Lindor, Marte shine as Mets back Bassitt to win home opener
NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor homered from both sides of the plate to back another stingy start from newcomer Chris Bassitt, and the New York Mets routed the sloppy Arizona Diamondbacks 10-3 in their home opener Friday.
Starling Marte launched a three-run shot in his first home game with the Mets, and Robinson Canó connected for the first time since September 2020 after serving his second suspension for performance-enhancing drugs last season. The Mets homered four times in their home opener for the first time.
Pete Alonso lofted a pair of early sacrifice flies for New York (6-2), which has the most wins in the majors. Travis Jankowski, subbing in center field after two Mets outfielders went on the COVID-19 injured list, had three hits.
Acquired from Oakland in a trade last month, Bassitt (2-0) allowed one run and two hits in six innings. He received a warm ovation from the sellout crowd of 43,820 as he walked off the mound at the end of his Citi Field debut.
The All-Star right-hander struck out six and walked two. He fanned eight over six innings of three-hit ball last Saturday in his initial outing for the Mets, a 5-0 win at Washington.
New York has won 11 in a row against the Diamondbacks at Citi Field, outscoring Arizona 68-21.
Daulton Varsho socked his first homer of the season off Bassitt in the sixth.
Batting left-handed, Lindor chased Zach Davies (0-1) with a two-run drive into the second deck in right field that made it 5-0 in the fifth. The $341 million shortstop followed Marte’s three-run homer in the eighth with a shot to left off reliever Caleb Smith.
It was Lindor’s 14th career multi-homer game and the fourth time the switch-hitter has gone deep from both sides of the plate.
Lindor also walked twice, stole a base and scored three times. It was an auspicious start to 2022 at Citi Field after he was often booed last year during a miserable first season with the Mets.
Marte, who signed a $78 million, four-year contract as a free agent in November, also stole a base and scored three times. He finished with three hits.
After unveiling a long-awaited statue of Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver outside Citi Field in a pregame ceremony on Jackie Robinson Day around the majors, Bassitt and three Mets relievers limited the Diamondbacks to three hits in the team’s 11th consecutive home victory over Arizona since the start of 2018.
New York starters are 6-0 this season, and the Mets improved to 40-21 in home openers — including 10-4 at Citi Field.
UP NEXT
Arizona RHP Zac Gallen faces RHP Carlos Carrasco on Saturday afternoon.
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