Pete Alonso belted a walk-off two-run homer in the 10th inning on Thursday for the host New York Mets, who posted a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals hours after learning Max Scherzer would miss six-to-eight weeks with a left oblique injury.
The Mets took three of four from the Cardinals but lost Scherzer, who exited Wednesday’s game in the sixth inning after feeling a “zing” in his left oblique. An MRI administered Thursday revealed a “moderate to high grade” strain.
The Cardinals rallied from a pair of two-run deficits and tied the game in the ninth inning before going ahead in the 10th on a run-scoring double play by Albert Pujols.
Alonso, who had an RBI single in the first inning, hit the second pitch from Giovanny Gallegos (0-2) into a hallway on the second deck in left field to score automatic runner Francisco Lindor. The blast was measured at 447 feet.
Colin Holderman (1-0) earned his first big league win despite giving up the go-ahead run.
Harrison Bader led off the ninth inning against Edwin Diaz with a single, stole second and went to third on a groundout by Yadier Molina. After Diaz struck out Tommy Edman, he walked Brendan Donovan on four pitches.
Paul Goldschmidt, who already had two hits and three RBIs, followed with a broken-bat grounder between third and shortstop. Eduardo Escobar tried making a whirling catch and throw but bobbled the ball. Goldschmidt was awarded a single.
Dylan Carlson legged out a leadoff infield single in the 10th inning to send automatic runner Corey Dickerson to third. Pujols, who missed hitting a go-ahead two-run homer by a few feet in the eighth, then hit into the double play.
Jeff McNeil had three RBIs, with two coming on a single that gave the Mets a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning. Alonso (single) and McNeil (fielder’s choice) each had an RBI in the first for New York, which tied the game 3-3 in the fifth when Luis Guillorme raced home from third on Brandon Nimmo’s groundout to first.
Juan Yepez homered in the second inning for the Cardinals. Goldschmidt hit a game-tying homer in the third, delivered the go-ahead RBI double in the fifth and lofted a sacrifice fly in the seventh to trim St. Louis’ deficit to 5-4.
–Field Level Media
