NEW YORK — The New York Mets’ pitching technique in opposition to Aaron Decide on Tuesday was easy: Pitch across the scorching slugger and make another person beat them. It labored to perfection in a 3-2 win at Yankee Stadium to enhance to 3-0 in opposition to the Yankees this season with an opportunity to comb the season sequence Wednesday.
The Mets walked Decide in every of his first 4 plate appearances — the fourth time deliberately — and left him stranded every time earlier than he struck out within the ninth inning. It was the fourth time Decide has been walked 4 occasions in his profession and the second time in 2024. Decide’s 79 walks this season rank second within the majors — behind solely teammate Juan Soto’s 81.
Decide entered the night time 2-for-6 with a double and a stroll in his profession in opposition to Mets starter Jose Quintana. He noticed 14 pitches in his three plate appearances reverse Quintana. He took one referred to as strike and fouled off one other pitch. The opposite 12 pitches had been balls.
“He was being cautious, particularly with what Soto’s doing in entrance of me and what we have been doing all yr,” stated Decide, who’s batting .309 with 35 dwelling runs and a 1.114 OPS this season. “I feel they’re simply making an attempt to be a bit cautious and also you simply bought to move the baton to the subsequent time.”
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Decide handed the baton Tuesday thrice to first baseman J.D. Davis, and Davis did not take benefit. The veteran infielder struck out to finish the primary and fifth innings. In between, he grounded into the double play to finish the third body.
Davis was within the lineup batting fourth to counter the left-handed Quintana as supervisor Aaron Boone continues to shuffle the lineup round to seek out manufacturing from gamers not named Soto and Decide and with Giancarlo Stanton nonetheless not less than a couple of days away from coming back from the injured checklist. It was Davis’s first sport motion since a pinch-hit look on July 4 and his first begin since July 3.
“We simply bought to get the center of our order a bit extra settled,” Boone stated. “And hopefully that can come again to chew groups after they do do it and pressure them to go after Aaron.”
The Mets selected to deliberately stroll Decide with first base open and one out within the seventh inning to face pinch-hitter Ben Rice. The rookie battled however flied out to conclude an eight-pitch at-bat. Anthony Volpe then grounded right into a fielder’s option to extinguish the menace.
“It is probably not too irritating,” Decide stated. “I would not thoughts that day when it comes with a win. It is a part of it. It is a crew sport. Even when I went 4-for-4 immediately, we nonetheless may not win.”
With left-hander Jake Diekman on the for the save, the Mets lastly challenged Decide within the ninth inning after Soto labored a four-pitch stroll. Decide, after seeing Diekman’s lack of command in opposition to Soto, took a fastball down the center to start the at-bat. Two pitches later, Decide fouled a changeup over the plate off. Two pitches after that, Diekman caught him a fastball down within the zone for strike three.
“It is a robust one,” Decide stated, “however I bought to be prepared for it.”
Moments later, Rice grounded out to finish the sport and depart Soto stranded.
