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The 2022 season was filled with plenty of memorable moments for the Mets, especially in terms of the long ball. However, a few stand above the rest, and today we are going to go over the top 5 home runs of the season.
5). Brett Baty Solo HR vs. ATL (8/17/22)
Unbelievable! Baty Homers in First Big League At-Bat – YouTube
On August 17, 2022, the Mets No. 2 prospect in Brett Baty made his long-awaited MLB debut at third base in Atlanta against the Braves. Going into the game, the Mets had lost the first two meetings of the series between the two teams and saw their division lead dwindle from 5.5 games to 3.5 games.
Baty, batting eighth, came to the plate for his first at-bat in the top of the 2nd inning against Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi had already squandered back-to-back home runs to Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor in the 1st to make it 2-0 Mets while also giving up a double to Mark Canha to open the 2nd.
On the second pitch of the AB, Odorizzi hung a 72 MPH curveball and Baty ripped it 377 feet to right field for the first hit and homer of his career to make it 4-0. He became the fifth Met to ever record a home run in their first at-bat, and it also ended up being the difference in the game as the Mets would go on to win by a score of 9-7.
4). Nick Plummer Solo HR vs. PHI (5/29/22)
Nick Plummer First Career Hit is a 9th Inning Game-Tying Home Run – YouTube
In just the fourth game of his career, Nick Plummer became a cult hero in New York.
On May 29, 2022, the Mets were looking to complete a sweep of the Phillies on Sunday Night Baseball. They held a 3-1 lead into the top of the eighth before Nick Castellanos flipped the script and blasted a three-run homer off of Adam Ottavino to give Philadelphia the 4-3 advantage.
In the bottom of the ninth, Plummer led off against Corey Knebel and provided one of the more improbable instances of the Mets season, as he sent the first pitch of the inning 389 feet out to the Coca-Cola Corner to tie things up at 4-4. The homer also represented the first hit of his career, further adding to the elation of his storybook moment.
The Mets would go on to defeat the Phillies 5-4 in extras after an Eduardo Escobar walk-off double off of Knebel.
3). Francisco Lindor Grand Slam vs. MIL (9/20/22)
Lindor Slugs Go-Ahead Grand Slam – YouTube
A day after clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2016, Francisco Lindor gave the Mets another reason to celebrate.
New York fell down 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth but was able to cut into that deficit in a big way after Pete Alonso hit a three-run bomb to center in the top of the 6th to make it 4-3.
In the top of the seventh, the Mets drew three-straight one-out walks against Taylor Rogers to set the table. After Canha struck out, Lindor came up and immediately made Rogers pay on the first pitch as he sent his 93.9 MPH sinker out to left center for his first, and only, grand slam of the year and 25th total to make it 7-4 Mets.
The Mets would go on to defeat Milwaukee 7-5.
2). Mark Canha Two-Run HR vs. PHI (8/21/22)
MARK CANHA IS INSANE! UNLOADS ANOTHER HOMERUN! 8/21/22 – YouTube
When you think of Mark Canha’s time in a Mets uniform 10 years from now, August 21, 2022, should immediately come to mind.
In somewhat of a back-and-forth affair, the Phillies jumped all over José Butto in his MLB debut and scored four runs in the bottom of the first. The Mets mounted a comeback and tied it by the top of the fourth inning, but an Alec Bohm three-run shot in the bottom of the fourth for his second of the day gave the Phils a 7-4 lead.
Canha’s heroics began in the top of the seventh when he drove an up-and-in fastball from Connor Brogdon out to left field to tie the game up at 7-7.
Notorious Met killer Jean Segura homered off of Trevor May in the bottom of the 8th to repossess the lead for Philadelphia by a score of 8-7, but Canha would soon come up clutch yet again to save the day.
David Robertson, having pitched two innings the day before, was tasked with closing things out for the Phillies in the ninth inning. With Jeff McNeil on second after a lead-off double, Canha invoked a bit of déjà vu as he yet again drove an up-and-in pitch out to left for his 10th of the year while giving the Mets an 8-7 lead.
New York would go on to win 10-9.
1). Pete Alonso Walk-off Solo HR vs. STL (5/19/22)
Pete Alonso crushes a walk-off home run – YouTube
For a player who’s universally known for his power, Pete Alonso’s second-longest home run of the 2022 season couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.
The Mets held a 5-4 lead entering the top of the ninth inning against the Cardinals and had Edwin Díaz coming in to shut them down. Any time Díaz entered a game in 2022, there was a good chance he wouldn’t allow a base runner, let alone a run.
However, he turned in one of his few bad outings this game, giving up two walks and hits while also allowing St. Louis to tie the game at 5-5.
After the Mets couldn’t get anything going in the bottom of the ninth, the game went to extras where the Cardinals were able to push just a single run across on an Albert Pujols double-play to make it 6-5. That meant that Alonso would be coming up with a chance to end things quickly, and that’s exactly what transpired.
Facing Giovanny Gallegos, Alonso demolished his second pitch of the inning 447 feet to straight-away left field to give the Mets a 7-6 walk-off win, which would go on to stand as the team’s only walk-off home run of the season.
