The Mets gave fans the kind of spring update you actually want for once, not the fake sunny crap. Francisco Lindor made his Grapefruit League debut after hand surgery, went 1-for-3, came out feeling good, and the Mets smoked Toronto 8-1 in a rain-shortened game to move to 11-8 this spring.
Mets In The News Today
- Lindor is back, and that’s the headline that matters. He played shortstop, went 1-for-3, scored a run, and said afterward he felt “pretty much like myself.” With Opening Day set for March 26, that’s a big sigh of relief for a lineup that needs its tone-setter healthy.
- The bats did real damage behind him. Marcus Semien homered and drove in three, Luis Robert Jr. went 2-for-2 with a run scored, and Mike Tauchman added two hits and two runs in the 8-1 win over the Blue Jays.
- Camp is tightening up. The Mets made another round of cuts, sending nine players to the minor league side, including A.J. Ewing, Ryan Lambert, Kevin Parada, Ryan Clifford, and Carl Edwards Jr. Big league camp is down to 53 players. Translation: roster decisions are getting real now.
- Next up is Washington at Clover Park. The Mets are back at it tonight, March 16 at 6:10 p.m. ET, with David Peterson lined up against the Nationals. Peterson has a 2.25 spring ERA so far.
Mets Box Score (Last Game)
Final: Mets 8, Blue Jays 1 (rain-shortened)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Jays | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Mets | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
Top Mets Hitters:
Marcus Semien: 1-for-2, HR, 3 RBI
Luis Robert Jr.: 2-for-2, 1 R
Mike Tauchman: 2-for-3, 2 R
Francisco Lindor: 1-for-3, 1 R
Marcus Semien: 1-for-2, HR, 3 RBI
Luis Robert Jr.: 2-for-2, 1 R
Mike Tauchman: 2-for-3, 2 R
Francisco Lindor: 1-for-3, 1 R
Top Mets Pitching:
Zach Thornton (W): 2-0, 1.35 ERA
Zach Thornton (W): 2-0, 1.35 ERA
Key Moments:
Lindor made his spring debut after hand surgery, the Mets dropped a five-run second inning on Toronto, and Semien brought the loud stuff with a three-RBI homer.
Lindor made his spring debut after hand surgery, the Mets dropped a five-run second inning on Toronto, and Semien brought the loud stuff with a three-RBI homer.
A Trip Around Major League Baseball
- Team USA is headed to the WBC final. The Americans beat the Dominican Republic 2-1 and will face the winner of Venezuela vs. Italy in the championship game in Miami.
- Atlanta kept rolling. The Braves beat the Phillies 1-0 and improved to a spring-best 15-5, because apparently being annoying is a year-round condition.
- Houston blanked Miami 1-0. The Marlins continue to look like a team trying to score runs with a rake and a prayer.
- St. Louis topped Washington 6-3. Nelson Velázquez led the way with a three-run homer and four RBI.
NL East News & Notes
- Braves: Atlanta’s spring record sits at 15-5, best in Grapefruit play, after the 1-0 win over Philadelphia. That machine still hums, which is rude.
- Phillies: Philadelphia got shut out and fell to 8-12 this spring, though Taijuan Walker threw five scoreless innings in the loss.
- Nationals: Washington dropped a 6-3 game to St. Louis and carries an 11-7 spring mark into tonight’s matchup with the Mets.
- Marlins: Miami lost 1-0 to Houston and sits at 8-11 in spring training. The offense has been a little too committed to the minimalist movement.
Mets History Today
- On March 16, 1961, the New York State Legislature approved funding for a new stadium in Flushing Meadows, a major step toward what became Shea Stadium. That decision helped plant the franchise in Queens for good.
- Shea didn’t just become a ballpark. It became the place where generations of Mets fans learned hope, heartbreak, yelling at the television, and the spiritual importance of a two-out rally. The whole beautiful mess starts with that March 16 vote.
Stats You Should Know
- 8 runs on 10 hits for the Mets against Toronto, with a 5-run second inning doing the heavy lifting.
- Francisco Lindor: 1-for-3 in his first spring action after surgery. The stat matters, but the healthy hand matters more.
- Luis Robert Jr.: 2-for-2 Sunday, continuing a strong spring push after his delayed start.
- David Peterson: 2.25 ERA in spring entering tonight’s game against Washington. Quietly important, especially with the rotation picture still taking shape.
Why this matters for Mets fans
Lindor getting back into game action without drama is the biggest thing on the board. The offense showed some thump, camp cuts mean the roster is moving from theory to reality, and the countdown to March 26 just got a lot less stressful.
