The New York Mets traded for Luis Robert Jr. for his power potential, and he showed it off against the Pirates.
The New York Mets continued their run of auspicious firsts during their initial series of the season as new center fielder Luis Robert Jr. led the Mets to a 4-2 comeback win with his first home run as a Met, hitting a three-run, walk-home home run in the 11th inning of their second game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Robert’s blow was a complete game-changer for the Mets, as they struggled to score all day in a contest that was the polar opposite of their season opener, both literally and figuratively. The wind was blowing in all day on a day when the thermometer barely broke 40 degrees, and both teams blew opportunities to score throughout the game, producing a 0-0 tie that led to extra innings.
Things got truly wild after that as both teams eked out a run in the tenth, and Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds gave Pittsburgh the lead again in the top of the 11th on an infield hit that didn’t even make it to first base.
The Mets loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning with no one out, but they had two runners thrown at home as it began to look like the Pirates would post their first win of the season at a half-empty Citi Field.
It was then that Robert took control. On a day when every pop up and fly ball became a fielding adventure, Robert powered his game running home run into the left field stands off Pirates starter Hunter Barco, who ws brought in to pitch the 11th as both teams began to run through their respective bullpens.
One of the most amazing things about Robert’s blast was that it didn’t look like he swung hard at all, which hints at his massive power potential. The Mets were careful to keep Robert healthy in spring training, and that at-bat showed why.
The win also blew up an equally amazing record from the Mets’ ill-fated 2025 season. The Mets were an astounding 0-70, according to DiComo, when they were trailing after eight innings, so it will be a huge relief not to have to carry that streak forward.
The Mets also showed some of the same kind of resilience they displayed on Opening Day, as they constantly extended Pirates relievers to give themselves one scoring chance after another. The one Pirates pitcher they couldn’t solve was starter Mitch Keller, who pitched six strong shutout innings before Pittsburgh did the Mets a solid by removing him despite the fact that he’d thrown just 77 pitches.
The series concludes tomorrow with starter Nolan McLean making his first appearance since the WBC, but today was all about the Mets’ new center fielder as he paid his first substantial dividend since the offseason trade that brought him to New York.