The Mets have gone from inept with runners in scoring position to incredible with runners in scoring position.
On Friday night, though, that applied to every situation at the plate.
The offense made Jonah Tong’s debut easy, exploding for 19 runs — their most runs ever in a home game, and tied for their highest total all season — including 11 in the first two innings of the 19-9 defeat of the Marlins.
Tong became just the third Mets pitcher in history to get at least 14 runs of support in his Major League debut and the first since Mike Pelfrey in 2006. Needless to say, the 19 runs were also the most the Mets have scored with a pitcher making his debut.
Juan Soto, whose hitting with runners in scoring position has been a problematic storyline all year for the Mets, sent a ball 398 feet in his first at-bat of the night with Francisco Lindor on second, having stolen the bag after a walk.
Soto, speaking to The Post pregame, said there was nothing in particular behind his recent uptick with runners in scoring position.
“I’m not trying to do too much,” he said. “I’m just doing the same thing. Things have been working differently.”
Mark Vientos, whose average with runners in scoring position over the past week is nearly 300 points higher than his season-long mark, concurred.
“I don’t think we’ve changed anything,” Vientos told The Post. “I think we’re just coming through now. I think we’re just getting the job done now. That’s the only thing I see. I think the coaches and us always wanted to bring runners in, and now we’re just doing it better.”
Friday’s noncompetitive affair may have juiced the Mets’ numbers — they went 8-for-9 on the night with runners in scoring position and stranded just one — but arguably it wasn’t the best test case, given how quickly the game got out of hand.
Just three batters after Soto’s homer, Brandon Nimmo hit a three-run shot. Nimmo then added a second bomb off the foul pole for good measure in the sixth inning with the game well out of hand, the Mets’ fourth of the game, with Pete Alonso having also hit one in the second. Vientos added a fifth homer of the night off position player Javier Sanoja in the eighth.
Marlins starter Eury Pérez was chased after just two-thirds of an inning, with Tyler Zuber making it through just three outs before getting lifted in the second with the Mets having batted around.
The Mets have now scored six or more runs in six of their past eight games, marking a red-hot streak for the offense that has now continued through a trio of series.
All nine players in the starting lineup not only reached base Friday, but all nine of them scored and eight had at least one RBI, with Brett Baty being the only exception.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
