With a 90-foot scamper standing in the way of Pete Alonso tying the game for the Mets in the bottom of the ninth inning, it was the final few inches that complicated things.
With the Mets trailing the Cubs, 1-0, with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Alonso was stationed at third base and J.D. Martinez on second. Jeff McNeil lofted a two-strike pitch down the left-field line that was caught by Ian Happ. As Alonso slid headfirst into home, Nick Madrigal’s relay throw arrived and home-plate umpire Charlie Ramos ruled the Mets first baseman was tagged out by Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya in a bang-bang play at the plate.
The Mets fell short by a few inches and dropped a 1-0 result to the Cubs in front of 22,485 fans on Wednesday night at Citi Field to fall back to 15-15 in the opening game of May.
But the stance by Amaya, who appeared to have his left foot on the base before receiving the ball, brought frustration for the Mets and manager Carlos Mendoza.
A replay review of a potential block ruled Amaya’s positioning legal, and a Major League Baseball statement said that the replay official “could not definitely determine that the runner contacted home plate prior to catcher applying the tag.”
Alonso’s hand bounced up but under Amaya’s body as the tag arrived.
Mendoza was not quite as sure of the ruling following preseason guidance on MLB’s blocking rule.
“It’s one of those that they send out a memo in spring training of what’s legal and what’s illegal,” Mendoza said, “and it’s clearly on the email, that memo that we got, that catchers are not allowed to have their foot in front of the plate, on top of the plate, they cannot straddle without possession of the ball.
“It was very clear that the guy had his left foot on top of the plate without the baseball. I think they got the wrong call.”
Mendoza said the memo came with pictures which gave the Mets coaching staff the ability to train their catchers to avoid situations like the one that came on Wednesday. That fueled more questions following the decision.
The definition of the catcher blocking rule states: “The catcher is not permitted to block the runner’s path to the plate unless he is in possession of the ball, though blocking the path of the runner in a legitimate attempt to receive a throw is not considered a violation. The runner can be ruled safe if the umpire determines the catcher violated this rule.”
MLB’s statement said Amaya’s move into Alonso’s path was a result of Madrigal’s throw: “The catcher’s initial setup was legal and he moved into the lane in reaction to the trajectory of the incoming throw.”
Alonso’s sprint home was the lone big chance for the Mets to strike in a pitcher’s duel between Cubs rookie Shota Imanaga and Mets’ Jose Butto.
For seven innings, the Mets were no different than the other five opponents that had faced the Cubs rookie Shota Imanaga this season. The combination of Imanaga’s rising fastball, diabolical splitter and tempo had the Mets offense flummoxed. They could only manage three hits and one walk while Imanaga notched seven strikeouts and needed just 87 pitches to get through seven frames.
Butto was nearly as strong for the Mets, allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings. After allowing leadoff hitter Nico Hoerner to double and walking Tauchman in the first inning, Butto recorded 12 straight outs without allowing a hit.
“Just mentally, I said, ‘Let’s go,’ because when we attack the hitters, we attack the strike zone, it’s easy for us, so that’s what I do,” Butto said.
The Cub’s lone run was scored in the top of the fifth inning when Matt Mervis knocked a leadoff double, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly from Pete Crow-Armstrong after the rookie lost his at-bat in the middle of his at-bat.
The Mets offense woke up against Cubs closer Hector Neris. With one out in the frame, Alonso was hit by a pitch and Martinez laced a double into the right-center field gap that bobbled in and out of the glove of Crow-Armstrong.
In McNeil’s next at-bat, Alonso believed he had touched the plate before the tag but was ruled out.
“Honestly, that’s really not up for me to decide. I was out,” Alonso said. “I hustled as hard as I could. I made the best slide I could possibly make and the umpire said I was out, so I was out.”
Mets bullpen continues to dominate
The Mets’ bullpen held the Cubs in check over the final three innings.
Jorge Lopez and Jake Diekman combined for a scoreless seventh inning before Adam Ottavino extended his scoreless streak to nine appearances despite giving up a leadoff walk and a stolen base to Nico Hoerner.
Ottavino picked up a fly ball and struck out Happ and Morel to skirt around trouble. During his scoreless streak, Ottavino has not allowed a hit and struck out 17 batters across 9⅔ innings.
Sean Reid-Foley struck out the side in the top of the ninth inning on 13 pitches to keep the Mets within striking distance.
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