Luis Severino, Mark Vientos Shine in Mets Walk-Off Win

Joe Suozzi hit a sacrifice fly to score Rowdey Jordan to lift the Mets (9-8) to a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Houston Astros at Clover Park. Pitcher Dedniel Núñez, who doesn’t figure to make the Opening Day roster, surrendered four runs in the top of the ninth to set the stage for Suozzi’s heroics.

Seventeen games into spring training, the Mets’ pitching looked ready. Luis Severino went four innings in his third start, striking out three. He gave up his first run of the spring on an opposite-field solo homer to Jake Meyers. Four relievers held Houston (9-9) scoreless until Núñez came on in the ninth.

Lefty Jake Diekman struck out the side in the fifth after surrendering a lead-off triple. Jorge Lopez, Drew Smith, and Shintaro Fujinami each struck out two in scoreless innings of work. But Núñez gave up a run-scoring single, a two-run double, and then another run-scoring double with two outs, allowing Houston to tie the game at 5. Hunter Parsons relieved Núñez and got out of the inning.

Houston starter Cristian Javier tallied four strikeouts and held the Mets to no runs on a pair of singles over four innings. But former Met Rafael Montero ran into trouble in the fifth, giving up four earned runs on three hits and two walks. The Mets scored on RBI singles by Tyrone Taylor and Francisco Álvarez and on a Ji Man Choi bases-loaded walk. Mark Vientos added a solo homer in the 8th, his third of the spring.

The Mets entered the game hitting .229/.290/.366 for the spring, 29th in the majors, ahead only of Miami. New York’s 15 spring homers were tied for 22nd. But New York also sported a team ERA of 2.64, first in the majors entering the game. The Astros were a distant second at 3.45. Mets pitching struck out 147 in 136 1/3 innings heading into the game.

Notes

Brett Baty was a late scratch due to minor back tightness, according to the Mets. He is considered day-to-day. The Mets moved Vientos to third base and started Choi at first in his absence. Grae Kessinger, who started at second base for Houston, is the grandson of Don Kessinger. Don Kessinger was a six-time All-Star with the Cubs and a teammate of Keith Hernandez with the Cardinals.

Player of the Game

Severino with another excellent start. He has pitched nine Grapefruit League innings, giving up just the one run and fanning eight as he looks to rebound from a miserable 2023 with the Yankees when he pitched to a 6.65 ERA over 89 1/3 innings.

On Deck

Right-hander José Buttó, who has given up one run in six innings this spring, will face Lance Lynn and the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter on Thursday at 1:05 p.m.

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