NY Mets rally in the ninth, win on bizarre walk-off in home opener vs. Miami Marlins

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NEW YORK — After Jeff McNeil crushed the baseball — igniting roars from the 8,011 fans at Citi Field, he turned, flung his bat toward the dugout and looked at his teammates as he headed toward first to begin his trot. 

McNeil, the birthday boy, had just saved the Mets, who seemed lifeless. They were three outs away from a disappointing loss in their home opener, which featured fans in this venue for the first time since 2019. 

With one swing, he gave his team, and the ballpark, life with a solo home run. Minutes later, Michael Conforto was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

Mets 3, Marlins 2. 

On the day fans returned, the Mets gave them late-game drama and an exciting finish. 

Facing Miami’s Anthony Bass, McNeil led off the bottom of the ninth with a 408-foot solo home run over the right-center field fence. Judging by their reactions, you could tell he and the fans knew it was gone off the bat. 

Two batters latter, Luis Guillorme hit a ground ball and beat it out. Then Brandon Nimmo doubled before Miami elected to intentionally walk Francisco Lindor. 

Conforto took one for the team, the hit by pitch scoring the winning run. 

Justin Toscano is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Mets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.

Email: toscanoj@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @justinctoscano