Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
In this weekly feature for MMO, I’m going to look back at the previous week’s games and share some interesting data and information that I’ve collected through various websites such as Baseball-Reference, FanGraphs, and Baseball Savant. It’ll be a mixture of facts, stats, and analytics.
Let’s get into the seven days between September 11 and September 17.
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Mets vs. Marlins
Tomás Nido went 3-for-4 with a double, homer, walk, and three RBI in the Mets’ 9-3 win over the Miami Marlins in the rubber game of the series. Nido became the first Mets catcher to reach base safely at least four times (without reaching on error) and record 2+ extra-base hits since Wilson Ramos on September 11, 2020.
Brandon Nimmo hit his 14th home run of the season with a 3-run shot in the second inning. Nimmo’s homer had an exit velocity of 107.6 mph, which is his hardest-hit homer this season.
Taijuan Walker tossed seven innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts and no walks. It’s the first time Walker has struck out double-digit batters without issuing a walk and allowing no more than one run since September 13, 2016.
Jeff McNeil went 3-for-4 with a walk, stolen base, and RBI in the win. It was McNeil’s 42nd career 3+ hit game, tying Tommie Agee for the 20th-most such games in franchise history.
Monday, September 12, 2022
Cubs vs. Mets
Francisco Lindor homered in the ninth inning in the Mets’ 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs in the opening game of the three-game series. It was Lindor’s 23rd homer of the season, tying Asdrúbal Cabrera (2016) for the most single-season homers by a Mets shortstop.
Mychal Givens tossed two scoreless innings and struck out five batters in relief. It was the first time a Mets reliever tossed two scoreless innings with 5+ strikeouts in an appearance since Seth Lugo on September 13, 2018.
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Cubs vs. Mets
Jacob deGrom tossed six innings of 3-run ball with 10 strikeouts in the Mets’ 4-1 loss. That was deGrom’s 39th consecutive start of allowing no more than 3 ER. That tied Jim Scott (1913-1914) for the most such starts since the ER became official in both leagues in 1913 (excluding openers).
Through eight starts this season, Jacob deGrom has struck out 73 batters while walking just four. Only three pitchers have struck out 70+ batters while walking fewer than 5 in their first eight games of a season: Clayton Kershaw (2016), Gerrit Cole (2021), and deGrom.
Jacob deGrom recorded 10 swings and misses on both his 4-seam fastball and slider. It was the first time deGrom had recorded double-digit whiffs on both of those pitches in a start since April 23, 2021.
Pete Alonso hit his 34th home run of the season with a solo shot in the ninth. It was also Alonso’s 140th career home run. He tied Mark Teixeira for the 4th-most homers hit in a player’s first four big league seasons. Only Ralph Kiner (168), Albert Pujols (160) and Eddie Mathews (153) have hit more.
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Cubs vs. Mets
Trevor Williams tossed 4.1 innings in relief with eight strikeouts in the Mets’ 6-3 loss. Only three Mets pitchers have struck out 8+ batters in relief: Tug McGraw (three times), Ray Sadecki, and Williams.
Pete Alonso hit his 35th home run of the season with a solo shot in the eighth. It’s the third time in Alonso’s career that he’s hit 35 or more homers in a season. He joins Dave Kingman, Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, and Mike Piazza as the only Mets to hit 35+ homers three times in a season with the club.
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Pirates vs. Mets
Francisco Lindor hit his 24th homer of the season in the Mets’ 7-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opening game of a four-game series. He set a new Mets record for the most single-season homers by a shortstop.
Francisco Lindor drove in two runs in the win, setting a new career high in RBI with 94. His previous best was 92 RBI in 2018.
Seth Lugo struck out the side in the seventh on 13 pitches. His third strikeout was the 500th of his major league career, becoming the 27th different Mets pitcher to record 500+ strikeouts with the club.
Carlos Carrasco started and struck out 11 over six innings pitched. Carrasco recorded 14 swings and misses against his changeup; that’s the most changeup whiffs Carrasco has recorded in a start for his major league career.
The Mets won their 90th game of the season. Buck Showalter joined only Davey Johnson (1984) as the only two managers in Mets history to lead their teams to 90+ wins in their first season with the club.
Friday, September 16, 2022
Pirates vs. Mets
Edwin Díaz earned his 30th save of the season with 1.2 scoreless innings in the Mets’ 4-3 win. Díaz became the fifth Mets pitcher to post multiple seasons of 30+ saves.
Saturday, September 17, 2022
Pirates vs. Mets
Pete Alonso went 1-for-4 with a double, walk, and RBI in the Mets’ 5-1 win. It was Alonso’s 25th double of the season to go along with 35 homers. It’s the third time in four seasons that Alonso has posted 25+ doubles and 35+ homers. The only other player to record 25+ doubles and 35+ homers in three of his first four big league seasons is Albert Pujols.
With eight strikeouts, Chris Bassitt set a new career high with 163. His previous best was 159 in 2021.
The Mets were hit by four pitches in the win (Mark Canha; Brandon Nimmo; Jeff McNeil, twice). The Mets eclipsed the 100 hit-by-pitch mark, becoming the sixth team in the the modern era to post 100 HBPs in a single season.
Adam Ottavino lowered his season ERA to 2.01 with his 0.2 scoreless innings pitched. Ottavino’s 2.01 ERA is the fourth-lowest by a Mets pitcher in their first 59 games with the club.
