YO, ADRIAN

Gonzalez smacks 1st Amazin’ grand slam

WASHINGTON — Adrian Gonzalez watched the three batters before him work full counts against Tanner Roark before all drawing walks to load the bases with two outs in the third inning Sunday night.

By the time the veteran first baseman got to the plate, he knew what he wanted. He saw a fastball over the plate and crushed it.

Gonzalez’s grand slam, his first home run in a Mets uniform, gave his team the lead at the time, and while it was eventually wiped away, the big boost kept them alive to finally beat the Nationals 6-5 in 12 innings and complete the sweep at Nationals Park.

“I was just looking for something middle of the plate,” Gonzalez said. “He kept nibbling and trying to pick at the corners. I was trying not to think too much and focus on something middle. He threw a fastball inside and I was able to get the barrel to it.”

Gonzalez had struck out in his first at-bat against Roark, but he didn’t miss the second time around. The first pitch he saw with the bases juiced was an 89 mph fastball and he sent it 402 feet, landing beyond the right-field wall to give the Mets a 4-2 lead.

“After the first at-bat, he had to show him he was going to go out there and make sure a heater didn’t get by him,” manager Mickey Callaway said.

Gonzalez has made Nationals Park his personal playground during his 15- year career. He entered the game batting .358 (34-for-95) here, the highest mark among active players with at least 100 plate appearances. His grand slam — the sixth of his career — was also his fifth home run at Nationals Park.

After being released by the Braves in December, Gonzalez signed a oneyear deal with the Mets in January worth the major-league minimum of $545,000.

The 35-year-old struggled in spring training, batting just .207 (12-for-58) with one home run, but he has put much of that in the past, especially with one swing of the bat Sunday night.

“Those walks leading up to my home run were huge,” Gonzalez said. “They were great at-bats, behind in the count, they battled, laid off some tough pitches and when the team can do that against an opposing pitcher, it continues to put pressure on them. Sometimes the pitcher gets a little restless and ends up making a mistake.”