Seventh-inning magic strikes again for Syracuse in 19-3 win at Worcester on Saturday night

Worcester, MA – The Syracuse Mets found some late magic again this weekend. Fresh off scoring ten runs in the seventh inning on Friday night, the Mets scored six runs in the seventh inning on Saturday to surge in front for good, eventually taking down the Worcester Red Sox, 19-3, at Polar Park. The Mets have now won back-to-back games after dropping the first three games of their final road trip of the season.

The story of the day early on for Syracuse (74-68, 28-40) was their starting pitcher, Jonathan Pintaro. The 26-year-old right-hander who began the year pitching with the Glacier Range Riders in the independent Pioneer League made his first Triple-A start for the Mets after rapidly rising through the New York Mets’ minor-league ranks. Upon signing in early June, Pintaro made seven starts each with Brooklyn and Binghamton before his call-up to Syracuse on Saturday. Making his Triple-A debut at Polar Park on this sunny Saturday, Pintaro kept the WooSox off balance in his four scoreless innings of work.

Pintaro had to avoid choppy waters the entire outing, as he left at least one runner on base in each of his four innings of work. Pintaro stranded seven Worcester (75-68, 40-28) runners on base, five of which were left in scoring position. Pintaro exemplified being effectively wild, as he walked four batters and just 48 of his 90 pitches were strikes. However, the Alabama native also struck out six in his strong Triple-A debut, showing a flair for the dramatic in his scoreless initial outing.

While Pintaro was keeping the WooSox off the board, the offense gave him some run support. In the top of the third inning, Yolmer Sánchez doubled to lead off the inning, moved to third base on a Drew Gilbert groundout, and Sanchez scored later in the frame on a two-out, RBI single from Carlos Cortes for a 1-0 lead.

In the fourth, JT Schwartz singled with one out, advanced to third on a Hayden Senger double and then scored on a Wyatt Young sacrifice fly to make it a 2-0 ballgame. Syracuse has scored first in three out of the first five games in this week’s series.

Pintaro exited the scene in the bottom of the fifth with the Mets still up 2-0, and as Tyler Zuber came into the game, it promptly tilted right back in the WooSox direction. First, Worcester loaded up the bases on a pair of walks and a single. Then, the Red Sox took the lead in a two-batter span when Jamie Westbrook singled in two runs and Bobby Dalbec brought in another via a sacrifice fly for a 3-2 Worcester edge. It was the eighth different half-inning this week in which the WooSox had scored at least two runs in the frame.

It remained a 3-2 game into the top of the seventh inning when the magic for the Mets struck again. Syracuse sent 11 men to the plate in the six-run scoring flurry, with all of their tallies coming with two outs. A two-run double from JT Schwartz highlighted the bonanza, his second straight day with a two-run hit in a mammoth seventh inning for the Mets. Syracuse has scored 16 combined runs in the seventh inning the last two days – the Mets had scored six runs in the entire week prior to the seventh inning breakout on Friday night.

The Mets added two insurance runs in the top of the eighth and then completely detonated the game in the ninth, scoring nine more runs to boost the lead to 19-3. Syracuse sent 14 men to the plate in an inning that completely went off the rails for Worcester, as they walked five Mets batters in the frame while they also pounded out six hits. Syracuse had eight different men score runs in the ninth inning, including two runs scored by Wyatt Young alone.

While the Mets offense was scoring the last 16 runs of the game, their bullpen was making it a smooth ride to the finish line. Eric Orze tossed the sixth and seventh innings in scoreless fashion, Matt Gage had a clean eighth. and Max Kranick worked the ninth. Orze racked up five strikeouts in his two innings of work and now has 82 strikeouts in 58 innings at the Triple-A level this season, a new career-high.

The Syracuse Mets are in the midst of their last road trip of the season, playing at the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, the Worcester Red Sox. The 2024 road slate wraps up on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Right-hander Blade Tidwell is expected to start for the Mets.