Baez caps unlikely Mets’ comeback
NEW YORK — Michael Conforto delivered a two-out hit that sent Javier Báez bolting home to cap a five-run rally in the ninth inning, then homered to lift the New York Mets over the Miami Marlins, 3-1, Tuesday night for their second victory of the day.
In the afternoon opener — which was the completion of a nine-inning game suspended one out into the top of the first on April 11 — Conforto’s single scored the tying run and Báez, too.
Báez earned cheers from a fanbase he insulted days earlier by sprinting home when left fielder Jorge Alfaro misplayed the ball to cap a five-run inning and give the Mets a 6-5 win.
The win in the second game, which was seven innings, gave the Mets three straight victories. New York, which entered the month with a four-game lead in the NL East, began Tuesday seven games back of the division-leading Atlanta Braves.
The Marlins-Mets game scheduled for Wednesday night at Citi Field was postponed a day in advance because of expected heavy rain. It will be made up as part of a straight doubleheader on Sept. 28 starting at 4:10 p.m.
Conforto hit a two-run homer off rookie Edward Cabrera (0-1) in the fourth.
Báez followed with a single and scored on a double by Jeff McNeil — evoking memories of his game-winning sprint hours earlier by racing around third as the announced crowd of 18,101 roared.
Jesus Aguilar had a pinch-hit RBI double in the fifth off Trevor Williams, but Aaron Loup (4-0) escaped a bases-loaded jam by inducing Isan Diaz to hit into a double play. Seth Lugo tossed a scoreless sixth and Edwin Diaz earned his 27th save with a perfect seventh.
Williams allowed an unearned run on four hits and walked none with four strikeouts in 4 ⅓ innings.
Cabrera, making his second big league start, gave up three runs on seven hits and walked none with two strikeouts in four innings.
The opener began about an hour after Báez and Francisco Lindor held separate news conferences to apologize for the thumbs-down gesture they and teammate Kevin Pillar delivered during Sunday’s 9-4 win over the Washington Nationals.
Báez said Sunday the gesture was the players’ way of answering fans who had booed the Mets throughout August. Lindor heard some boos prior to his first plate appearance and went 0 for 3 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt. Báez was booed when he entered as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.
The Mets trailed 5-1 before Brandon Nimmo hit a two-run homer and Báez legged out a two-out RBI infield single. On Conforto’s hit, which scored Pete Alonso, Báez never broke stride he neared third base and scored the winning run.
Plate umpire Tim Timmons initially signaled that catcher Alex Jackson had tagged out Báez as he dived across the plate, but then he saw the ball squirt loose and signaled safe instead.
Even before the wild comeback, there was no shortage of quirkiness in the first game — which official scorer Howie Karpin noted resumed at 1:12 p.m. after a delay of 4 months, 19 days, 23 hours and 55 minutes.
The Marlins had to replace five starters from April 11. Outfielders Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte and Adam Duvall, as well as pitcher John Curtiss, were all traded while catcher Chad Wallach was waived.
Elieser Hernandez, who opened the season with Triple-A New Orleans, received credit for a start in place of Curtiss and allowed five hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
Center fielder Bryan De La Cruz, who began the season with Triple-A Sugar Land in the Houston Astros’ system, replaced Marte and capped the Marlins’ two-run second with an RBI single, which goes into the books as having occurred 110 days before he was acquired by Miami.
The Mets were missing two starters — third baseman Luis Guillorme and catcher Tomas Nido are each on the injured list — from April 11.