NEW YORK -- Did the Padres read the scouting reports on Mets right fielder Carson Benge?
Apparently not, even after the Mets’ victory over the Nationals Saturday, when Benge threw out outfielder Andrew Pinckney to end the seventh inning.
San Diego decided to run on him twice in the first inning of Monday's game against the Mets, and Benge threw out both of them on back-to-back plays, becoming the first player in franchise history to throw out two runners at home in the same inning. Those putouts proved pivotal in helping New York nab the series opener, 2-1, at Citi Field.
With runners on first and second, one out and Mets right-hander Nolan McLean on the mound, Ty France singled to right-center field. Jake Cronenworth attempted to come home, but he was easily thrown out at the plate by Benge, whose throw clocked in at 99.9 mph.
Lesson learned, right? Wrong.
Jackson Merrill followed with another single out to Benge in right, and apparently Padres third-base coach Bob Henley didn’t figure it out yet. He sent Manny Machado home, where San Diego's third baseman met the same fate as Cronenworth, with Benge's 103.9 mph throw beating him to the plate by more than a few feet.
That was the third-hardest outfield assist tracked by Statcast (since 2015), behind only Aaron Hicks (105.5 mph in 2016) and Brett Phillips (104.0 mph in 2017). He's the first player with two outfield assists at 99-plus mph in an inning since Statcast began tracking, and only the second to do so in a single game (Bradley Zimmer in 2017).
Benge now has nine assists this season, which ranks fourth in the Majors behind Andy Pages (13), Wilyer Abreu (12) and Steven Kwan (10).
The Mets continued their defensive clinic in the second inning, recording two more outs at home plate. With the bases loaded and no outs, Luis Rengifo grounded back to McLean, who threw home to get Luis Campusano on a force play. Two batters later, Cronenworth singled to left, and A.J. Ewing threw a one-hop strike to catcher Francisco Alvarez to get a sliding Xander Bogaerts to end the inning.