous three games, including an 8-2 victory on Tuesday. Between the second inning on Monday and the fourth inning on Tuesday, a 12-inning span saw the scoring of 27 of those runs.
Particularly in the fourth inning, the Mets’ impressive defense complimented their offensive play. First, Lindor and Diamondbacks DH Randal Grichuck were forced out at first base by the combination of Lindor and third baseman Mark Vientos.
Lindor positioned himself and fired to first in time for the out after Grichuck’s 100.1 line drive caromed off Vientos’ glove.
Taylor tracked and dove like Superman to catch a booming fly ball that the following hitter blasted to the warning track in center that should have been a hit. This prompted the 35,218 supporters there to give a resounding applause.
That defense paid off for Mets starter David Peterson, who allowed three runs or fewer for the eighth straight start. In five innings pitched against the Diamondbacks, the left-hander gave up just one run on five hits, earning his second victory.
Peterson has a 3.06 ERA and a 2-1 record in six starts.
