Fernando Tatis hit a eighth-inning pinch-hit grand slam Monday night to break a 3-3 tie and lift the Mets to a 7-3 win over the Colorado Rockies in the first game of a four-game series at Citi Field.
After ex-Met Ricardo Rincon began the eighth by walking Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy laid a perfect sacrifice bunt down the first-base line to move the runners over.
Rincon intentionally walked Jeff Francoeur and handed the ball over to Franklin Morales, who served up a low fastball that Tatis blasted over the left-center wall.
Mets’ starter Oliver Perez had handed the Rockies a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but he was able to pitch out of a couple of jams and keep the Mets in the game.
After Brad Hawpe singled to right in the second to advance our NoNoHitters.com count to 7,580 New York Mets games without a no-no, Troy Tulowitzki blasted a pitch to deep center that carried over the wall.
Francoeur homered to left in fourth to cut the lead to one, but Clint Barmes responded with his own solo shot in the top of the fifth to make it 3-1.
After managing just two hits through five innings, the Mets clawed back in the sixth on a rally that started when Castillo chopped an infield single up the middle.
After Wright singled to make it first and second with one out, Murphy singled to right and third-base coach Razor Shines told Castillo to hold up at third. Castillo stopped briefly, then noticed that Hawpe had no intention of throwing home and scored.
Francoeur moved Wright over to third on a deep fly ball, and former Rockie Cory Sullivan hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Wright and tie the game at 3.
