When Francisco Álvarez was hit by a pitch yesterday to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning, Buck Showalter made the move that any manager would, sending in Tim Locastro to run for his catcher, needing him to go 270 feet to win the game.
It turned out that Álvarez just could have scored as easily as Locastro did, as DJ Stewart singled, Mark Vientos walked, and Rafael Ortega laced the walkoff single to right field.
The last time the Mets had a pinch-runner come in and score as part of a walkoff rally was three years ago today, Billy Hamilton in the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium, in a doubleheader nightcap where the Mets were the home team. In that one, Jeff McNeil walked against Aroldis Chapman, and Hamilton came in and stole second base before trotting home on Amed Rosario’s two-run shot.
In that instance, Hamilton represented the tying run. So did Juan Lagares when he scored on Dominic Smith’s home run to end the 2019 season. But it is Lagares who was the previous Mets pinch-runner to bring home a walkoff run. On September 26, 2017, Kevin Plawecki greeted A.J. Minter with a single as the Mets were tied 3-3 with Atlanta. Smith walked and Rosario struck out before Travis Taijeron delivered the winning hit.
There’s been only one time in Mets history that a runner entered the game, stole a base, and scored the winning run, and it was in the 13th inning on April 23, 1992, after a duel between Bret Saberhagen and Donovan Osborne went scoreless into extras. The Mets had already caught Rex Hudler stealing in the 12th when Dave Magadan singled with one out in the 13th — he was replaced at first by Rodney McCray, who became famous the year before.
You’ve seen that video a million times. You probably haven’t seen McCray go to second on a Junior Noboa single, steal third, and after an intentional walk to Charlie O’Brien, score the winning run when Juan Agosto hit Daryl Boston with a pitch. Well, now you can, because that game is on YouTube, with Tim McCarver and Ralph Kiner on the call.
Shoutout to Keith Miller, who pinch-ran for Garry Templeton after a leadoff single in the ninth inning of a 5-4 game, got picked off but advanced to second because Expos pitcher Barry Jones threw the ball away, then stole third and eventually scored on Kevin McReynolds’ walkoff grand slam off Scott Ruskin. That was the last walkoff grand slam the Mets hit at Shea, following Mike Jorgensen in 1980 and Tim Teufel in 1986. Tim Harkness and Jim Hickman each did it in 1963 at the Polo Grounds, while Citi Field has had walkoff slams by Jordany Valdespin in 2013, Ike Davis in 2014, and José Bautista in 2018.
We Can Pod It Out 176: Let It Be