CANO! CANO! CANO!
Robbie blasts three as Mets trip Padres
Tuesday night was Robinson Cano’s show. Everyone else was just a spectator.
The veteran second baseman crushed not one, not two, but three home runs in the Mets’ 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres in the series opener. It was Cano’s first-career three-homer game. Cano joined 12 players, most recently Lucas Duda and Yoenis Cespedes, as the only Mets to hit three home runs in one game.
“It’s something special. As a player, there are things that you want to accomplish to see how it feels,” Cano said. “This really feels good.”
Cano launched a solo shot to the second deck in right field in the fourth inning and a two-run jack in the sixth. His second homer of the night forced Padres rookie right-hander Chris Paddack out of the game. The eight-time All-Star added his third homer in the seventh inning, another two-run shot that he parked in the second deck. He ended his night going 4-for-4 with five RBI and three runs scored.
Tuesday night marked the first time Cano homered at Citi Field since April 6 against the Nationals — the Mets’ second home game of the season. He enjoyed his first multi-home run game since June 30, 2017.
“He’s done a great job of working hard. He’s been on a plan. He’s been working diligently every day to have a night like tonight,” Mickey Callaway said.
Cano is showing significant improvement in the second half of the year, with signs that he’s finally turning his disappointing season around. The 36-year-old is batting .342 (13for-38) with two doubles, five home runs, nine RBI and nine runs scored in 10 games since the All-Star break.
Compare this to his rotten first-half numbers: Cano’s .646 OPS at the break was his lowest since a .643 first-half OPS in 2008. His four home runs were tied for his fewest in the first half, matched in 2006 and 2018. Cano credited his flip in production to staying positive.
“I’m happy that things are turning around so you guys aren’t killing me in the paper anymore,” Cano said.
Unfortunately for the Mets, Cano’s recent power surge has arrived, more or less, too late. The Mets are one week away from accepting their fate as sellers at the July 31 trade deadline. Despite Tuesday night’s victory, the Mets are eight games under .500, 13 games behind the firstplace Braves and six games from a potential Wild Card spot.
Jason Vargas, one of the main trade targets on the team, held the Padres to six scoreless innings with one hit, four walks and eight strikeouts over 99 pitches in the winning effort. He enjoyed watching Cano’s historical game from the comfort of the dugout.
“You don’t get to see threehomer game nights — let alone somebody’s first — all the time. He’s done a lot of things in the game and I think this is probably a special night for him,” Vargas said.