Melendez’s Walk-Off Blast Caps Wild 10th-Inning Thriller at Citi Field

Citi Field in Queens, New York

By: Cristopher Avello

QUEENS, N.Y. — The New York Mets took full advantage of their opportunities all night, refusing to let a resilient Miami Marlins squad steal a victory. M.J. Melendez provided the definitive punctuation mark, launching a walk-off, two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning off a 98 mph Kevin Fairbanks fastball. Melendez’s third long ball of the year sent the Citi Field crowd into a frenzy, sealing a wild 9-7 victory on Friday night.

Early on, it looked like a New York rout. The Mets exploded for four runs in a 33-pitch first inning against Miami starter Max Meyer, matching their entire run output from last weekend's series in Miami. AJ Ewing ignited the rally, turning on an 0-2 sweeper for a two-run single that scored Bo Bichette and Juan Soto. Moments later, Brett Baty crushed a two-run single of his own to cap the frame.

Though Meyer settled down to strike out six over six gritty innings, Mark Vientos extended the Mets' lead to 5-1 in the third with a 109 exit velocity solo shot, his seventh of the year.

Yet, Miami’s bats simply refused to quit. Xavier Edwards, who went 2-for-4, sparked the comeback with a two-out RBI triple off the center-field wall in the third. In the fifth, Otto Lopez reached on a hard liner to bring home Joe Mack, and Kyle Stowers—who finished with three hits—followed with an RBI double to chase Mets starter Freddy Peralta.

The ultimate drama unfolded in the eighth. Facing Tobias Myers, Miami's budding star Owen Caissie crushed a game-tying, two-run home run. Caissie’s blast capped a two-hit, two-RBI night that briefly silenced the Queens faithful and pushed the game into extra frames.

But after the Marlins failed to pull ahead, Melendez ensured the night belonged to New York, turning around Fairbanks’ heat to secure a thrilling, hard-fought victory.

Meyer Madness

33 Pitches in first inning.

Meyer was 5-0 entering today’s game, he allowed one run less than all his starts in May combined and earned his first loss of the year. 

Key Stat

Caissie over his last seven games has nine rbi’s.