PITTSBURGH _ All of the hype led up to a warm Saturday evening, when Marcus Stroman walked out of the Mets dugout and stepped on the mound for the first time in blue and orange.
With him, the Mets expect to have one of baseball's best rotations. It would be impossible to begin evaluating the trade until months from now, but debuts of this magnitude provide excitement because they offer a peek into a new era.
Stroman began his outing on a rough note, but settled in after. He showed athleticism and fire. He left with his team at a deficit, but Wilson Ramos later saved the day with a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning before smoking a bases-clearing double in the ninth to end with a career-high six RBI.
The first game of Stroman's Mets tenure will read: Mets 7, Pirates 5.
Marcus Stroman #7 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 3, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Stroman was making his first start for the Mets since being traded by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Marcus Stroman #7 of the New York Mets pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on August 3, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Stroman was making his first start for the Mets since being traded by the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo: Justin K. Aller, Getty Images)
Stroman allowed three runs over 4 ? innings as he eventually ran into his pitch count of 90-95 that Mets manager Mickey Callaway set. He struck out three and walked two, ending at 92 pitches. His teammates helped him out after he departed.
He did not pitch poorly, but a strenuous first inning may make it seem like he did. Here is how Stroman's evening began:
Single.
Single.
RBI Single.
Single.
Two batters after that, Stroman walked in a run on his 30th pitch (he required 35 to get out of the first).
It could have been worse had Stroman not helped himself out. In the middle of the inning, he sprinted off the mound, barehanded a grounder and fired an off-balance throw to home plate to get a force-out, showcasing the athleticism the Mets have gushed about. After the ball hit Ramos' glove, Stroman fist-pumped and yelled.
At one point, Stroman retired eight in a row before running into trouble in the fourth.
This was not the shiny debut Stroman and the Mets hoped for, but fans should not freak out.
Before Saturday, Stroman last pitched on July 24. He came in with a 2.96 ERA, exceptional for any starter at this time of the year. Plus, Mets manager Mickey Callaway has discussed the adjustment period it will take for Stroman and Ramos to become comfortable with one another.
And the night ended with a Mets victory.
The Mets trailed, 3-1, in the seventh inning when Jeff McNeil _ out of the startinglineup on Saturday as the Mets prepare him for Monday's doubleheader _ blasted his first career pinch-hit home run. The solo shot flew over the stands in right field and traveled an estimated 415 feet.
With New York down by a run an inning later, Robinson Cano doubled before Ramos launched a bomb off Kyle Crick that gave the Mets a one-run lead. In the ninth, Ramos brought home three more with his two-out double that sealed a career-best night.
Seth Lugo, the National League Reliever of the Month for July, pitched a clean eighth. Edwin Diaz got the final three outs, though he allowed a two-run home run to Starling Marte that made Ramos' insurance that much more valuable.
To reach the eighth, the Mets used Luis Avilan, Jacob Rhame and Justin Wilson to get to the eighth. Avilan hit a batter, allowing a run to score, but the rest held the Pirates.
The Mets shocked the baseball world when they traded for Stroman, shedding the "sellers" tag. First-place teams make moves like it every year, but those in fourth place usually do not.
Stroman may not have been lights out, but he kept the Mets in the game and gave them a chance to rally. They thanked him for it with two late homers that decided the outcome.
The organization hopes Saturday night is the beginning of a successful partnership with a talented arm.
