The Mets used small ball to build an early lead before turning the power on in the 5th inning.
Mark Vientos had four RBI (including a three-run round-tripper during that four-run fifth) and Clay Holmes struck out four over five innings of one-run ball to carry the Mets (66-58) to a 7-3 win over the Seattle Mariners (68-57) in the Little League Classic at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Penn.
The game got underway following a 35-minute weather delay caused by heavy rain earlier in the evening, but the Mets wasted little time attacking Mariners starter George Kirby.
After a quiet first inning, Pete Alonso led off the bottom of the second with a single, followed by Jeff McNeil doing the same. A double from Francisco Alvarez plated Alonso, a single by Brett Baty brought McNeil home and Alvarez dashed home on a sac fly from Vientos.
Julio Rodriguez, who had some difficulty navigating center field at the small ballpark, scored on a Jorge Polanco single in the 4th to get the Mariners a run back before the Mets started slugging in the 5th and chased Kirby out of the game.
After Vientos’ no-doubter, Cedric Mullins touched home after a Francisco Lindor double to make it 7-1.
The Mariners attempted to rally, sparked by a two-run blast from Cal Raleigh (his league-leading 47th of the year) off Reed Garrett in the 7th to trim the deficit to four, but they’d get no closer.
Alvarez appeared to jam his right throwing hand on the bag while stretching a single into a double in the bottom half of the frame. He was replaced behind the plate by Luis Torrens in the top of the 8th.
The team said Alvarez would undergo an MRI on his right thumb on Monday after the team gets back to New York.
“Right now, we don’t know what we’re dealing with,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Alvarez went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Ryan Helsley walked one and struck out two in a scoreless 8th. The Mariners managed two singles in the 9th before Tyler Rogers induced a weak grounder by Josh Naylor to give the Mets their second straight win.
Sunday’s tilt marked the second time the Mets played in the Little League Classic. In 2018, the Amazins’ defeated the Phillies, 8-2, at Bowman Field.
The Mets will head back to Queens for a three game series with the Washington Nationals. David Peterson will take the mound Tuesday, followed by Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea.
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