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For the second time in five days, Mets rookie Carson Benge came through in the clutch with a walk-off.
New York trailed the Yankees by three runs in the ninth inning on Sunday afternoon, but Tyrone Taylor stepped up with a game-tying three-run homer to send the game to extra innings. It was then Benge's turn in the tenth inning to be the hero again, putting the ball in play against a five-man infield that allowed Marcus Semien to score from third base.
After the 7-6 win, Benge reiterated manager Carlos Mendoza's praise of the team showing fight when trailing by continuing to have competitive at-bats.
"You know it's always good when you show some fight back," Benge said. "I feel like our offense did a great job of that today. You know never out of the game, always putting up competitive at-bats. And then Tyrone with the huge swing in the ninth, I blacked out for him."
With the Yankees opting for that five-man infield with a runner on third base, there was no one playing in right field with Benge up to bat against LHP Tim Hill. A bloop over the first or second baseman's head would have been enough, but Benge said he wasn't forcing anything and just focused on overcoming the challenge.
"No, nothing. I was just putting the ball in play, trying to hit the ball hard," Benge said. "That's a tough matchup, but I knew I could overcome it."
It's clear the 23-year-old is feeling more and more confident at the plate every game he plays, and credited that self confidence for his success. He's hitting .287 over his last 30 games and has been on fire as of late, hitting .387 with a .406 OBP over his last seven games.
"Definitely," Benge said. "You always got to go up there knowing you're better than the other guy, he can't get you out. I feel like going up there with that mindset has definitely helped me out a ton."
After winning two straight series, Benge believes the Mets are finally "trending in the right direction" after a disappointing start to the season.
A big factor in the recent success has been fellow rookie A.J. Ewing, who has shown impressive plate discipline for a 21-year-old and has drawn seven walks in six games. Ewing told reporters his first week in the majors has been everything he's dreamt of and is looking forward to continuing the momentum.
"It's been a lot of fun, it's been a dream come true, and I'm just excited to keep competing," Ewing said.
Ewing's sacrifice bunt in the 10th inning moved Semien into scoring position and helped New York pull out the victory. He added that he's been working on bunting all season and the result was better than it had been in the minors.
Like Benge, Ewing also expressed his confidence at the dish as his routine is certainly working in his favor -- slashing .294/.500.588 through six games.
"I feel comfortable in the box, I think the batter's box is kind of like my happy place," Ewing said. "I feel comfortable, I feel like myself, and I'm just gonna keep being me."
Both Ewing and Benge's quality of at-bats have been a driving factor during the team's recent stretch and have impressed the manager early in their careers. If the Mets are going to get back to .500 and make a run, the young duo will be a main reason for that success.
"They're staying in the fight. They're not trying to do too much, they're taking pitches, they're putting together some good swings, they're putting the ball in play," Mendoza said. "That matchup there with Hill, we know he's a ground ball machine and he's a tough left-on-left, but the game is calling for putting the ball in play and that's what Carson did there.
"With A.J. getting the bunt down on a tough left-on-left, credit to player development in here that's preparing these guys to come up here and execute when the game is on the line on a tough matchup. Overall, their at-bats have been amazing. Left-on-left, taking what the game is giving them, going the other way, driving the baseball. It's pretty impressive from those guys."
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New York trailed the Yankees by three runs in the ninth inning on Sunday afternoon, but Tyrone Taylor stepped up with a game-tying three-run homer to send the game to extra innings. It was then Benge's turn in the tenth inning to be the hero again, putting the ball in play against a five-man infield that allowed Marcus Semien to score from third base.
After the 7-6 win, Benge reiterated manager Carlos Mendoza's praise of the team showing fight when trailing by continuing to have competitive at-bats.
"You know it's always good when you show some fight back," Benge said. "I feel like our offense did a great job of that today. You know never out of the game, always putting up competitive at-bats. And then Tyrone with the huge swing in the ninth, I blacked out for him."
With the Yankees opting for that five-man infield with a runner on third base, there was no one playing in right field with Benge up to bat against LHP Tim Hill. A bloop over the first or second baseman's head would have been enough, but Benge said he wasn't forcing anything and just focused on overcoming the challenge.
"No, nothing. I was just putting the ball in play, trying to hit the ball hard," Benge said. "That's a tough matchup, but I knew I could overcome it."
It's clear the 23-year-old is feeling more and more confident at the plate every game he plays, and credited that self confidence for his success. He's hitting .287 over his last 30 games and has been on fire as of late, hitting .387 with a .406 OBP over his last seven games.
"Definitely," Benge said. "You always got to go up there knowing you're better than the other guy, he can't get you out. I feel like going up there with that mindset has definitely helped me out a ton."
After winning two straight series, Benge believes the Mets are finally "trending in the right direction" after a disappointing start to the season.
A big factor in the recent success has been fellow rookie A.J. Ewing, who has shown impressive plate discipline for a 21-year-old and has drawn seven walks in six games. Ewing told reporters his first week in the majors has been everything he's dreamt of and is looking forward to continuing the momentum.
"It's been a lot of fun, it's been a dream come true, and I'm just excited to keep competing," Ewing said.
Ewing's sacrifice bunt in the 10th inning moved Semien into scoring position and helped New York pull out the victory. He added that he's been working on bunting all season and the result was better than it had been in the minors.
Like Benge, Ewing also expressed his confidence at the dish as his routine is certainly working in his favor -- slashing .294/.500.588 through six games.
"I feel comfortable in the box, I think the batter's box is kind of like my happy place," Ewing said. "I feel comfortable, I feel like myself, and I'm just gonna keep being me."
Both Ewing and Benge's quality of at-bats have been a driving factor during the team's recent stretch and have impressed the manager early in their careers. If the Mets are going to get back to .500 and make a run, the young duo will be a main reason for that success.
"They're staying in the fight. They're not trying to do too much, they're taking pitches, they're putting together some good swings, they're putting the ball in play," Mendoza said. "That matchup there with Hill, we know he's a ground ball machine and he's a tough left-on-left, but the game is calling for putting the ball in play and that's what Carson did there.
"With A.J. getting the bunt down on a tough left-on-left, credit to player development in here that's preparing these guys to come up here and execute when the game is on the line on a tough matchup. Overall, their at-bats have been amazing. Left-on-left, taking what the game is giving them, going the other way, driving the baseball. It's pretty impressive from those guys."
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