NEW YORK -- Standing on second base, Bo Bichette turned toward the home dugout at Citi Field and punched his right fist once, then a second time emphatically through the air.
The first two dozen games of Bichette’s Mets career had been a slog. On his inaugural weekend as a Met, Bichette heard boos rain down upon him. He entered Thursday’s play sporting a $126 million contract and a .545 OPS.
Thursday gave him a chance to do something about it. On a night that saw the Mets -- recently removed from a 12-game losing streak -- receive a brief and ineffective outing from their starting pitcher and endure a game-tying grand slam in the top of the eighth, Bichette approached home plate in the bottom of that inning with the bases loaded, two outs and a sizable chip on his shoulder.
The result was his most significant hit as a Met to date: a bases-clearing go-ahead double to deliver a 10-8 win over the Twins.
"I think he’s been looking for that moment, especially here at home,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Meaningful for him to do it in front of our fan base.”
It is a fan base that had been through a lot, booing and jeering throughout the month of April as the Mets (now 9-16) tumbled down the National League standings. Even Thursday began in bleak fashion for the Mets, who lost Francisco Lindor to the injured list with a left calf strain and fell behind when rookie starter Christian Scott -- making his first appearance since his 2024 Tommy John operation -- walked five of the 10 batters he faced.
Though the Mets took a lead of their own on Brett Baty’s three-run homer in the first, Craig Kimbrel loaded the bases in the eighth and Huascar Brazobán served up a game-tying grand slam to Ryan Jeffers.
The fan base didn’t like that. But things changed when the Mets loaded the bases themselves in the bottom of the inning, bringing up Bichette with two outs.
Ever aggressive, Bichette fouled off an Anthony Banda first-pitch fastball, lunging after that up-and-away offering, before chasing a second time when Banda threw a slider well above the strike zone.
"It didn’t feel like it to me,” Bichette quipped. “It looked like a good pitch to hit.”
Three hundred and ninety-two feet later, the ball bounced off the left-center-field fence, plating all three runners to give the Mets back their lead.
"The desire to help a new team and the desire to just perform at the level you know you can perform at -- I don’t know if any of that was weighing on me, but I definitely still need to get better,” Bichette said. “I’ll make adjustments and get to the player I need to be.”
Bichette’s eighth-inning double was not the only sign that he may be emerging from this early-season slump. After producing a .216 OPS in five March games, Bichette has at least been more consistent in April, recording a hit in seven of his last eight contests. Thursday marked his fifth multihit game and his second three-hit performance. Afterward, the frequently self-critical Bichette admitted that he’s feeling much better with his swing.
“Today, I felt good,” Bichette said. “But like I said, I’ve got to show up tomorrow and do it again.”
To be clear, one shining moment from Bichette can only do so much to solve this team’s myriad problems. Lindor is still on the IL, likely to miss a significant number of games. Closer Devin Williams remains stuck in a massive slump after nearly blowing another game in the ninth. The rest of the Mets’ bullpen is lacking for answers. And the rotation is only in nominally better shape, with no clear solutions beyond Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes. A Mets official said after Thursday’s game that the team may need to option Scott back to Triple-A Syracuse simply to bring in a fresh bullpen arm.
Those are serious problems. Those are critical issues. But if nothing else, for one memorable evening Bichette let a boisterous Citi Field crowd enjoy some much-needed glee.
"Winning games in the big leagues is really hard,” Bichette said. “Good teams fight no matter the ebbs and flows of the game. It was really exciting to see tonight from us.”