NEW YORK _ "Big Sexy" came through with another age-defying performance Wednesday to please fans of both his current team, the Braves, and his former team, the Mets. In the end there was no decision for affable veteran Bartolo Colon, but no joy for the home nine at Citi Field. Matt Kemp saw to the latter.
Kemp's two-run double with two out in the 12th inning lifted the Braves to a 3-1 win against the Mets at Citi Field. Kemp, who already had two doubles Wednesday, made the Mets pay dearly for walking Freddie Freeman intentionally with two out to load the bases.
His third double of the night was a shot down the left-field line off right-hander Rafael Montero, and Kemp pumped his fists as he stood atop second base after driving in just the second and third runs of the Braves' season.
They will go for a series win Thursday when they send left-hander Jaime Garcia makes his Braves debut against Matt Harvey.
The Braves had been 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position for the season until Kemp came through. They had runners on the corners with one out in the 11th when Adonis Garcia grounded into a rally-quashing double play. Garcia drove in their only run with a game-tying double in the seventh.
In the 12th, Kurt Suzuki hit a leadoff single and Ender Inciarte drew a one-out walk to reach base for the first time in two games. After Dansby Swanson's ground-out to first base advanced both runners, the Mets walked Freeman, who had three hits in Monday's season opener but was 0-for-5 with four ground balls and a strikeout before the 12th inning Wednesday.
The Mets opted to face Kemp with a force at any base, and he came through in a big way for the Braves.
The unsung hero for Atlanta was reliever Jose Ramirez, who pitched the ninth and 10th innings and worked out of trouble in each. Jim Johnson pitched the last two innings for the win.
After allowing a leadoff walk in the ninth, Ramirez induced a double-play grounder from Yoenis Cespedes. And after Jay Bruce doubled with one out in the 10th Ramirez intentionally walked Lucas Duda before striking out Travis d'Arnaud and pinch-hitter Ty Kelly to strand both runners.
Colon, the 20th-year veteran making his Braves debut, allowed just two hits and one walk in six innings, but one of the hits was a Jay Bruce leadoff homer in the fifth inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Bruce hit a 2-2 sinker after watching a previous borderline two-strike sinker that was called a ball.
Mets co-ace Jacob deGrom limited the Braves to two hits and one run with six strikeouts in six innings, giving Mets starters 13 strikeouts with one walk and seven hits allowed in 12 scoreless innings in the series. All of deGrom's strikeouts came in the first four innings including five on called third strikes.
The Braves scored a tying run in the seventh after Nick Markakis' one-out triple off reliever Hansel Robles. Brandon Phillips walked on four pitches and Garcia hit a one-out double to drive in the first run of the season for Atlanta in its 16th inning. The Braves lost 6-0 on Opening Day, when Julio Teheran matched the Mets' Noah Syndergaard with six scoreless innings but the Braves bullpen was no match for the Mets' pen.
On Wednesday after tying the score in the seventh, the Braves had an opportunity to take their first lead of the season. Instead, they failed to add a run that inning after loading the bases with one out.
They also had two runners on base in the eighth after a two-out double from Kemp and a Markakis intentional walk. Phillips struck out to end the inning for the Braves, who are 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the game and 1-for-14 for the season.
Colon was feted with a video tribute on the center-field scoreboard immediate prior to the game and received a standing ovation from Mets fans. Then he proceeded to pitch as he did for the Mets during the past three seasons _ effectively and efficiently.
The 43-year-old allowed two hits, one run and one walk with six strikeouts in six innings, throwing 53 strikes in 80 pitches and only exiting because the Braves loaded the bases with one out in a 1-1 game when his spot in the order came up in the seventh inning, after Robles hit Kurt Suzuki with a pitch.
Pinch-hitter Emilio Bonifacio worked a full count before striking out against left-hander Jerry Blevins, who induced an inning-ending groundout from Inciarte.
Colon's debut was impressive for any pitcher making his first start with a new team, much less for the oldest active player in the majors and the oldest pitcher to start a game for the Braves since Dennis Martinez made five starts during his age-44 season in 1998.
Colon, who'll turn 44 in May, signed a one-year, $12.5 million free-agent contract with the Braves after going 44-34 with a 3.90 ERA in 98 games (95 starts) for the Mets over the previous three seasons. He was 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 2016 in his fourth All-Star season.
