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Jeff McNeil and the New York Mets have not had the season they imagined, but sometimes, you’ve got to take what’s given to you.
McNeil did just that with his Little League inside-the-park home run on Saturday night in Boston against the Red Sox.
With two men in scoring position down 2-0 in the top of the fourth, the defending NL batting champion came to the dish and did his job, hitting a line drive up the middle.
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Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets smiles as he rounds third base and scores on a two-RBI single against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 22, 2023, in Boston. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
One run scored, and around third came Pete Alonso – there might have been a bang-bang play at the plate for the tying run, but Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro saw McNeil bolting for second. So he gave up on Alonso and let him score rather easily, and instead tried to gun down McNeil.
But his throw airmailed just about everybody – it flew into the outfield and rolled past center fielder Jarren Duran, leaving McNeil to run freely.
McNeil wound up scoring himself standing up, and the Mets suddenly had a lead.
“I don’t hit a lot of regular homers, so it was a little bit different. That was probably my first Little League home run since Little League. It was a fun moment,” McNeil said.
It was short-lived, though, as Max Scherzer allowed four home runs, and Trevor Gott allowed three earned runs in just his one-third of an inning in relief of Scherzer.
So, despite the shoddy defense, Boston pulled it together and held the Mets to those runs, earning an 8-3 victory to split their doubleheader.
New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil reacts after scoring on a throwing error by Boston Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro at Fenway Park. (Brian Fluharty-USA Today Sports)
The Mets, fresh off a 101-win season and boasting a payroll close to $350 million (by far the most ever in North American sports), may be one of the most disappointing teams not only this year, but ever. They currently sit at 46-52, 17.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the division and 7.0 back of the final wild card spot.
McNeil is just one of several members of the team who has taken a huge step backward – he hit .326 last year, which led all of baseball, but that number is now down to a career-low .248.
Jeff McNeil, right, of the New York Mets reacts with Francisco Lindor after scoring on July 22, 2023, in Boston. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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The Mets have decisions to make at the trade deadline, and it would be tough to see a team go all-in, probably more all-in than anybody ever has. However, they do have some expiring contracts and an owner who is willing to lose some money if it means revamping the farm system that has needed fixing for years.
