Mets rally for split, first win of season
Pete Alonso launched a tying homer leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, Tyrone Taylor lined a game-winning single and the New York Mets — after going 13 innings without a hit — rallied past the Detroit Tigers 2-1 for their first victory of the season Thursday and a doubleheader split.
Harrison Bader's bloop single to start the eighth was New York's first hit in the second game. But the Mets (1-5) finally broke through in the ninth to give Carlos Mendoza his first win as a major league manager. They avoided opening 0-6 for the first time since their second season in 1963.
New York blew a three-run lead in the opener and lost 6-3 in 11 innings after Colt Keith hit a tiebreaking double. Gio Urshela added a two-run single.
Javier Baez had an early RBI single in the second game for the Tigers (5-1), who were the last unbeaten team in MLB.
Bader's soft single to left-center broke up a combined no-hit bid by Matt Manning and Tyler Holton. Alex Faedo stranded Bader at second base by striking
The Mets' Pete Alonso, left, and Zack Short, right, congratulate Tyrone Taylor after his game-winning hit.
out Francisco Lindor.
Faedo, looking for his first big league save, then gave up the home run to Alonso — his college teammate at Florida.
Faedo walked Brett Baty, who advanced on Starling Marte's sacrifice bunt before racing home on Taylor's hit. PIRATES 7, NATIONALS 4 >> Pittsburgh bounced right back from its first loss, producing a fourrun first with the help of Rowdy Tellez's two-run single on its way to a victory at Washington.
Connor Joe added a two-run homer in the fifth.
Martín Pérez (1-0) pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, six hits and striking out six.
The Pirates completed their season-opening road trip with a 6-1 record and have scored at least six runs in all but one game: their 5-3 setback at Nationals Park on Wednesday.
CARDINALS 8, MARLINS 5 >> Nolan Gorman hit a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning and St. Louis won its home opener over winless Miami (0-8), which is off to the worst start in the 33-year history of the franchise.
Jake Burger hit a pair of homers for the Marlins.
GUARDIANS 4, TWINS 2 >> Tanner Bibee and the bullpen had 15 strikeouts and Cleveland ruined Minnesota's home opener.
Bibee (1-0) had nine strikeouts, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings.
ROYALS 10, WHITE SOX 1 >> Nelson Velázquez and MJ Melendez each homered and drove in two runs, leading Seth Lugo and Kansas City to a win over visiting Chicago.
Lugo (1-0) allowed one run and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings.