Bo Bichette. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
QUEENS, NY — Bo Bichette had been pressing for his first big Mets moment for quite some time. On Thursday night, he finally got it.
Just moments after Huascar Brazoban served up a game-tying grand slam to Ryan Jeffers, Bichette lined a two-out, three-run double off the top of the wall in left-center field in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift New York (9-16) to a 10-8 victory over the Minnesota Twins — a second straight win following a 12-game losing streak.
Brett Baty led off the eighth with a single and moved to second on Tyrone Taylor’s sacrifice bunt. Marcus Semien singled before Tommy Pham walked with two outs to load the bases. Bichette was able to catch an 0-1 slider from Twins reliever Anthony Banda well above the zone and lined it 103.1 mph off the bat and 392 feet into the gap in left-center to clear the bases and save what would have been a disastrous evening.
Up 7-3 in the top of that frame, Craig Kimbrel allowed a lead-off single to Brooks Lee before getting two outs, but then allowed a single to Trevor Larnach and a walk to Josh Bell to load the bases. Brazoban’s first pitch to Jeffers was a sinker that listed over the heart of the plate, and the Twins’ catcher launched it 377 feet into the left-field seats to tie the game.
Carson Benge had his best offensive game yet as a major leaguer, going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double, and Baty smashed his first home run of the season — a three-run shot in the first inning — to lead the Mets’ best offensive night since April 3, when they put up 10 runs against the San Francisco Giants.
Making his first start since 2024 after recovering from Tommy John surgery, Mets starter Christian Scott did not get out of the second inning, undone by control issues.
The 26-year-old righty walked allowed just one run, but walked five in 1.1 innings and hit an additional batter. Four of those walks came in the first inning, which plated the opening run of the night.
After hitting Byron Buxton in the second, he was pulled for Tobias Myers. He became just the third pitcher in Mets history to record a start of two or fewer innings with five-plus walks, and one-plus batters hit, joining Nolan Ryan (9/5/71 vs. PHI) and Juan Berenguer (9/4/78 v. PIT).
But for the first time in nearly three weeks, the Mets were able to overcome a bad outing thanks to a suddenly clicking offense.
Baty’s three-run home run in the first came with two outs, and on the first pitch he saw from Twins starter Joe Ryan — a four-seam fastball up on the zone that he was able to get around on and launch 107.1 mph off the bat 414 feet into the second deck in right field.
Semien led off the second inning with a double and could only move to third when Carson Benge flew a two-bagger of his own off the right-center-field wall just over the glove of a leaping Austin Martin. Bo Bichette struck out, but the knuckle-curve glanced off the glove of catcher Ryan Jeffers and to the backstop, scoring Semien.
Francisco Alvarez’s sac fly plated Benge, and Luis Robert Jr.’s double brought home Bichette.
Benge led off the bottom of the fourth with his second career home run, depositing a middle-middle slider from Ryan into the bullpens in right-center field. He had to wait nearly a month between round-trippers, as his first came on Opening Day.
Closer Devin Williams continues to struggle with his role as finisher. After recording the first two outs of the ninth inning, he allowed three straight hits to put the tying runs in scoring position, but he got Larnach swinging to end it.
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