– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
NEW YORK — Don’t ask Jesse Winker what happened soon after he swung at the final pitch of Wednesday afternoon’s thriller. According to him just minutes afterward, he blacked out.
OK, Jesse, we can fill you in on some of those details.
You made contact with the ball, then you started to run to first base, then the ball carried so far that it sailed into the left-centerfield bleachers. After you saw the ball leave the yard and heard the raucous fans scream in delight, you stopped before stepping on first base, spiked your batting helmet into the ground, yelled and pumped your fist towards the home team dugout, then took off your protective arm guard right as you restarted your jog and stepped on first base. Soon after, you were in disbelief as your million-watt smile flashed while rounding the bases, then you directed traffic to make sure home plate was clear to step on to end the game, and finally, you had your jersey ripped off and were doused with Gatorade in the middle of a wild on-field celebration to put an end to one of the most dramatic series of the season for the Mets.
Hopefully that jogged your memory a bit, Jesse.
As most of you reading this probably know by now, Winker, who came up as a pinch hitter to begin the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday, made his first home run as a Met a special one, the game-winner in the Mets’ 4-3 over the Baltimore Orioles to give New York the series victory against the American East East division leaders. It also gave the Mets their second walk-off homer in 72 hours, joining Francisco Álvarez’s ninth-inning game winner on Monday night, with both home runs coming off Orioles closer Seranthony Domínguez.
A lot of the unbridled joy came from the sheer thrill contained in any walk-off home run. More came from the fact that New York won the first of three consecutive series against teams currently holding on to playoff spots. The rest comes from the role of villain that Winker used to play when a member of the Cincinnati Reds after a slew of game-changing hits and other decisive plays, as the outfielder once reveled in the Mets’ fanbase booing him lustily with every plate appearance and jeering him while standing in the outfield.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Wednesday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by New York-based photographer Gregory Fisher. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 45 pictures in total.
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
