A win. Some hope. And a fantastic debut.

That’s what we call a great Tuesday evening in Flushing.

The Mets faced off against the Detroit Tigers last night and cruised to a commanding 10-2 victory. Freddy Peralta picked up the win after tossing six solid innings, but the real story of the night sat proudly in center field.

21-year-old A.J. Ewing delivered one of the best rookie debuts in recent Mets history, all while his proud father watched from the stands.

Ewing reached base four times, becoming the first Mets player to do so in his debut since 2004. He walked three times, stole a base, scored twice, and legged out a triple in his final at-bat. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza described Ewing’s at-bats as comfortable, poised, and professional.

“He was pretty much perfect at the plate today and it was just good to see that,” Mendoza said post-game.

Ewing had been dominating the minors to start the year, posting a .349 average with an OPS north of 1.000 in Double-A before earning a promotion to Triple-A without missing a beat.

Twelve games in Syracuse later, the young lefty was on his way to Queens.

Photo Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Now, he’s become one of just four players in the last 25 years to record a triple, a stolen base, and at least two walks (Ewing had 3) in a game before turning 22 years old. The others? James Wood, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Francisco Lindor.

That’s some pretty good company.

Plus, the Mets are now 4-0 on Bark at the Park nights. Maybe the solution is simply packing Citi Field with a battalion of Golden Retrievers every game.

In all seriousness, Ewing looked like the real deal. His at-bats were calm, he runs like the wind, and his swing is short and sweet. He made just one out all night, and even that fly ball left the bat at 102 MPH.

There’s a reason the kid ranks among the top four minor leaguers in wRC+ since 2025. He has the potential to become a legitimate offensive weapon.

And after the start to the season the Mets have had, a spark like that is exactly what this lineup needs.

“It’s indescribable what it feels like to play out there in a big league stadium,” Ewing said after the game. “It was the best day of my life.”