WALK-OFF WIN’S A REAL 1-2 PUNCH
Conforto, Frazier HR in 9th
One third baseman honored another in the best manner possible to conclude Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader at Citi Field.
Only hours after David Wright announced his farewell tour set for the final homestand, Todd Frazier smashed a walkoff homer that gave the Mets a 4-3 victory over the Marlins.
The Mets were down to their final out against Kyle Barraclough when Michael Conforto homered to tie it. Frazier followed with a shot into the left-field seats, giving the Mets their first walk-off victory in team history on consecutive homers with two outs in the ninth inning.
“In my mind I was trying to hit a home run,” Frazier said. “Those rarely happen, and got a pitch to hit and squeaked on home.”
In his last 31 games, entering the nightcap, Frazier had eight homers and 25 RBIs. The Mets signed Frazier to a two-year deal worth $17 million last winter after it became evident that Wright — who last played in a major league game on May 27, 2016 — wouldn’t be ready for the season.
“[Wright] is one of the greatest Mets to play here,” Frazier said. “I looked up to him as a young kid coming up, and I remember when I was playing against him with the Reds, just watching his prowess, the way he got ready for ground balls.
“He deserves all the credit in the world. He’s a guy who worked his butt off with the injuries he has. Not many people would do what he did. ”
Steven Matz lasted 6 ¹/3 innings and allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks. The lefty also blasted his first career homer, a two-run shot in the second inning that accounted for the Mets’ other runs.
Conforto’s homer was the second of his career that tied the game in the ninth or later. The blast was his 14th in 35 games since the All-Star break.
Peter O’Brien and Isaac Galloway hit consecutive homers against Matz in the second. Overall, Matz has surrendered 24 homers in 27 starts this season.
“The long ball has been killing me this year,” Matz said. “But after the two homers I kind of feel like I settled in and my stuff wasn’t as crisp today as it has been, but I was able to kind of work around it.”