Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Marlins-Mets
The Marlins open a three-game series against the Mets with a win.
NEW YORK — One game into his season, 52 atbats into his career and 31 years into his life, Wei-Yin Chen got a hit.
By the end of the night Friday, Chen also had six innings of one-run ball and five strikeouts in the Miami Marlins’ 7-2 win over the New York Mets. But a hit? A batted ball on which he safely reached base? That was new a new major league experience for Chen.
Chen’s single in the fourth inning hit the ground 3 feet from home plate and rolled to shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who fielded it with his bare hand but did not attempt a throw. According to Statcast, the ball came off Chen’s bat at 65 mph (slow) and an angle of -51 degrees (almost straight down). Batted balls with those variables have a 14 percent chance of being a hit.
This time, finally, luck was on Chen’s side. His search for his first big league hit had induced plenty of lighthearted funpoking since he joined the Marlins last year, and now it is over.
The Mets tossed the ball back toward the Marlins’ dugout for safekeeping. Chen, who put on a jacket to help keep warm during a chilly night at Citi Field, took only a short lead off first base as Dee Gordon batted against Mets righty Zack Wheeler. Gordon grounded out to second to end the inning and send Chen back to the mound.
Chen’s 0-for-51 hitless streak (covering 57 plate appearances) was the fourth-longest such stretch to start a career among players who have debuted since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The three ahead of Chen: Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (66 atbats), Joey Hamilton (57) for the mid-1990s Padres and Ron Herbel (55) for the mid-1960s Giants.
After coming to the United States from Japan in 2012, Chen played for the American League’s Baltimore Orioles from 2012-15, stepping to the plate seven times in four seasons. Last year for the Marlins, batting regularly for the first time since 2011, he went 0 for 44.
A left-handed pitcher, Chen started last season as a left-handed hitter before switching to the right side in June.
“He’s just confused. He didn’t know he’s a righty until halfway through the year last year,” manager Don Mattingly said with a laugh Thursday. “It’s pretty amazing that he hasn’t thrown one out there somehow, some way.”
Moments later, Mattingly predicted Chen would pick up a hit this year.
Like Chen’s knock, just about everything went right for the Marlins on Friday.
After the Marlins fell behind in the first, Derek Dietrich drove in two runs with a triple to center in the second inning. He scored on Adeiny Hechavarria’s ensuing ground out to shortstop.
The Marlins tacked on runs in the third (two-run home run from Christian Yelich) and the fifth (RBI singles from Marcell Ozuna and Dietrich).