Morabito's timely breakout: 3-run double for 1st hit, diving catch in win

ST. PETERSBURG -- Nick Morabito might not have had much on-field success during his introduction to the Major Leagues back in May, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

Morabito’s first shot in The Show lasted just one week, and he didn’t get a hit in his 11 at-bats. But earlier this week, Morabito called those seven days in the bigs a “learning point.”

That week gave the Mets’ No. 13 prospect an idea of what he needed to work on back at Triple-A Syracuse to be better for the inevitable time when he would return to the Majors.

That time arrived when rosters expanded on Tuesday, and the 23-year-old Morabito recorded his two biggest moments in the bigs one day later: a three-run double for his first MLB hit and a fantastic catch as part of the Mets’ 10-4 victory in the rubber match of their three-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Morabito entered Wednesday’s game as a pinch-runner for Mark Vientos in the sixth inning. One inning later, he received a golden opportunity to break the game open. He took full advantage.

Facing Rays reliever Manuel Rodríguez with the bases loaded, Morabito hooked a 96 mph sinker just inside the left-field line to clear the bases and extend the Mets’ lead to 9-4.

In the bottom of the eighth, Morabito robbed Rays outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. of a hit with a diving grab toward the left-field foul line.

The victory gave the Mets their first series win at Tropicana Field since 2012. They arrived in Florida with eight consecutive losses at the Trop, but they snapped that streak after claiming Monday’s series opener, 3-2.

New York put three runs on the board in the first inning Wednesday, marking their second-most runs in their past 48 first innings. They scored five runs in the first frame of their Aug. 10 victory against the Braves. Outfielder Brett Baty then doubled the Mets’ advantage with a three-run double off the top of the wall in left-center in the third inning.

Although the Rays would make it a 6-4 game by the end of the fourth, Morabito’s momentous hit effectively put the game out of reach. Juan Soto would follow with a line-drive solo homer to right field that had a 111.8 mph exit velocity. The dinger, Soto’s 23rd of the season, was his second since returning on Aug. 29 following a five-week stint on the injured list due to a left calf strain.