NEW YORK (AP) — Running on New York Mets right fielder Carson Benge is quickly becoming a bad idea.
The strong-armed rookie threw out a pair of San Diego Padres at home plate on consecutive plays Monday night, earning two standing ovations and giving Benge four outfield assists in 13 innings over the past three days.
“It’s a little ridiculous, honestly,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. “It just doesn’t happen at this rate. You don’t get these opportunities and execute perfectly every time the way he has.”
Not to be outdone, good buddy and fellow New York rookie A.J. Ewing also cut down a runner at the plate from left field moments later in a 2-1 victory.
According to SNY, that made the Mets the only major league team since at least 1920 with three outfield assists at home plate in the first two innings of a game.
“Without those kids in the corners, we don’t win that game,” Green said. “That game could have spun wildly different without them playing the outfield so well.”
The astounding sequence started after the Padres hit two straight singles off rookie Nolan McLean to put runners at first and second with one out in the first. Ty France looped a soft single to right-center and Benge fired on one hop to the plate, where Jake Cronenworth was out by plenty. He tried to jump over Francisco Alvarez but tumbled to the turf after the catcher applied the tag.
Jackson Merrill then singled sharply to right and San Diego third base coach Bob Henley, who apparently didn’t learn his lesson, waved home Manny Machado. The veteran slugger also was out on a rocket peg from Benge and got tagged high by Alvarez while sliding feet first toward the plate.
“That fires me up. I mean, that’s saving not only the team runs but me runs as well,” said McLean, who was college teammates with Benge at Oklahoma State, where both were two-way players. “And then A.J. doing it later on in the game is just awesome.”
Benge’s first throw was clocked at 99.9 mph and the second at 103.9 mph — the third-fastest outfield assist in the majors since Statcast tracking began in 2015 and the fastest in nine years.
“I knew I had something around there in there, but to be able to get someone out with that throw, too, is pretty cool,” Benge said.
San Diego finished the first inning with four straight hits and failed to score. Benge received standing ovations from the Citi Field crowd of 27,842 coming off the field and again when he batted in the bottom of the inning.
“I just look up and throw the ball. I’m not worried about if they’re running or not. I just try and throw it as hard as I can to be able to make him stop or get him out,” Benge said. “I feel like I’ve always had a good arm and an accurate one at that.”
Which throw was his favorite?
“Probably the second one, even though they both took a run off the board,” Benge said. “The first one was pretty cool, but the inning wasn’t over yet. So, being able to nail him for the third out was pretty special.”
Green credited minor league coaches David Adams and Jonathan Jones with helping Benge to quicken his release.
“He always had the arm strength and he really has picked up like how quickly he gets rid of the ball, and that turns into just a different kind of elite,” Green said.
With two outs in the second, Cronenworth grounded a single through the left side and Ewing threw out Xander Bogaerts at the plate on a much closer play to preserve a 2-1 lead.
It looked as though Bogaerts ran through a subtle stop sign from Henley, who appeared to be pointing at third base when Bogaerts rounded the bag.
“Some really good throws,” Bogaerts said. “I thought I had it. I wish I stayed.”
The Padres declined to make Henley available to reporters after the game.
“You could say there’s risk in all of ‘em. And there’s also a way to play conservative and hope that we get a hit off one of the best pitchers in all of baseball,” manager Craig Stammen said. “So, we love the aggressive mentality. That’s just how we’re going to play baseball.”
The 23-year-old Benge, who also pitched at Oklahoma State after undergoing Tommy John surgery, threw out a runner at home in the seventh inning Saturday against the Washington Nationals and another rounding second in the second inning Sunday. He has nine assists this season, which ranks second among National League outfielders behind Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages, who began the night with 13.
“Special athlete. Really confident,” Green said. “He said when you don’t have to strike a batter out, it’s actually really easy to throw to home plate.”
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