NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso launched a tying homer leading off the ninth inning, Tyrone Taylor lined a game-winning single and the New York Mets — after going 13 innings without a hit — rallied past the Detroit Tigers 2-1 for their first victory of the season Thursday and a doubleheader split.
Harrison Bader's bloop single to start the eighth was New York's first hit in the second game. But the Mets (1-5) finally broke through in the ninth to give Carlos Mendoza his first win as a major league manager. They avoided opening 0-6 for the first time since their second season in 1963.
New York blew a three-run lead in the opener and lost 6-3 in 11 innings after Colt Keith hit a tiebreaking double. Gio Urshela added a two-run single.
Javier Baez had an early RBI single in the second game for the Tigers (5-1), who were the last unbeaten team in the majors.
Bader's soft single to left-center broke up a combined no-hit bid by Matt Manning and Tyler Holton and ended the longest hitless skid (by innings) in Mets history. Alex Faedo stranded Bader at second base by striking out Francisco Lindor.
A converted starter looking for his first big league save, Faedo then gave up the home run to Alonso — his college teammate at Florida. The drive gave Alonso his 500th career RBI.
Faedo (0-1) then walked Brett Baty, who advanced on Starling Marte’s sacrifice bunt before racing home on Taylor’s first walk-off hit.
Detroit's bullpen had permitted only one run in 25 2/3 innings to begin the season.
Reed Garrett (1-0) tossed three shutout innings in relief for his second major league win. New York's rally spared Jose Buttó a hard-luck loss after he allowed one run and struck out six in six innings.
Manning, recalled from Triple-A Toledo to serve as the Tigers’ 27th man for the doubleheader, walked four — including Brandon Nimmo three times — and struck out three but didn’t come close to giving up a hit before giving way to Holton, who got the next four outs prior to Bader’s hit.
Baez had an RBI single in the second for the Tigers, who were trying to start 6-0 for the first time since 2015.
Shelby Miller (2-0) tossed two scoreless innings in the opener for the Tigers, who earned three one-run wins over the Chicago White Sox before posting back-to-back extra-inning wins over the Mets.
Michael Tonkin (0-2) took the loss for the second straight game for New York.
The Mets took a 3-0 lead on Francisco Alvarez’s two-run double in the third and Baty’s run-scoring single in the fifth.
Andy Ibañez lofted a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the sixth for the Tigers before Urshela scored on a wild pitch in the seventh and Riley Greene homered off Adam Ottavino to tie it in the eighth.
Detroit starter Casey Mize, returning from Tommy John surgery and a back operation, gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings. The top pick in the 2018 amateur draft hadn't pitched in the majors since April 2022.
“Felt a lot out there — just excitement and just pride and joy,” Mize said. “The box score wasn’t great, but obviously just super proud of the work I put in and the people who helped me get back and was super happy to be back and competing in the big leagues with my team.”
Adrian Houser, making his Mets debut after he was acquired from Milwaukee in December, allowed one run in five-plus innings.
COLD AS DECEMBER
The first-pitch temperature was 43 degrees — the coldest at Citi Field since April 17, 2018. The crowd roared when the sun poked out from behind the clouds during Marte’s at-bat in the fifth.
EARLY TWINBILL
The doubleheader was the earliest, by date, in Mets history and the second-earliest for the Tigers, who played one against Pittsburgh on April 1, 2018.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: DH J.D. Martinez, who is getting into baseball shape in Florida after signing with New York on March 23, is expected to report to a minor league affiliate as soon as Friday.
UP NEXT
Tigers: Finally head home to Detroit for their home opener Friday, when LHP Tarik Skubal (1-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to start against Oakland LHP JP Sears (0-1, 12.27). Skubal will be pitching on eight days’ rest.
Mets: Begin their first road trip Friday night in Cincinnati. LHP Jose Quintana (0-1, 3.86) opens a three-game series against Reds RHP Hunter Greene (0-0, 3.86).
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
