Athletics vs Mets Recap: Quiet But Mighty Oakland Shuts Out New York

Friday night brought the Oakland Athletics to New York to face the Mets at the Mets' home park. Both teams wanted a win to build confidence early in the season, and the Mets were missing star Juan Soto on the injured list. The Athletics won the game 4–0, and the score hints at a late push by Oakland. J.T. Ginn started for Oakland while Clay Holmes was listed as the Mets' starter. Fans saw solid pitching and key hits that mattered later. The game felt tight until the ninth inning, when Oakland broke it open and left the field cheering.

In the third inning Oakland scored first and took a 1–0 lead. With two outs and runners at first and third, Langeliers singled to right and Cortes scored while Kurtz advanced to second. The hit came on a 90 mph cutter and the ball had a 17° launch angle, so it slipped past the outfield. For most of the game both pitchers kept hits low, and there were few scoring chances. The early run mattered because it forced the Mets to chase runs later. Fans saw steady defense while pitchers battled through the middle innings.

The ninth inning decided the game when Oakland scored three runs and widened the lead. McNeil started the rally with a single to left that scored Wilson and made it 2–0. Later in the inning Clarke singled to center and both Gelof and Muncy scored, which pushed the score to 4–0. Clarke's single came on an 82 mph slider with a loud 102 mph exit velocity that produced two runs. As a result the Athletics left with a 4–0 win and improved to a 5–7 record. The Mets fell to 7–6 and left the field searching for answers.