NEW YORK -- Stuck in an 0-for-17 skid heading into the Subway Series, outfielder Brandon Nimmo flagged down hitting coach Pat Roessler to ask if he would come to Citi Field for some hitting reps on his off-day. Roessler agreed, so Nimmo commuted to Flushing on Thursday, hoping to unlock the form that made him so successful in April and May.
Almost immediately, Nimmo put the extra work to good use, hitting the first leadoff homer of his career against Masahiro Tanaka on Friday. Though the Mets could not turn that into a spark for their lineup in a 4-1 loss to the Yankees, Nimmo hopes it can mark the start of a hot stretch for him at the plate.
"Closer," was how Nimmo described his swing. "I still always have things, obviously, to work on. But closer. That was obviously better than swinging through three straight fastballs like I did [in the last series] against the Orioles."
Nimmo's leadoff homer was the Mets' fourth in Subway Series history, with Curtis Granderson (two) and Jose Reyes (one) hitting the rest. It was also typical Nimmo; five of his career-high eight homers have either tied a game or given the Mets a lead.
Overall, Nimmo is batting .268 with a .960 OPS in 51 games, establishing himself as the Mets' regular leadoff hitter and a fringe All-Star candidate. His playing time may decrease when Yoenis Cespedes returns from the disabled list next week, though if he can continue growing more comfortable at the plate this weekend, he will make manager Mickey Callaway's decisions difficult -- particularly with few other Mets hitting consistently.
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"We have to keep trying to learn from our mistakes, and trying to keep getting better each and every day," Nimmo said. "Our offense is going to come around at some point. We can't let this bring us down."