Brett Baty homered in his first major league at-bat, Starling Marte went deep twice and the New York Mets held off the Braves 9-7 Wednesday night to snap Atlanta’s eight-game winning streak.
The Mets jumped to a 6-1 lead and barely made it stand up to push their advantage over the Braves back to 4 1/2 games.
Vaughn Grissom had a two-run single in the ninth, but Trevor May retired Ronald Acuña Jr. — the potential tying run — on a flyout to the warming track to end the game.
New York got a big boost from Baty, one of the organization’s top prospects who got the call to the majors just a week after being promoted to Triple-A.
Baty, came up for the first time in the second with a runner aboard and the Mets already ahead 2-0 on back-to-back homers by Starling Marte and Frasisco Lindor, in the first off Jake Odorizzi. Baty connected on the 1-0 pitch, setting off a jubilant celebration in the stands from Baty’s mother, father, sister and other family members who hastily made the trip to Atlanta to witness his debut.
Baty became the fifth player in Mets history to homer in his first at-bat — the last being Mike Jacobs in 2005. A worker was able to retrieve the ball, which will become a treasured keepsake.
Atlanta knocked out nemesis Max Scherzer (9-2, 2.15ERA) in the seventh without getting a ball out of the infield, loading the bases after two infield singles sandwiched in between a walk, before Adam Ottavino entered , but allowed a fielders choice by Grissom, and a three run HR by Robbie Grossman, slicking the Atlanta deficit to 6-5.
The Mets would pull away when Pete Alonso’s two-run single highlighted a three-run ninth that provided some breathing room.
Max was charged with four runs over 6 1/3 innings, despite surrendering just three hits and three walks while striking out eight.
It was just what the Mets needed after their last two starting pitchers lasted two innings apiece before leaving with injuries.
Marte went deep again and added his 14th homer off Kirby Yates in the seventh , for his first multi-homer game since 2019 with the Pirates.
Braves manager Brian Snitker was tossed in the third by home-plate umpire Will Little after Austin Riley was called out on a third strike he thought was high.
I used AP to help me with the structure of this article
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