After opting out of the 2020 MLB season, Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman took the mound for the first time in over 18 months, Tuesday. The start was just what the right-hander would have wanted. Serving up six strong innings with three strikeouts while only allowing one run. The Mets offense also showed up and scored runs in support of their pitcher.
Stroman had control of the game and was able to force ground outs against the Phillies strong offensive lineups. Thirteen of Stroman’s eighteen outs came by way of a ground ball. When asked about the success getting ground ball outs on Tuesday the pitcher said.
“Whenever I’ve been good in my career, that’s been my forte,” Stroman said “I put a ton of work in this offseason and it was exciting to get back out there.”
Taking the mound for the first time since September of 2019 it was unknown how Stroman would fare. However, on Tuesday the veteran right-hander proved he could be a solid starter in New York’s rotation.
Stroman did face trouble on more than one occasion during the night. In the second inning he loaded the bases with two outs after a pitch got away from him and hit Roman Quinn. The inning was then ended by a ground out single hit to Lindor. He also got out of a jam in the sixth inning after a Jeff McNeil error and wild pitch which allowed him to advance into scoring position with the score at 2-1. Pete Alonso turned the second out after an impressive diving grab off of a Didi Gregorius grounder. Then, with the ball in his hand Stroman had a big strike out against Jean Segura.
Mets Offense
The story on Tuesday wasn’t all about Stroman, however. The defense obviously made plays and got key outs for their pitcher. But the Mets offense also made plays. The party started in the fourth inning with a two-run shot off the bat of Dominic Smith. Which marked his first home run of the 2021 season.
Although the Mets didn’t produce an extra base hit on the night, they were able to draw walks. Including the seventh inning against Vince Velasquez who walked three of the first four batters he faced. Brandon Nimmo who was walked in three of his five plate appearances, drew a walk with the bases loaded in the seventh. This brought the Mets lead to 3-1.
Francisco Lindor followed the Nimmo walk with his first RBI in a Mets uniform with a sacrifice fly. After that Pillar and Nimmo executed a double steal that resulted in Pillar rounding home after a poor throw from Realmuto. Pillar got credit for stealing home on the play. Michael Conforto finished the scoring for the Mets in the inning with a two out RBI, which gave New York a 6-1 lead going into the eighth.
After the bullpen blew a lead in Monday’s game, it certainly wasn’t a smooth outing on again on Monday. While it wasn’t pretty Miguel Castro, Trevor May and Jeurys Familia combined to get the final nine outs of the first win of the Mets season. To avoid another article hitting the Mets bullpen panic button, I will leave it as it wasn’t pretty for either of the three pitchers.
Pete Alonso added a ninth inning home run and the Mets ended the game with an 8-4 victory.
The Mets and Phillies series continues on Wednesday. Mets left-hander David Peterson will take the mound.
