Andrew Heaney’s first inning against the Mets unraveled fast after a bunt down the third base line turned into a disaster. Brandon Nimmo dropped one near the line, Heaney tried a risky barehanded play instead of letting it roll foul, and airmailed it down the line, turning a simple attempt into a run-scoring triple. Starling Marte jogged into third and the Mets had an early lead with no outs. Freddie Freeman knew it should have been left alone, signaling to let the ball go, but Heaney made the wrong call. Things got weirder when Francisco Lindor got hit with a slider, warned Pete Alonso to sit slider, but Alonso got a fastball instead and struck out. A busted double-steal attempt followed, where Lindor took off but Marte didn’t, and Lindor ended up tagged, frustrated with his teammate as Buck Showalter looked on, unimpressed.
Despite the mess, Heaney punched back. He got a high fastball past the final batter to escape further damage, then later settled in. The breakdown shifted to a closer look at Heaney’s revamped approach on the mound. He ditched his curveball, slashed his changeup usage, and went all-in on a slider developed during his time with the Yankees. The new pitch has a more lateral break and better velocity, pairing tightly with his fastball to tunnel effectively and deceive hitters. Unlike his old curveball, which broke early and was easy to pick up, the new slider stays on the same plane as his fastball until late in its path. That makes it harder to identify and has transformed Heaney into a more efficient two-pitch pitcher. So while the fielding blunder was ugly, the pitch overhaul has been a clear win.