Things looked grim, the Mets had just blown a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning in Washington. It just seemed like one of those games that the team would eventually lose. T.J. Rivera though would have none of that.
The bronx born Rivera would step up to the plate in the top of the 10th with nobody on base and drilled a homer over the left-field wall of Nationals park. The home run would be the difference maker and propel the Mets from sudden doom to a 4-3 victory. Manager, Terry Collins was looking for a spark Tuesday night and he found it with Rivera.
“Somebody has got to surprise you,” Collins said. “Somebody you don’t expect has got to come through, and tonight it was T.J.” (NY Post)
The home run was special in many ways as it not just gave the Mets a huge victory but was also the first of Rivera’s major league career. With the way he acted after putting the team back on top after a horrifying ninth, you would have never guessed it was his first.
“Did I look like I’d done it before?” Rivera said. “That was good. I was trying to keep my cool.”
The 27 year-old who the Mets signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011 has excelled within the organization. He has finally gotten the opportunity he deserves and is showing he belongs in the majors.
In a small sample size of just 45 at-bats he has hit to a .333/.319/.444 slash line with the one homer and six RBI. He has proven his ability to hit big league pitching and is slowly working himself into the conversation to not just stick on this team for the current season but for the 2017 campaign as well.
The win was big in many ways as it helped the Mets to keep pace with St. Louis who defeated the Cubs by a score of 4-2 Tuesday night. The Mets though did pick up a game on San Francisco who fell to San Diego by a score of 6-4. They now only trail the Giants by a half game for the top Wild Card spot.
