It only took 13 innings, 11 hits and 15 stranded runners, but the New York Mets won a game early Thursday morning on a play you'd think would have tormented them: a game-winning hit by pitch. After getting a quick out in the 13th inning, the Mets had two straight singles (Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy) then a Jose Reyes intentional walk after the count reached 3-0. Then on the first pitch from Oakland A's Brad Ziegler to Justin Turner, a slider didn't bite in and nailed turner in the left leg, giving the Mets a hard-fought 3-2 victory.
It wasn't a very exciting game, but the reason it did have to go four extra innings was because of a Francisco Rodriguez blown save. The reason there was a 2-1 league to begin with? A Turner single to left field in the eighth inning that drove home catalyst Reyes, who went 2-for-6 in the game.
The scoring got started off in the second inning, when a Duda RBI single drove home Scott Hairston, who started in centerfield. R.A. Dickey was simply stellar on the mound, matching the flashier Gio Gonzalez pitch for pitch. Dickey lasted eight innings, allowing just a Kurt Suzuki home run in the fifth inning to cross home plate. He struckout nine. Gonzalez was just as good -- allowing one run on four hits with eight strikeouts on the day.
The Mets stranded 11 runners in scoring position, but relief efforts from four different relievers for our innings that allowed just four hits, kept them in the game. The Mets will look for the series win tomorrow afternoon with Chris Capuano on the mound.