NEW YORK — During his fourth major league turn at bat, Carson Benge made solid contact.
Upon witnessing the ball clear the right-field boundary, the 23-year-old New York Mets newcomer was compelled to exult enthusiastically and leap with delight as he advanced past first base.
“I experienced a blur while circling the bases. I genuinely don’t recall many details,” Benge remarked. “I’m aware I struck it cleanly off the bat.”
In his inaugural major league game, Benge launched a long ball for his initial professional base hit, joining several other Mets recent additions who performed crucial parts as New York dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7 on their season opener.
Having secured the right-field position following the conclusion of spring training, Benge also drew two walks and secured a stolen base Thursday. He mentioned having 22 relatives and companions among the capacity audience of 41,449 at Citi Field, including his mother, father, and girlfriend.
“Eager to step onto the field, prepared to commence competing,” Benge stated, recounting his sentiments prior to the game. “It was precisely as I had envisioned.”
Benge is regarded as the organization’s second-highest-ranked potential talent and the 16th best in baseball by MLB Pipeline. He was chosen as the 19th pick overall by New York in the 2024 player acquisition draft from Oklahoma State, a university where he and Mets pitcher Nolan McLean were both dual-threat athletes.
“He is exceptionally dependable,” manager Carlos Mendoza commented about Benge. “I’m unfazed by it due to the demeanor he possesses. On the season’s inaugural day, his initial major league contest, with a full stadium, he simply performs as he usually does.”
During his initial turn at the plate, Benge whiffed on three pitches delivered by the current NL Cy Young Award winner, Paul Skenes — all fastballs registered at 96-98 mph.
“Just settle oneself,” Benge said he muttered to himself. “Simply, take a deep breath, settle down. Wonderful ambiance, superb supporters, merely attempting to regain my composure so I can perform effectively.”
Benge struck out once more in the third inning, but subsequently drew a base on balls and crossed the plate in the fifth. With one out in the sixth, he swung hard at the first pitch he faced from reliever Justin Lawrence and propelled an 82 mph sweeper to right field, becoming one of only two Mets players, alongside Kaz Matsui in April 2004 at Atlanta, to hit a home run in their initial big league contest on the season’s first game.
“It was magnificent,” teammate Bo Bichette commented. “He expressed his elation while advancing past first base, too.”
After completing his circuit around the bases, Benge exchanged high-fives with teammates and emerged from the dugout swiftly for an ovation.
“I noticed everyone simply standing there, and I was unsure how to react,” he stated. “So, it turned out well.”
Benge was later given the memento ball and mentioned he would entrust it to his mother and father so it is not misplaced.
Francisco Alvarez then launched a deep drive that landed in the second deck in left field, providing New York with consecutive home runs from the final two hitters in the lineup.
“It was astonishing. The audience roared more intensely than anything I’ve ever experienced, multiplied by five. Therefore, experiencing that auditory sensation was quite incredible,” Benge commented.
He wasn’t the only Mets fresh face who offered a notable impact, either.
Freddy Peralta, a two-time All-Star obtained from Milwaukee in January, claimed victory in his initial New York appearance from the pitching rubber with seven strikeouts and zero bases on balls across five innings.
Tobias Myers, acquired from the Brewers in the identical transaction, then delivered three innings of pitching allowing only a single run.
Bichette executed an early sacrifice fly as the Mets forced Skenes out of the game in the first inning and later endured a lengthy 13-pitch plate appearance before finally whiffing. Luis Robert Jr. contributed two RBI base hits, Jorge Polanco got on base successfully on three occasions, and Marcus Semien collected two base hits.
It wasn’t without its challenges, but Bichette at third base and Polanco at first executed all their defensive actions in unfamiliar roles as New York maintained flawless fielding and avoided conceding any free passes.
“It’s fantastic. I mean, everyone is endeavoring to acclimatize,” Bichette stated. “It was truly impressive. It’s a thrilling squad. We have the capacity to secure numerous victories, and we’ll just try to leverage this experience and understand one another, foster team spirit, and similar aspects.”