BOSTON — It spoke volumes about Brett Baty’s progression as a complete baseball player that as Carlos Mendoza looked to shake up his lineup for Wednesday’s series finale at Fenway Park, the Mets’ manager chose to keep Baty in his starting nine. On paper, Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was a nightmare assignment for Baty, a left-handed hitter with extreme platoon splits. Mendoza played him anyway because he valued Baty’s defense at third base.
On this night, however, it was Baty’s offense that proved most impactful. His go-ahead two-run single off a different left-hander, Brennan Bernardino, lifted the Mets to a 5-1 win over the Red Sox, snapping their first three-game losing streak of the season.
Trying to break a tie in the seventh, the Mets rallied on three consecutive singles off reliever Liam Hendriks. With Baty due to bat, Red Sox manager Alex Cora turned to Bernardino, who had been excellent against lefties in the early season. Baty ran the count to 2-2 before lacing a thigh-high sinker to the opposite field for two runs.
Juan Soto, who struck out three times against Crochet, added a booming sacrifice fly later in the inning to provide the final margin.
The winning pitcher was Huascar Brazobán, who bailed Tylor Megill out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fifth before going on to pitch two more scoreless innings.
