Mets second baseman Neil Walker returned home to PNC Park to take on the Pirates Friday night, and he returned home with a bang. Walker had a huge night as he reached base three times including a pair of home runs, and drove in four runs.
On his homecoming Walker said postgame, “I was able to get ahead of things. I knew what to expect some of the off the field stuff. More than that, I was much less anxious tonight than I was last year.”
After a slow start to the season, Walker has been red hot during the month of May. He came into play hitting to a mark of .355 with 12 extra base hits and 16 RBIs over 21 games. The veteran second baseman is now hitting .270 with six home runs, 28 RBIs, and a .786 OPS.
On what he’s changed at the plate, Walker told Abbey Mastracco of NJ.com, “I’ve done a better job of controlling my at-bats, swinging at the right pitches and being on time. That’s really it.”
“When things aren’t going good, you’re typically swinging out of the zone and not doing anything with ball that you usually do things with. So now I’m doing a better job of hitting the pitches I’m looking for.”
With the four runs driven in on Friday night, the veteran second baseman now has 501 for his career.
Mets manager Terry Collins said of his starting second baseman, “He’s been pretty comfortable, we’re talking about a guy coming off balk surgery. I think he’s finally realizing it’s not going to hurt certain days, allowing him to use his lower-half a little bit better to hit. And I think that’s made a difference.”
