The New York Mets lost a very “winnable” game on Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles. However, over the course of the ballgame, a few promising developments took place, most notably Andres Gimenez’s first career home run.
And make no mistake: it came on very timely fashion. With the Mets down 5-3 in the sixth inning, Gimenez drove a pitch the other way over the fence to tie the action at five runs apiece:
An oppo taco for Andrés Giménez for his first major league home run.@andresgimenez @Mets #Mets #LGM @Metsmerized pic.twitter.com/OQQhtMRqTE
— Mathew Brownstein (@MBrownstein89) September 2, 2020
With the count 2-0, he attacked a sinker from Orioles’ pitcher Thomas Eshelman and hit it for a home run.
“It’s something special,†Gimenez said afterwards via a team translator, per SNY. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid. For it to happen today, it was a great honor.â€
It was a magical moment for the rookie, who is not known for his home run power, but has worked hard to add some thump to his swing. That’s why he’ll probably remember his first home run for a long time.
The Mets’ infielder plans for the ball
The New York Mets’ young infielder kept the ball and has plans for it. “I would like to give it to my great grandmother who’s up in heaven right now, but I think we’re just going to keep it in the family,†Gimenez said.
Gimenez, despite a relatively underwhelming .258 average, .310 OBP and .689 OPS, has impressed Mets’ manager Luis Rojas with his all-out, gritty play and his phenomenal glove at several infield positions. His speed is also game-changing. If he could improve his power output, we are talking about an everyday player at the bigs.
The Mets are sliding, so Gimenez is tasked with contributing his usual traits to try to get over the hump.
“I think we should come in relaxed and trust that we have a good team here, and just that we’re going to come in every day and give our best when we come to the stadium,†Gimenez said. “We have a good team and I feel like as long as we continue to play hard, we’re going to get the results that we want.â€