Kelly Johnson made his return to the New York Mets in Friday’s 2-1 extra-innings win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He had an eventful night back, filled with ups and downs.
Johnson, 34, had a nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a walk and an extra-base hit. His first opportunity came in the third, and he quickly ripped a double deep into the outfield, giving the Mets a great opportunity to lead off the inning.
With Johnson on second and Matt Harvey at the plate with one out, a very strange play occurred. Harvey hit a chopper up the middle to the shortstop, instead of continuing to run to third on the play or stay put on the base, Johnson froze just a few feet from the base and was tagged out as he delayed attempting to go back, causing a double play.
In the seventh, Johnson just missed a homer as he was robbed by former Met, Kirk Nieuwenhuis. He again though came up big in the ninth with a single, putting the Mets in a prime position to take the lead.
But the team was unable to cash in at the time as they failed to score with bases loaded and nobody out. All is well that ends well though as the team took the win in extra-innings in what was a game that was filled with bizarre moments.
Johnson was a big piece for this team last year as the trade for himself and Juan Uribe provided the original spark that carried them to a 2015 National League pennant. The Mets hope Johnson can bring some of that magic back again at a time where the offense is sputtering and in need of help. Johnson spoke of his excitement to be back with the Mets before Friday’s game.
“It’s obviously a good situation,” Johnson said. “I know what I’m coming into. I’m way more comfortable. And them knowing me too, that’s also a key. You don’t have to feel any pressure about proving to be this or that. You just come in and do the same thing and play hard and hope you do some stuff to contribute to some wins.” (ESPN)
So far on the season, Johnson had struggled with Atlanta, hitting to a .224/.285/.304 slash. He has hit just one homer with 10 RBI in 125 plate appearances to start his season. He is sure to see some significant playing time for a team that has been bitten by the injury bug as he can cover just about every position in the infield.
