The day did not start particularly well for the New York Mets, who lost pitcher Jacob deGrom for the season with a nerve injury, but it ended in grand(erson) style.
Trailing the Minnesota Twins 2-1 in the bottom of the 11th inning, outfielder Curtis Granderson led off with a solo homerun that tied things up. And although the Mets would fail to push across another run despite two runners on base, Granderson would get a second opportunity to play hero in the bottom of the 12th.
He would not disappoint.
On 3-2 pitch from Ryan O’Rourke, Granderson sent his second homerun in as many innings down the right-field line and over the wall for an improbable walkoff.
Granderson’s second homerun didn’t just give the Mets a much-needed win, but it set several records in the process.
The 12th inning walkoff blast represented the Mets’ 201st homerun of the season, breaking a team record that had been previously set in 2006. It was also the first time in franchise history that a player hit two extra inning homeruns in the same game (and only the eight time in MLB history).
Curtis Granderson: first player in Mets history with two extra-inning HR in same game. His first tied the score; the second won it in 12th.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 18, 2016
The Mets have now won 10 of their last 13 games and are 10-games over .500 for the first time this season.
