A statue outside of Citi Field honoring The Franchise was just the first masterpiece the Mets unveiled on Friday.
At the stadium, a combination of a strong starting shot that Tom Seaver would have appreciated and four powerful shots turned the home opener into a celebratory celebration of past and present.
Chris Bassitt muzzled the Diamondbacks for six innings and Francisco Lindor led a four-homer barrage by going deep twice in the Mets’ 10-3 win before Jackie Robinson’s 75th anniversary as Jackie Robinson broke the MLB color barrier, selling out 43,820.
Lindor scored from both sides of the plate, giving home fans a taste of the player they were expecting last year, a season he underperformed after arriving from Cleveland.
Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha, who both tested positive for COVID 19, were absent from the team. Bench trainer Glenn Sherlock also tested positive and was absent.
The win marked the Mets’ third straight win and sixth in eight games earlier in the season. In home games, the Mets are now 40-21.
Francisco Lindor celebrates a home run against the Diamondbacks. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Chris Bassitt had a strong showing against the Diamondbacks. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Jeff McNeil moved to the leadoff spot in Nimmo’s place and was on base to start the first and third innings, both of which contained Pete Alonso sacrifice flies that gave the Mets a 2-0 lead.
Robinson Cano landed in fourth place – his first blast since returning from a PED suspension that cost him all of last season. In the fifth, Lindor Starling followed Marte’s single with a slam down the porch in right field that extended the Mets’ lead to 5-0. The Mets got another run on Eduardo Escobar’s RBI double in seventh place. In the eighth round, Marte hit a triple run and Lindor followed with his second homer of the game.
Bassitt allowed a run to two hits and two walks with a hit batsman for six innings in his first career appearance in Queens and departed after 98 pitches. The right-hander pitched six shutout innings on his Mets debut in Washington last weekend.
After their home game, the Mets’ record improved to 6-2. AP
Daulton Varsho homed that led Arizona in sixth place, the only blemish on Bassitt’s line. The Mets started the day with a 1.29 ERA from the starting rotation and ended it at 1.32.
Chasen Shreve and Drew Smith each had a scoreless inning in relief for the Mets before Sean Reid-Foley gave up two runs in the ninth run. The win marked the Mets’ 11th straight win over Arizona at Citi Field.