BOSTON (AP) - Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith all homered, Michael Wacha pitched well over five innings and the New York Mets beat the Boston Red Sox 7-4 on Monday night.
Red Sox opener Josh Osich (0-1) escaped trouble in the first thanks to two Mets baserunning mistakes but gave up a two-run shot to Conforto in the second that cleared both the usual visitor’s bullpen and the auxiliary tent behind it.
Alonso’s homer off Jeffrey Springs, which made it 4-0 in the third inning, cleared the Green Monster and hit the wall behind the second row of fan cutouts, bouncing back toward the infield. It was clocked with an exit velocity of 116 mph.
“There is an advisory throughout the ballpark: You have to be aware of flying baseballs and bats,” Alonso said jokingly. “If there was fans here they need to not be on their cellphones, and be locked in on the game. I’m glad no one was hurt.”
Smith made it 7-0 with a three-run shot in the fourth.
“Any time you get to come here and play Boston, it’s definitely going to be special,” he said. “There weren’t any fans here, but you still felt the energy and all the history in this ballpark. I was excited to get out here and I felt like I was going to be able to help my team win.”
That was plenty for Wacha (1-0), who was a 22-year-old St. Louis rookie when he faced the Red Sox in the 2013 World Series, beating them in Game 2 before taking the loss in the deciding sixth game.
“It definitely brings back some memories,” said Wacha, who signed with New York as a free agent in the offseason. “The last time I pitched here, it was definitely a different atmosphere. It can get a little rowdy. It’s a historic ballpark, so it’s pretty sweet pitching out there.”
Wacha struck out four and walked one in his Mets debut, allowing his only run on Mitch Moreland’s solo homer in the fourth.
Xander Bogaerts also homered for Boston and added an RBI groundout in the eighth before Moreland’s run-scoring single cut it to 7-4.
Seth Lugo pitched the ninth for his first save before the Mets left the field with the usual postgame celebration, high-fiving and bumping forearms without apparent concern over the coronavirus pandemic that forced the postponement of two major league games on Monday and another Tuesday.
BRIGHT SPOT
Osich gave up one homer and Springs gave up two, but Zack Godley pitched four scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven.
“Obviously coming into a game you never know what’s going to happen but that’s the decisions you make,” Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said. “You try to match up, and it didn’t go well.”
NOT SO EASY OUT
The Mets got a pair of baserunners in the first inning on an error and a single, but both were erased on the basepaths.
Amed Rosario reached on second baseman Jose Peraza’s error and then tried to take third when Jeff McNeil’s hard grounder bounced off third baseman Rafael Devers. Bogaerts grabbed the ball near second base and raced toward third, diving for Rosario’s feet before he reached the bag.
Rosario was ruled safe but replays showed that Bogaerts nicked his shoe. On the next batter, McNeil was picked off of first.
TIPPING HIS CAP
The Red Sox ran a highlight video welcoming Rick Porcello back to Fenway Park, where he pitched for five seasons, winning a Cy Young Award in 2016 and a World Series in 2018. Players on both teams clapped for the Mets right-hander, who started Sunday’s game against Atlanta and will not pitch in Boston.
The fake crowd noise also gave Porcello a big cheer. He tipped his cap and waved in response.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: Bogaerts got some attention from the training staff after diving to tag Rosario out at third base. He remained in the game.
UP NEXT
Mets: TBA.
Red Sox: Left-hander Matt Hall, who was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in 15 relief appearances for Detroit last year, makes the first major league start of his career in the second and final game of the series against the Mets.
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