Mets hand the Tigers first loss
Avoid first 0-6 start since 1963 in twin bill split
Pete Alonso launched a tying homer leading off 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 in New York.
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 63 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 the majors.
Bader’s soft single to leftcenter broke up a combined no-hit bid by Matt Manning and Tyler Holton and ended the longest hitless skid (by innings) in Mets history. Alex Faedo stranded Bader at second base by striking out Francisco Lindor.
Other games
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, which is off to the worst start in the 33-year history of the franchise. Jake Burger hit a pair of homers for Miami (0-8), which is off to the worst start in the majors since Atlanta and Minnesota each lost their first nine games in 2016. The Marlins are the only winless team in baseball.
Guardians 4, Twins 2: Tanner Bibee and the Cleveland bullpen had 15 strikeouts to put the clamps on Minnesota’s bats, Steven Kwan had three hits and the Guardians spoiled the Twins’ home opener. Bibee (1-0) matched
his career high with nine strikeouts, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings. Four relievers followed, with Emmanuel Clase working a perfect ninth for his third save. Carlos Correa had three hits and Edouard Julien homered for the Twins. Minnesota, which averaged more than 10 strikeouts per game to lead the majors last year, fanned the 15 times and stranded nine runners — eight in scoring position.
Royals 10, White Sox 1:
Nelson Velázquez and MJ Melendez each homered and drove in two runs, leading Seth Lugo and Kansas City past visiting Chicago. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe threw out the potential tying run at the plate in the sixth inning before Kansas City broke it open with eight runs in the seventh. Velázquez drove in the first two runs of the game with a single and a homer. Lugo (1-0) allowed one run and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings for his first win with the Royals.
Notes
The Athletics will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park near Sacramento until their planned new stadium in Las Vegas is built. The A’s announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time.
• Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2024 season. Pérez had previously been diagnosed with mild inflammation after experiencing discomfort in his right elbow late in the spring. He met with Dr. Keith Meister, according to Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, and surgery was not recommended then.
• Right-hander Mike Clevinger and the Chicago White Sox finalized a $3 million, one-year contract.
• The scheduled start time for Monday’s game between the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins has been changed because of the total solar eclipse. New York was initially set to host the Marlins at 2:05 p.m. The start was pushed back four hours.