Alonso’s RBI double sparks Mets in 6-2 win over Marlins

Associated PressApr 1, 2023, 10:39 PM EDT
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MIAMI — Tylor Megill wanted to be ready when his next opportunity came.

The New York Mets sent the 27-year-old right-hander to the minors before the start of the season. But then Justin Verlander went on the injured list hours before the club’s opening-day win. That made way for Megill, who had been preparing to start for Triple-A Syracuse, to step in Saturday against the Marlins.

Megill struck out seven over five innings, and along with a go-ahead double by Pete Alonso, helped the Mets beat Miami 6-2.

Verlander’s injury, a low-grade teres major strain that the Mets believe is minor, sidelined the three-time AL Cy Young Award winner before his first appearance with the team. He signed an $86.7 million, two-year contract in December after winning the 2022 World Series with Houston.

Megill (1-0) was also the Mets’ opening-day starter last year while subbing for injured ace Jacob deGrom. He allowed six hits, two runs and two walks Saturday.

“A little erratic in the first two innings,” Megill said. “But I settled down in three, four, five. Pretty solid day.”

The game was tied 2-all when Jeff McNeil led off the fifth with a double against Andrew Nardi (0-1). On the play, third baseman Jean Segura and shortstop Joey Wendle collided in left field trying to secure the ball. Alonso’s ensuing double made it 3-2.

Alonso then scored on a single by Mark Canha to double New York’s lead.

Canha was 3 for 4, including a homer off reliever Braxton Garrett in the seventh that made it 5-2.

“He just works at it,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “This guy’s never satisfied. We have a lot of guys like that. That’s why it’s such a fun club to manage, because they’re chasing perfection.”

The Mets jumped ahead 1-0 in the second on a sacrifice fly by Omar Narvaez that scored Canha, who doubled leading off the inning.

Miami catcher Nick Fortes hit a two-run homer in the bottom half off Megill to make it 2-1. It was the 14th home run of Fortes’ career and Miami’s fourth homer in three games this series.

Narvaez, batting ninth, tied it 2-all with an RBI single in the fourth that drove in Canha, who drew the fifth walk from Marlins starter Edward Cabrera.

Cabrera walked six in all, a career high. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out two and allowed two hits.

Miami threatened in the eighth on Segura’s first hit with the Marlins and Fortes’ two-out single. But reliever Adam Ottavino struck out Wendle to end the inning. Miami was hitless with runners in scoring position.

Starling Marte, pinch-hitting in the ninth, drove in another run off Garrett with a ground-rule double.

DYNAMIC DEFENSE

With the Mets up 4-2 in the fifth, shortstop Francisco Lindor robbed Bryan De La Cruz when he grabbed a grounder and fired the ball across the infield to first to strand two Miami runners and end the inning.

“It seems like he’s taken his defensive game to another level,” Showalter said. “Moving his feet really well.”

HOT START

Luis Arraez, the AL batting champion last season with Minnesota, had four hits and is 7 for 12 in three games with Miami.

WATCH PARTY

The Final Four matchup between Florida Atlantic University and San Diego State was well underway by the end of Saturday’s game, and the Marlins allowed fans to watch it on a jumbo screen inside the ballpark. Students at FAU and Miami, which was set to face UConn in the second NCAA men’s semifinal, got into the Marlins game for free. FAU is located in Boca Raton, about 45 miles north of Miami, while the Hurricanes are about a 20-minute drive from the Marlins’ ballpark.

UP NEXT

Miami LHP Trevor Rogers will start Sunday against RHP Kodai Senga, who signed a $75 million, five-year contract with the Mets in December after previously pitching for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan.

New bill to build Athletics stadium on Las Vegas Strip caps Nevada’s cost at $380 million

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 12:14 PM EDT
D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
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CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.