A controversial call on the field and some late-game theatrics made for an exciting, yet ultimately disappointing ending for the Mets on Wednesday night at Citi Field.
With one on and one out and the Mets trailing the Chicago Cubs 1-0, J.D. Martinez took closer Hector Neris back to the center field wall where rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong made a jump for it and knocked the ball away with his glove. The double advanced advanced Pete Alonso to third base, putting him a fly ball away from tying the game.
Jeff McNeil supplied that fly ball, hitting one to left field. It wasn’t very deep, but Alonso still broke for home. Happ hit the cutoff man, Christopher Morel, at third base, and Morel threw a strike to catcher Miguel Amaya to complete a double play right as Alonso came sliding home head first. Home plate umpire Charlie Ramos called Alonso out and the Mets challenged the call saying Amaya blocked the plate.
Fans were on their feet for several minutes watching replays on the scoreboard thinking Alonso was safe and had tied the game. In the end, the umpires found that Amaya did not block Alonso’s lane.
He remained out. The Cubs won 1-0 to take a 2-1 series lead and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza seethed over what he deemed to be MLB’s misinterpretation of its own rule.
“It cost us a game,” Mendoza said. “I will have to wait and see what they say because clearly they got it wrong.”
With MLB trying to crack down on obstruction, they sent out a memo to teams during spring training detailing obstruction and showing visuals of how catchers can and cannot set up. Catchers cannot have their foot on the base without being in possession of the baseball. The lane has to go to the runner, and by straddling the lane or placing a foot on the plate, it prevents the runner from having a clear path to the plate.
“Without possession of the baseball, it was very clear that [Amaya’s] left foot was on top of the plate without the baseball,” Mendoza said. “I think they got the wrong call.”
The final determination was made by the league so the Mets were not able to get an immediate explanation.
Alonso chose not to wade into the controversy. He thought he was able to get his hand in there but ultimately the call was made and he accepted it, saying his reaction was simply, “Shucks, darn.”
“Honestly, that’s really not up for me to decide,” the first baseman said. “I was out. I mean, I hustled as hard as I could, I made the best line I could possibly make and I was out.”
Shota Imanaga (5-0), a 30-year-old left-hander who is pitching his first season in the Major Leagues after a standout career in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League, shut out the Mets over seven innings, allowing three hits, a walk and striking out seven. The Amazins have only been shut out three times this season but have scored only five runs in these last three games against the Cubs (19-12).
“He had great location and he had all of his pitches working,” Alonso said. “He’s a tough matchup for us.”
Jose Butto (0-2) allowed only one earned run over six innings, bouncing back from a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals his last time out. The right-hander got himself into bad counts and gave up a double and a walk to start the game, but he was able to finish off hitters when he needed to.
“He’s got the confidence to pull that changeup and throw it for strikes to finish at-bats,” Mendoza said. “So he’s got weapons. That says a lot. He wants to be aggressive and attack theaters and get ahead of counts, but he’s got that ability to, when he’s behind in counts, throw those pitches that can get him back into those counts.”
It looked as though Chicago would rally when leadoff man Nico Hoerner extended the inning with a two-out single, but Butto struck out Mike Tauchman to end the inning. Butto struck out six hitters and walked two to post his third quality start this season.
The Mets (15-15) stymied every potential Cubs’ rally, but they couldn’t start any of their own. They had two on with one out in the second inning, but Harrison Bader grounded into a double play. They put two on with one out in the eighth, forcing the Cubs to remove right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. and go to right-hander Yency Almonte, who struck out Tyrone Taylor and Starling Marte to get Chicago out of the inning with the lead still intact.
The Mets bullpen drew high praise from the team with Jorge Lopez, Jake Diekman, Adam Ottavino and Sean Reid-Foley all getting big outs. It went for naught in the end.
“It’s a different interpretation and it’s not consistent,” Mendoza said. “That’s what bothers me.”
LINDOR OUT SICK
Shortstop Francisco Lindor was removed from the game after two innings with “flu-like symptoms.” Mendoza did not have an update on him after the game.