The New York Mets had been stifled all night by St. Louis Cardinals pitching on Monday, having not mustered anything against Miles Mikolas or Genesis Cabrera.
But in the top of the ninth, things changed very quickly.
With the Mets down to their final strike against St. Louis closer Giovanny Gallegos, Mark Canha singled and a run scored to put New York on the board.
The Mets then put two in scoring position for pinch hitter Dominic Smith.
Smith lined one up the first base line, where Paul Goldschmidt made a sliding attempt.
But Smith had no intention of being the final out of the game, as he hustled his way to first and slid in safely as a result of Gallegos not getting to the bag in time, allowing two runs to score and putting the Mets on top.
What a hustle play by Dominic Smith to beat out an infield hit. Two runs scored during the chaos, including Jeff McNeil racing around from second. Both go down as RBI for Smith.
Well if this isn't a turn of events…
Mets 3, Cardinals 2, top nine. pic.twitter.com/3GSM0HSjAU
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 26, 2022
Hustle And Heart
The Mets looked dead in the water last night in St. Louis, but sometimes all you need is a little hustle.
Smith grinded out a tough at-bat against one of the top relievers in the game and hustled down the line, narrowly beating Goldschmidt and Gallegos to the first base bag, while also providing a little distraction that allowed Jeff McNeil time to score the go-ahead run.
This is what baseball is all about.
It sometimes comes down to the little things.
And it certainly did on Monday night, as Smith took advantage of Gallegos’ mistake and beat both him and Goldschmidt to the bag.
Brandon Nimmo hit a two-run homer to cap off a five-run ninth, leaving the crowd in St. Louis stunned, but it was Smith’s hustle and Gallegos’ lack thereof that turned the tide and led the Mets to a jaw-dropping come-from-behind win at Busch Stadium.
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