ADVERTISEMENT
Back early from injury, Mets' shining slugger puts on a dazzling show
Doing something he had done thousands of times before — swinging a bat in a game — outfielder Michael Conforto managed to dislocate his left shoulder last August.
Stephen Strasburg, one of the Nationals’ All-Star pitchers, easily dispatched Conforto in his first two trips to the plate. And when Conforto came to the plate for a third time, with the Mets’ catcher, Kevin Plawecki, on first base, Strasburg fired a low 97-mph fastball.
It was a difficult pitch for a left-handed hitter like Conforto to deposit over the left-field fence. But that is just what Conforto did, uncorking a blast that was originally ruled a double before being overturned by a replay review. And there was no pain with this swing, just joy.
“It was a great feeling,” he said afterward. “You kind of reflect a little bit on how long it’s been.”
ADVERTISEMENT
In all, Conforto went 1 for 4 with a walk, two runs batted in and two runs scored, solid numbers for his first game back. The Mets had initially circled May 1 as a possible return date for Conforto, who had surgery to repair the posterior capsule that tore during his shoulder dislocation. He planned differently.
“I never really had May 1 in my mind,” Conforto said. “It was, let’s see how quickly I can get ready, stay healthy at the same time and do things the right way.”
And in spring training, Conforto passed every test the Mets gave him. Although he played in only two major league exhibition games, Conforto was able to log about 70 at-bats, most of them in minor league contests.
Mets manager Mickey Callaway had recently suggested to Conforto that he consider making his return next week. But Conforto contended that he felt ready to face the talented Nationals, and Strasburg. Callaway was persuaded, and Conforto came off the disabled list Thursday, the first day he was eligible to do so. And he then confirmed his healthy status with his home run.
“That’s extremely difficult,” Callaway said. “It shows what kind of talent he is.”
ADVERTISEMENT
With Conforto once again atop the Mets’ lineup, the Mets improved to 5-1 this season. But until Thursday, they had been generally winning games without major contributions from their best players, save for Yoenis Cespedes.
Consider that Noah Syndergaard has allowed six runs over 10 innings in his two starts in 2018. Or that Jacob deGrom’s first start of the season was unspectacular. Or that outfielder Jay Bruce entered Thursday’s game with no home runs and only four hits in 20 at-bats. Until Thursday, the Mets’ strengths had been the team’s depth and bullpen, which has now logged 13 consecutive scoreless innings.
But with Conforto back, other key members of the team stepped forward, too. DeGrom produced a gutsy six-inning outing, allowing just two runs, with only one of them earned. And he escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in his final inning without allowing anyone to score.
“I had to find a way to get out of it,” he said.
Bruce misplayed a ground ball single to right field in the first inning and then missed hitting a home run by a few feet in the second. But in the top of the seventh, he didn’t come up short at all, smashing a grand slam off reliever Brandon Kintzler that pushed the game out of the Nationals’ reach.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cespedes did his part, too. He hit his third home run of the season in the fourth inning on a low pitch from Strasburg, the type Cespedes excels at clobbering.
But the best development for the Mets on Thursday was provided by Conforto. He is 25, much younger than the over-30 regulars who populate the Mets’ lineup. He began last season under a cloud of doubt following a disappointing 2016 campaign, but by late April, he was thriving as the Mets’ everyday leadoff hitter.
From that perch, he hit 27 home runs, drove in 68 runs and posted a .279 batting average and team-high .939 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He was the Mets’ lone representative in July’s All-Star Game. And then he went down because of one errant swing.
His return, Callaway said, adds a whole other level of anxiety for the other team. And it makes the Mets more intriguing.
“His first two at-bats were his rehab, and by his third at-bat he was ready,” Bruce said. “He’s fun to watch.”
ADVERTISEMENT
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
JAMES WAGNER © 2018 The New York Times
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh
Recommended articles
How to save a life by doing CPR during an emergency
3 reasons most airplanes are painted white
How 1 woman became first lady of 2 different countries — she married 2 presidents
How parents, teachers can recognise when a child is being bullied
It's illegal to publicly celebrate your birthday in this country
How to slay as a child of God like Diana Asamoah
Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) prepares to welcome more IT students from Africa
‘We’re not friends’- Yvonne Nelson reveals after exposing Sarkodie in her memoir