It took the Mets 23 games to score eight runs in a single game again. It wasn’t a coincidence the offensive breakout happened with Brandon Nimmo back atop the lineup.
“He did today what we expect him to do: getting on base,” manager Luis Rojas said. “He got us going. There was a connection [in our lineup] and he was the one who led to it. Nimmo was the difference.”
It certainly seemed like it. Nimmo, playing for the first time since May 2, sparked the Mets to an 8-3 win over the Yankees at the Stadium to open the Subway Series.
Nimmo, who missed two months due to a torn ligament in his left index finger that was initially diagnosed as nerve damage, singled three times and scored two runs. He led the game off with a single, a sign of the offensive outbreak that eventually came. When the Mets broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the fifth, Nimmo started it with a sharp single to right field. An inning later, he singled again and scored.
“I was really glad to get on base and create some traffic for the guys, and they were able to come through.” Nimmo said.
At the time of his injury, Nimmo didn’t think he would miss much time. That became two months after the discomfort in his finger would not go away. Without Nimmo and several other key players, the Mets struggled offensively. Even after Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto returned recently, the offense slumped mightily in recent weeks, leading to a string of 11 losses in 17 games.
Entering the game, the Mets were next-to-last in baseball in average runs scored at 3.57. One player isn’t going to change that entirely, and the Mets weren’t exactly ripping the cover off the ball when everyone was healthy. But getting Nimmo back at least seems like a start.
“I don’t know if I necessarily feel a responsibility [for turning the offense around], but I feel I can be that just by being me,” he said. “I think there’s also something to a little bit of change, a little bit of something new, and that sometimes spices things up a little bit. I think it gave a little more life to the guys.
“I”m just wondering if there was a little something new that kind of sparked today. I’m glad to be able to help with that.”
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