Wow, what a game, what a finish, what a shot by Lucas Duda… Who says meaningless games in September all have to be dull and boring?
What I loved most about Duda’s walk-off home run, besides the clang it made when it struck the foul pole, was that he hit it off lefthander Tony Sipp.
If there’s a knock on Lucas Duda, it’s undoubtedly his profound struggles against lefthanded pitching this season. He was batting .173 (19-for-110) against southpaws before his majestic ninth inning blast.
“I haven’t hit left-handers as well this year, obviously,” Duda said afterward. “You know, I’ll get better at it. It’s a work in progress.”
Bursting with confidence, Duda says his goal next season is to become a bigger factor against lefties. If he can get his average against them up to .240 or .250, he becomes a bonafide All Star caliber first baseman for the Mets.
The emergence of Duda this year has been truly remarkable and exciting to see. His success brings many positive implications for the Mets, and chief among them is that he heads into 2015 as the everyday first baseman, giving us one less thing to worry about this offseason.
I’d love to see Duda crush one more homerun on Sunday just so he could reach that magic 30 homer plateau. But whether he does or he doesn’t, I’m just glad we have him and I look forward to bigger and better seasons from him in the future.
Here’s last night’s video for you to enjoy again. It may very well be the last great Mets highlight of the 2014 season, so hit play and soak it all in. LGM
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