Writers’ Views on Opening Day in Binghamton

On a warm April evening in Binghamton (very rare), Mack’s writers Remember 1969 and Paul Articulates visited Mirabito Stadium to watch the home opener for the Mets’ AA franchise the Rumble Ponies.  After the game, the two shared a conversation on what they had just witnessed in a very entertaining 9-4 Ponies victory.

Paul: That was quite a ballgame!  I think that some of the Mets’ prospects made quite a statement today.

R69: I love to see those guys hit.  Did you see the three run bomb that Francisco Álvarez launched in the seventh inning?   That is some ‘easy’ power.   I think it will be a game day story all year if he doesn’t hit one!

Paul: Yes, it was awesome.  His power has been on display early this season – that was his third HR this season, and his OPS is up to 1.956 after this game!  But he is not the only one stinging the ball this season.  Antoine Duplantis hit one off the top of the Quonset Hut beyond the billboards in right field!  His OPS is over 1.2 this year.   Ronnie Mauricio and Luke Ritter also blasted homers.

Paul: I thought they played well defensively too.  Alec Kisena threw a strong 5 innings to start, and the team played errorless ball behind him.  Brett Baty continues to impress me with his defense – he made a highlight reel over-the-shoulders catch sprinting back on the left field line that would have made Willie Mays proud!

R69: I’m glad you mentioned that Baty catch – you may not see a prettier play this year.  I wish I had been in the left field stands for that one – really impressive.   They still have some work to do, though.  Alvarez needs to improve on blocking pitches in the dirt – there was one that got away in the first inning that was scored as a wild pitch but he could have prevented the runner from advancing by keeping it in front of him.

Paul: I agree.  This is why it is important to let players mature in the minors before hitting the bright lights.  There was a play where Mauricio was covering second on a stolen base attempt, but the batter lined one in the gap.  Ronnie forgot to get back in position for the relay throw from the outfield.  If that happened at Citi Field, the sportswriters would not have been very forgiving.  Here in Binghamton he just has a little post-game chat with Mariano Duncan and learns the lesson.

R69:  We haven’t talked about pitching yet.  I thought Kisena was impressive in his five innings to get the win and Yeizo Campos was outstanding, notwithstanding the one solo homer he gave up.  He came right back, forgot about it, and did the job in his 2 innings of work.   The three leadoff walks from Metoyer are concerning – hopefully he can come back and get some outs next time.  

Paul: Overall though, this was a great start for the team.  The stadium was rocking with just under 5,000 people in attendance.  Based on what we saw tonight, I’m sure they will be back to see more.