Curtis Granderson saved the New York Mets from a crushing defeat last night in their stirring 6-5 walk-off win against Chase Utley and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In a season where he has struggled mightily as he sits atop the order, this was a big moment for the 35 year-old right-fielder. After Jeurys Familia had allowed the Dodgers to come all the way back from a 5-1 deficit, things had looked grim for the Metropolitans. Granderson though quickly put that to rest as he smashed a 1-0 pitch from Pedro Baez over the right-field wall to clinch the game winner.
“I was hoping more so that it would be fair than anything,” Granderson said. “I saw it hooking. And I’ve been having issues with that — continuing to keep balls straight, getting balls close to the line but not being able to keep them fair. It stayed fair long enough, which was good.” (ESPN)
The homer was the second walk-off shot of his career and his ninth overall on the season. His other walk-off home run came as a member of the Detroit Tigers on September 26, 2005 against the Chicago White Sox. The walk-off RBI was the fifth of Granderson’s career and his first since April 25, 2014.
In a season where he has batted to a .200/.300/.417 slash, it was a much needed boost for Curtis. Manager Terry Collins has been very happy with his leadoff hitter’s poise at the plate and being able to come up big in such a spot.
“He doesn’t get too down. He doesn’t get too carried away with success,” Collins said. “He’s a professional. He just handles things real well. So he came up there and knew he was going to get some fastballs and got something on the inner half of the plate and did some damage.”
“That’s why he brings a lot to the team. When you’re around him, he has the same attitude every day no matter how he’s doing. You never know if he’s 10-for-10 or 0-for-10.”
After a season in which Granderson was such a catalyst at the top of the order for the New York Mets, it’s been a grind for Curtis this year. Hopefully, last night was a huge step in the right direction. Having Granderson begin to hit ball well and get on base consistently, will help this offense tremendously. But for now, lets savor this thrilling moment one more time.
