WASHINGTON — Pete Alonso stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded against a gassed 23-year-old Nationals pitcher. Alonso closed his eyes and took a deep breath on a 2-1 count. Then the Mets slugger sent Joan Adon’s 86th and final pitch of the night to the moon — which settled down as a grand slam over the left field wall.
Alonso watched it sail — the ball hung in the air for nearly seven seconds — but he didn’t wait for it to fall before he flipped his bat and jogged around the bases. Alonso’s first-career grand slam was also his first home run of the year, and it was all the Mets needed to break open a scoreless game and beat the Nationals, 5-0, on Saturday night at Nationals Park.
“Grandy’s are sick,” said Alonso, who accomplished the feat just two days after getting hit by a pitch that resulted in a bloody and swollen lip. Francisco Lindor also was hit in the face by a Nationals pitcher on Friday, and the shortstop returned to the lineup Saturday, reaching base in four of his five plate appearances.
“The payroll is one thing, you obviously expect a lot of talent,” said Chris Bassitt, who shut out the Nationals in six frames on Saturday. “But we got two guys with completely busted mouths already two games in, and they’re in the lineup the next day. To be on a team that wants to grind as hard as this team, good luck.”
The Mets’ third straight win of the year wasn’t just all offense. Far from it.
Mets starters also continued their strong start in their first turn through the rotation.
New Amazin’s pitcher Chris Bassitt dazzled in his Mets debut, and his first win of the year. Bassitt allowed three hits, one walk and registered eight strikeouts across his 93-pitch outing. GM Billy Eppler traded for Bassitt in March, just a couple of days after MLB’s lockout was lifted — sending right-handed top prospect J.T. Ginn and pitcher Adam Oller to Oakland in exchange.
“He’s got a really great imagination,” manager Buck Showalter said of Bassitt. “He can put it into play in a game. He can battle. A lot of guys just automatically go to something, he’s comfortable. He’s there to get people out. He knows himself well, I think.”
Nationals hitters were baffled by Bassitt’s pitch mix, which featured a fastball, slider, changeup, cutter, sinker, and curveball. Mets catcher James McCann would go through Bassitt’s entire arsenal, showing the signs as the right-hander shook his head before nodding on his final decision.
Bassitt’s first strikeout of 2022 came at the expense of one of the best hitters in baseball. Besides the fact striking out Juan Soto is a feat in and of itself, Bassitt began that at-bat behind in the count, 3-0. His cutters and changeup weren’t getting Soto to bite, so Bassitt switched to his four-seamer. He painted the inside of the plate with two fastballs, before getting Soto to swing and miss on a 94 mile per hour four-seamer to end the at-bat with an impressive whiff.
“I don’t care who you are, I’m coming after you,” Bassitt said. “I faced (Shohei) Ohtani a lot, I faced (Mike) Trout a lot. I don’t care the name on the back of your jersey, I’m coming. That’s my mentality no matter who I face. I know he’s probably the best hitter in the world. But I don’t care.”
On Saturday, Bassitt became the second pitcher in history to record a scoreless Mets debut of at least six innings with eight or more strikeouts. Colin McHugh was the first, when he hurled seven scoreless innings and punched out nine in 2012.
Moments after the final out Saturday, Bassitt was congratulated by a large group of his friends and family, who were hanging around waiting for him just outside of the Mets clubhouse. As they were leaving, one of his friends told reporters: “Bassitt is a stud!” When Bassitt learned of their antics, the Mets pitcher said: “I got a lot of friends and family that are pretty excited I’m on a different team. Being on the West Coast for so long, and being from the East Coast, those 10 o’clock starts weren’t great.”
After his excellent Mets inauguration on Saturday, fans in Queens are pretty excited he’s on a different team, too.
So move over Max Scherzer and, eventually, Jacob deGrom. Bassitt may technically be the No. 3 starter, but there’s certainly another ace in the Mets rotation.
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