NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets defeated the Fish, 2-1, yesterday…The Mets have outscored their opponents 79-56 in 16 games this month…New York is in a stretch of 17 straight games without an off-day (6-5)…The Mets head out on their final road trip of the year, a seven-game trip (1-0) to Miami (1-0) and Philadelphia (four games).
DINGERS!: The Mets feature eight players who have recorded at least 10 home runs this year…The team record is 10 players with 10 or more home runs, done in 2017…The 2019 team feature nine players, which the 2007 and 2005 teams feature eight players as well…The Mets have socked 197 home runs this season…That is tied for the fifth-most in the National League…The 2022 Mets hit 171 home runs…The team’s 197 home runs are the sixth-most in a single season in franchise history…Next up is the 2000 team, which hit 198 in the season… Four teams in franchise history have cracked 200+ home runs in a single year 2019 (242), 2017 (224), 2016 (218) and 2006 (200).
EL JEFF-E: In 45 games since the start of August, Jeff McNeil is batting .294 (53-180) with 28 runs, seven doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 19 RBI, seven walks with four steals, a .333 OBP and a .461 SLG…McNeil has an .837 OPS in 16 games this month, recording seven-extra base hits.
ON LOAN: Francisco Lindor has played 22 career games at the home of the Marlins…He is a .301 (25-83) hitter with 13 runs, seven doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI, 12 walks with a .398 OBP and a .494 SLG…Pete Alonso has posted a .619 SLG in 33 career games in Miami…He has recorded five doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 22 RBI and 22 walks in that span.
X MARK’S THE SPOT: In 17 games since his return from the 10-Day IL, Mark Vientos is batting .267 (16-60) with nine runs, one triple, three home runs, seven RBI, three walks with a .323 OBP and a .450 SLG…Over his last seven games, Vientos is bating .333 (9-27) with four runs, one home runs, four RBI, one walk with a .357 OBP and a .444 SLG.
DOING THE SPLITS: Brandon Nimmo is batting .285 with 42 runs, 12 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, 33 RBI, 35 walks with a .364 OBP and a .454 SLG in 72 games on the road this season…This compares to a .247/.346/.452 slashline in 72 games at Citi Field…Francisco Lindor has posted a .283/.353/.529 slashline with 54 runs, 23 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 26 walks in 75 games on the road in 2023…He has posted .213/.311/.375 slash in 73 games at Citi Field… Pete Alonso is slashing .240/.349/.573 with 24 home runs and 51 RBI in 71 road games…He is batting .202/.302/.473 at Citi Field.
WE FOUND NIMMO: Brandon Nimmo has safely hit in 17 of his last 19 games… Since August 28, Nimmo is batting .309 (25-81) with 11 runs, six doubles, one triple, five home runs, nine RBI, five walks with a .356 OBP and a .593 SLG…He has socked a career-best 23 home runs this season…Nimmo has recorded 60 RBI in 2023…His career-best is 64, which he recorded in 2022.
Rank Player HR Year
- Granderson 26 2015
- Agee 24 1970
- Nimmo 23 2023
- Agee 22 1969
Rank Player HR Years - Reyes 91 2003-18
- Nimmo 70 2016-23
- Agee 59 1968-72
- Granderson 58 2014-17
MOST HOME RUNS FROM LEADOFF SPOT, METS SINGLE-SEASON/CAREER SINGLE SEASON CAREER
SENGA GENESIS: Kodai Senga has recorded 191 strikeouts…That is the second-most strikeouts by a rookie in franchise history…He is 10-7 with a 2.95 ERA (51 ER/155.1 IP) with 72 walks and 191 strikeouts in 27 starts this season… His 2.95 ERA ranks fourth in the majors and third in the National League…His 191 strikeouts are the seventh-most in the NL…With nine more strikeouts, he would become the 13th pitcher in franchise history to record 200 or more strikeouts in a season…Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard were the last pitchers to do so…Tom Seaver owns the franchise record with nine such seasons.
MARLINS-METS NOTES: The Mets are 55-47 at loanDepot Park…New York has won six of its last seven contests in Miami. 2023: 6-2 2022: 13-6 History: 275-233 @NY: 2-1 @NY: 6-4 @NY: 145-112 @MIA: 4-1 @MIA: 7-2 @MIA: 129-119 @PR: 1-2
GOT TO GO TO MO’S: Ronny Mauricio has safely hit in 11 of his first 14 career games…He is batting .308 (16-52) with three runs, two doubles, one home run, seven RBI, three walks and six steals in his first 14 career games…He is one of five players in franchise history to record a hit in each of his first five career major league games.
STEAL THIS ALBUM: The Mets lead the major leagues with a 90.2% success rate in stolen bases this season…The team has stolen 111 bases out of 123 attempts…It’s the highest success rate in franchise history…The previous high was 82.3% which was accomplished in 2004.
I DON’T WANT TO ROCK, DJ: Over his last 26 games, DJ Stewart is batting .305 (29-95) with 16 runs, six doubles, 10 home runs, 23 RBI and a 1.050 OPS…In 49 games this year, Stewart is batting .265 (35-132) with 19 runs, eight doubles, 11 home runs, 26 RBI, 12 walks, a .344 OBP and a .566 SLG…Stewart recorded a career-high 12 home runs in 100 games with Baltimore in 2021.
METS CAREER LEADERS
RANK PLAYER HR
- Darryl Strawberry 252
- David Wright 242
- Mike Piazza 220
- Howard Johnson 192
- Pete Alonso 191
HR THROUGH FIRST 5 MLB YEARS
RANK PLAYER RBI - Ralph Kiner 215
- Albert Pujols 201
- Pete Alonso 191
- Eddie Mathews 190
Courtesy of Elias
HOME RUN NOTES
💯: Pete Alonso became the fourth player in Mets history to record three or more seasons with 100 or more RBI…He has previously recorded two seasons with 100 RBI (120 in 2019 and 131 in 2022)…David Wright is the franchise leader with five such seasons…Carlos Beltrán and Darryl Strawberry also recorded three seasons each…Alonso’s 492 RBI since he entered the league in 2019 are the most in the major leagues…He is second in the majors and in the NL with 112 RBI.
PLAYER YEAR HR
Pete Alonso 2019 53
Pete Alonso 2023 45
Carlos Beltrán 2006 41
Todd Hundley 1996 41
Pete Alonso 2022 40
Mike Piazza 1999 40
RANK PLAYER TOTAL
- Darryl Strawberry 22
- David Wright 21
- Pete Alonso 19
T4. Carlos Beltrán 17
T4. Mike Piazza 17
METS SINGLE SEASON HR METS CAREER MULTI-HR LEADERS
FOR PETE’S SAKE: Pete Alonso has recorded his second season with 45 or more home runs, becoming the only player in franchise history to do so…He recorded his third season with 40 or more home runs…He became the fifth player in major league history with three or more seasons of 40 or more homers in their first five years, joining Ralph Kiner (four), Ryan Howard (three), Albert Pujols (three) and Eddie Mathews (three)…He is the only player in franchise history with multiple seasons of 40 or more home runs…He is tied for second in the majors and is second in the National League with 45 home runs…Alonso’s 191 home runs since he entered the league in 2019 are the most in the major leagues.
30-FOR-30: Lindor has recorded 33 doubles and 26 home runs this season… He is looking to become the 12th player in franchise history to record a 30/30 season…The last player to accomplish that feat was Pete Alonso in 2019…He has stolen 27 bases this year…He is looking to become the fourth player in franchise history to record 30 doubles, 30 home runs and 30 steals in a single-season… He would join David Wright (2007), Howard Johnson (1991 & 1989) and Darryl Strawberry (1987).
STARTING PITCHER – JOEY LUCCHESI LHP #47
2023 STATS: 3-0, 2.83 ERA
LAST TIME OUT: Earned the win after throwing a career-high-tying 7.0 innings on September 13 against the Diamondbacks at Citi Field…Allowed one unearned run on five hits and three walks while striking out two batters in a 7-1 Mets victory.
SLINGIN’ IN SYRACUSE: Lucchesi has made 15 appearances, 14 of which were starts, this season for Triple-A Syracuse…In those appearances, he has pitched to a 4.74 ERA (43 ER/81.2 IP) and has tallied 75 strikeouts…Lucchesi earned International League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 12-18 after tossing 6.2 scoreless innings against the Buffalo Bisons on June 13, during which he allowed two hits while striking out six batters…In his most recent start, Lucchesi threw 4.0 innings on September 6 with Syracuse against the Rochester Red Wings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three batters in a 7-6 Syracuse walk-off victory in 10 innings.
FUEGO TAKES ON MIAMI: Lucchesi will face the Marlins for the first time this season and for the first time since 2021…Has pitched to a 1-0 record with a 0.87 ERA (1 ER/10.1 IP) in two starts against Miami in his career…Holds a 1-0 record with a 1.42 ERA (1 ER/6.1 IP) at home compared to a 0-0 record with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/4.0 IP) on the road against the Marlins…In his last appearance against Miami on May 22, 2021 at loanDepot park, Lucchesi tossed 4.0 scoreless, allowing one hit while striking out eight Marlins batters in a 3-1 Mets loss.
REHAB ASSIGNMENT RECAP: Made two appearances with Brooklyn (A+) as part of his rehab assignment after being placed on the 7-day IL, both against the Aberdeen IronBirds…Threw 52 pitches in his first rehab start on August 8, allowing one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out five…On August 3, threw 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while fanning three batters in a 63-pitch outing.
CAN’T WAIT TO GET ON THE ROAD AGAIN: In four away starts in the majors this season, Lucchesi has pitched to a 2.41 ERA (5 ER/18.2 IP), tallying 15 strikeouts, and earned his first two wins of the season on the road (April 21 @ SF, August 18 @ STL)…In three home starts this season, Lucchesi has pitched to a 3.31 ERA (6 ER/16.1 IP).
PUTTING UP GOOSE EGGS: Dating back to June 13, 2021, Lucchesi tossed 18.1 straight scoreless innings, a career-best scoreless streak, which came to an end on April 27 against the Nationals…Among starting pitchers, Lucchesi’s scoreless streak was the third-longest active scoreless streak in the majors at the time, behind Zac Gallen (28.0 innings) and Gerrit Cole (20.0 innings)
JOEY FUEGO: Made his major league debut on March 30, 2018 while with San Diego in a start against Milwaukee…Played for the Padres for three season before coming to the Mets in 2021…As a Met, Lucchesi–who adopted the nickname “Fuego” while in college-made eight starts in 11 appearances in 2021, pitching to a 4.46 ERA (19 ER/38.1 IP) and racking up 41 strikeouts before his season was cut short after undergoing “Tommy John” surgery…Made his Mets debut in relief on April 7, 2021 at Philadelphia, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings… Pitched to a 1.19 ERA (3 ER/22.2 IP) with 24 strikeouts over his last five outings of the 2021 season before his season-ending injury.
TROUBLE WITH THE CHURVE: Has gained attention throughout his career for a pitch he created, called the “churve”…Developed from a basic changeup, Lucchesi holds the ball deep in his palm and tinkered with his wrist action and position to throw the pitch in a similar nature to a breaking ball…Since then, it is a go-to weapon for Lucchesi…In 2019, his churve had an average 8.9 vertical drop, per Statcast, which was the most movement of any pitcher’s changeup by more than a full inch…According to Baseball Savant, Lucchesi’s pitch arsenal also featured a sinker, curve, cutter and change the last time he was in the
majors.
MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today continue the final homestand of the season, with the second game of a three-game series vs. the New York Mets. Are coming off a sweep vs. the Braves in the first leg of this nine-game ‘stand that will conclude with three games against the Brewers from Sept. 22-24, following an off-day on Thursday, September 21. Miami is currently in the midst of 16 straight games before the club’s next off-day on Thursday. The Marlins have 78 wins this season, the most by the club since 2016 (79 wins).
SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER
The Marlins enter today 0.5 game behind the Reds and the Cubs for the third NL Wild Card spot, and only 1.0 game behind the Diamondbacks for the second NL Wild Card spot. The club entered September with a .500 or better record for the 1st time in a full season since 2016, and 8th time overall in club history.
CHASING HISTORY
2B Luis Arraez collected 2 hits last night to become the fourth Marlins player to reach the 200-hit plateau in a single season and the first since Dee Strange-Gordon in 2017. Arraez owns the highest average (.354) by a Marlin through his first 144 games of a season. Is looking to become the first player in MLB history to win batting titles in two different leagues in consecutive years. Overall, only two players have won batting titles in each league – DJ LeMahieu (NL – 2016; AL – 2020) and Ed Delahanty (NL – 1899; AL – 1902).
LEAD OFF LUIS
2B Luis Arraez hit lead off home runs on both Friday and Saturday vs. the Braves, becoming the third player in club history to hit leadoff home runs in back-to-back games (Miguel Rojas, July 27-28, 2019 and Hanley Ramirez, July 17-18, 2006). He joins Hanley Ramirez as the only players in club history to hit 4-or-more leadoff home runs in a season. Arraez has 4 this season, while Ramirez had 9 in 2008, 8 in 2007, and 7 in 2006. All 4 of his lead off homers have come in the month of September and the Marlins are 8-1 in games where he homers.
SKIP AHEAD
Marlins rookie Manager Skip Schumaker has guided the Marlins to a 78-73 record and .517 winning percentage this season. He looks to become the third Marlins manager to secure a winning record in their first full season managing the team, joining Jim Leyland (92-70; 1997) and Jack McKeon (83-79; 2004). Both Leyland and McKeon had previous managing experience prior to becoming the Marlins manager.
FIGHTING FISH
Through 17 games of the final month of the season, Miami (11-6) is tied with San Diego for the most wins in September in the National League in wins in September. The Marlins rank 3rd in the NL, and 6th in MLB, with 96 runs scored in September. Miami’s 28 home runs this month are the 4th most in the NL and 5th most in MLB.
FACING OUR FOES
Miami will play the Mets 6 times through the final 12 games of the season, starting with 3 this week at loanDepot park where the Marlins have fared 47-55 against the Mets since the park opened in 2012. Miami has gone 2-6 against their division foes in 2023 thus far.
CAN’T MISS DEALS
- $5 Beers at the Budweiser Bar – Monday through Wednesday (9/18-20) vs. Mets. Give Back & Get Wild – From September 18, through Wednesday, September 20, fans can get free entry with the \donation of new/unused toiletries and baby care products for Lotus House Women’s Shelter. Donations are to be made at Gate 9 of loanDepot park and fans will receive a ticket compliments of Greenberg Traurig.
GRAND JAZZ
CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. this past weekend became the first player in Marlins history to hit a grand slam in back-to-back games, marking his 3rd career grand slam. Is one of 21 players in MLB this season to have at least 2 grand slams. Royce Lewis (4), Max Muncy (3), Alex Bregman (3), and Adolis Garcia (3) are the only players with more. Miami had 0 grand slams entering play on Saturday. On Saturday vs. ATL, Chisholm Jr. stole a career-high 3 bases and hit his 2nd career grand slam to become the second player in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) to hit a grand slam and steal 3 bases in the same game, joining Seattle’s Mike Cameron on May 16, 2002 at Toronto. Chisholm Jr. now has 18 home runs and 22 stolen bases on the year. Looks to become the fifth Marlin (11th occurrence) to record 20 homers and 20 steals in a season since Hanley Ramirez in 2010 (21 HR, 32 2B).
STARTING PITCHER – #29 BRAXTON GARRETT
- Braxton Garrett, 26, will make his 29th start (30th app.) of the season today. Marks his fifth career start (sixth app.) against the New York Mets. Last faced New York-NL on April 9 at Citi Field in his first start of the season. Allowed 2 runs on 9 hits and 1 walk over 4.2 innings. Struck out 7. In his most recent start on Sept. 13 at Milwaukee, held the Brewers to 4 hits over 6.0 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts and 2 walks. Has held opponents to 1 ER or less in 15 starts this season, the second-most by a left-handed starter in club history, trailing only Dontrelle Willis who recorded 18 such starts in 2005. Is tied for the most such starts in the MLB with SD’s Blake Snell. The Marlins are 20-8 in Garrett’s starts this year, including 8 consecutive wins from May 31 – July 8 and 4 consecutive wins from July 28 – Aug. 14. Have won 6 of last 10. Owns a 5.44 (147/27) K/BB ratio (min. 100.0 IP), second-best among NL pitchers. RHB vs. Garrett in 2023: .263 AVG (118×449), .303 OBP, .748 OPS. LHB vs. Garrett: .215 AVG (28×130), .280 OBP, .618 OPS. In 14 starts (15 apps.) at loanDepot park this season, owns a 4.82 ERA (74.2/40) and has gone 3-4 with 76 strikeouts. In 14 starts away, is 6-2 with a 2.52 ERA (75.0/21) and 71 strikeouts. In 28 career starts (29 apps.) at loanDepot park, owns a 4.05 ERA (142.1/64) and has gone 6-10 with 158 strikeouts. In 26 starts away (27 apps.), is 8-6 with a 3.68 ERA (137.0/56) and 119 strikeouts.
