The Mets and Marlins headed into the ninth inning tied at three. Jake Hager came up with Dom Smith on second as the extra-inning runner. Hager, hitless in his MLB career, shot a single up the middle for his first big league hit, moving Smith to third. The Mets scrambled to get the milestone ball from the field. Next up was Khalil Lee, also 0-for-his-career. He laced a double down the right field line, just fair, scoring Smith for the go-ahead run. Another milestone ball grabbed. Then came Johneshwy Fargas, already with three career hits. He sliced a liner past a diving Adam Duvall in right. Duvall slipped hard, and the ball rolled to the track. Fargas sprinted around the bases, ditched his helmet halfway through, and dove into home looking for an inside-the-park homer. He was thrown out, but the energy was there, and the dugout was fired up.
Three rookies stepped up with big hits in a row, a rare streak. All of them barely have double-digit career plate appearances. The Mets didn’t plan it this way, but injuries across the roster forced them to call up fresh faces. Turns out, those fresh faces delivered in extras. The Mets didn’t just scrape a win, they got vital production from players who most fans wouldn’t recognize.