The focus prior to Friday night’s game against the Athletics may have been on Yoenis Cespedes, but that didn’t stop another Mets outfielder from quickly taking back the limelight.
Michael Conforto led the Mets offense on Friday night, with a big two homer, four RBI outburst in a 7-5 victory over the Oakland A’s, the third straight win for the Amazins.
With the team down 1-0 early on in the night, Conforto ripped a 459-foot bomb to the seats in front of the Shea Bridge, the longest home run of his career according to Statcast.
His second dinger of the game came in the seventh on a line drive down the right field line that put the Mets up 7-3, a lead they wouldn’t look back from.
“The first one was a changeup that kind of ran back over the middle of the plate,” Conforto said. “I think really the key to both of them was not trying to do too much. A nice efficient swing and not tensing up, that’s what we have been working on lately.”
Funny enough, Conforto added that while staying nice and relaxed at the dish and not trying to hit the ball 450 feet, that’s when he actually does see better results and hits them that far.
With two round trippers on the evening, Conforto boosted his home run total on the season to 18. His four RBI on the night also tied a career high.
After stumbling into the All-Star break on the heels of a rough six weeks, the 24-year-old Conforto has dusted himself off and has regained his All-Star form.
Since the break, Conforto is 10-for-31 with four home runs, all coming during this homestand, and it has sparked some optimism as the team forges ahead.
“Obviously, we feel good after a win tonight. We’re definitely excited to hopefully keep this thing rolling,” Conforto said.
“It’s an important home stand for us, and I think all the games are important from here on out. We’re going to continue to work, hopefully we’ll get some guys back, and just keep trying to put W’s on the board.”
In what’s been a lackluster and disappointing season for the Mets, Conforto continues to be the beacon of light.
