Jeff McNeil was sure to bring some birthday magic to the ballpark for his 29th celebration on Thursday afternoon. The New York Mets (2-2) secured the victory in walk-off fashion in the home opener against the Miami Marlins (1-6), and McNeil was the hero in the ninth, as he tied the game with a monumental home run into the stands in right field.

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On The Mound

Taijuan Walker began his first start as a Met just about as well as he could’ve hoped; he struck out leadoff man Corey Dickerson on three pitches before forcing Miguel Rojas into a groundout. He then showcased a little magic and agility, picking off Starling Marte at first base after surrendering him a walk. His second inning was even more impressive, as he mustered just seven pitches to get himself through the frame.

Walker kept the ball rolling in the third, racking up another strikeout before allowing his second long flyball of the afternoon. Luckily, Michael Conforto was there to grab it at the warning track. Walker finished off the frame having faced the minimum nine batters to that point in the game.

After two quick outs in the fourth, the Marlins got their first opportunity for a hit, as Marte lined a ball towards shortstop. Unfortunately for Marte, the ball was hit right at two-time gold glover Francisco Lindor, who leapt into the air and brought the ball back from orbit to save a hit and secure the third out.

Brian Anderson finally got the Marlins into the hit column with one gone in the fifth, rifling a ball into shallow right field. Walker later surrendered a walk to put two runners on with two gone, but he recovered nicely and fired a Chad Wallach dribbler to Pete Alonso at first for the third out.

After going down in the bottom half of the previous inning, the Marlins were ready to strike back in the sixth. Jon Berti got things rolling with a leadoff single, and Dickerson quickly drove him home with a slapper of a double down the right field line to tie the game. Later in the inning, Jesus Aguilar brought Dickerson in to score with a single through the left side, giving the Marlins a 2-1 lead.

Walker came out of the game after finishing off the sixth; his final line sat at six innings pitched, four hits, two earned runs, two walks, and four strikeouts. Walker, who hadn’t hit 97 MPH in four years, notched that number multiple times during his Mets debut, and averaged 95.4 MPH on his fastball. In fact, Walker threw 30 pitches clocked at 95 MPH or more on Thursday afternoon, something he hadn’t done since 2017.

He was replaced by reliever Miguel Castro, who was making his third appearance in the first four games of the season. Castro made quick work of the Marlins in the seventh, putting them down 1-2-3 on just 10 pitches.

Trevor May was handed the ball in the eighth, and also was making his third appearance of the season. His first two outings were sub-optimal; he threw over 25 pitches in both against the Phillies. He turned things around this afternoon, throwing just 18 pitches, allowing one hit, and striking out one in a scoreless frame

In the ninth, the Mets counted on closer Edwin Diaz to hold the Marlins lead to just one in his first appearance of 2021. After a rough 2019 and a better 2020, Diaz still has lots to prove to Mets fans, and he started off on the right track on Thursday afternoon, striking out one and walking one in a scoreless frame.

At The Plate

After a 90 MPH fastball sank into the zone for a called strike to begin the afternoon, Brandon Nimmo crafted a quick response, striking an 0-2 pitch that caught too much of the plate and driving it left field for a leadoff double. After a Francisco Lindor flyout, Conforto stepped to the plate. Conforto, who had already struggled with runners in scoring position this season, continued this trend, as he struck out and retreated back to the dugout. Pete Alonso then drew a walk to put two runners on, and Dom Smith gave a ball a ride to left field that was unfortunately caught for the third out.

After a quick 1-2-3 second inning, the Mets got another opportunity with two gone in the third. Marlins rookie starter Nick Neidert lost command and walked both Lindor and Conforto, gifting Pete Alonso a chance. Unfortunately, Pete couldn’t get the barrel up to a high fastball, resulting in an easy pop-up in foul territory near first base.

The Mets had a great chance in the fourth, loading the bases with just one gone. However, Taijuan Walker couldn’t help himself out, as he grounded into a double play to end the threat. Through the fourth, the Mets were 0-5 with RISP. This trend was unfortunately not surprising, as the team had hit just .207 with RISP during their previous series with the Phillies.

Miami opted to switch pitchers midway through the fifth, swapping Neidert for left-hander Ross Detwiler. Conforto was the first Met that Detwiler faced, and he was greeted kindly, as a pitch got away from the lefty and struck Conforto, gifting him a free pass. He then walked Alonso, loading the bases for Smith. Smith connected, driving the ball towards center field. The ball kept traveling, tracking Starling Marte closer and closer towards the wall with every step. Marte had a read on it, though, and jumped at the wall to make a brilliant catch, robbing Smith of an extra base hit. Still, Lindor scored on the sacrifice fly, and the Mets had themselves a 1-0 lead.

After a silent sixth inning, Nimmo revived the offense in the seventh with a leadoff base hit to center field. Lindor did his best to add fuel to the fire, lining a ball to right field that was unfortunately right at Adam Duvall for the first out. Conforto, looking to break out of his early season misfortunes, did exactly the opposite, and grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the frame.

The bats were silent again in the eighth, and New York entered the ninth down by one.

By this point, the birthday boy had decided enough was enough. McNeil turned on a 3-1 sinker and crushed it to right field, waving his arms in the air as he trotted down the first base line, tying the game at two-a-piece.

This fired up the Mets bats; a Luis Guillorme single and a Nimmo double placed New York in prime position to grab the win. The Marlins opted to intentionally walk Lindor, which put the struggling Conforto in the box with the bases loaded.

After going down 0-2, Conforto worked a couple fouls and a ball against Marlins’ reliever Anthony Bass. With a 1-2 count, Bass threw a pitch into the upper inside corner of the zone that appeared to be a strike. However, it brushed up against Conforto’s elbow pad, which was protruding out into the strike zone. The umpire signaled it a hit by pitch, and after review, the call was upheld, forcing in the winning run for the Mets. The Mets mobbed Conforto and McNeil on the field as the Marlins furiously argued with the umpires.

Marlins’ manager Don Mattingly said after the game that the only thing the umpires could review was whether the ball hit Conforto, and there was not enough conclusive evidence to overturn the call. According to MLB.com’s Mike Petriello, there have been 23 in-zone hit batsmen since 2008.

Nevertheless, the ninth inning magic secured the victory for the Mets, 3-2.

On Deck

The Mets have an off day on Friday and will continue their series against the Marlins on Saturday afternoon. Jacob deGrom will make his second start of the season after going six scoreless against the Phillies on opening day. He will match up against Marlins’ left-hander Trevor Rogers, who went four innings and gave up two earned runs against the Cardinals in his last outing.