Mets' Brandon Nimmo discusses 9th inning caught stealing in loss to Tigers
Brandon Nimmo is tagged out by Tigers second baseman Zack Short trying to steal second in ninth inning on Thursday, May 4, 2023. Credit: Getty Images/Duane Burleson
DETROIT — When Brandon Nimmo tried to steal second base Thursday, with the Mets down by two and down to their last two outs, he had a simple reason: He thought there was no way he’d get caught.
But he did get thrown out for the penultimate out. Then Starling Marte, who began his at-bat as the potential tying run but became just another batter, struck out. The Mets lost, 2-0, to the Tigers.
“I made the decision,” Nimmo said. “It was mine alone. It obviously didn’t work out.”
Manager Buck Showalter, who noted he hadn’t yet talked about it with Nimmo but would, said: “It’s a byproduct of us trying to push something that’s not there.”
Nimmo’s thought process actually was extensive.
The pitcher, closer Alex Lange, takes 1.55 seconds on average — slower than normal — to deliver the ball to the plate, according to Nimmo. That makes it easier to steal.
And it was a “curveball count,” Nimmo said. Lange uses the curveball as his primary pitch but had started out Marte with consecutive sinkers, so Nimmo expected a breaking ball on the next offering. That, too, would have made it easier to steal, especially if the pitch was in the dirt. But Lange threw another sinker.
Nimmo also described Marte (.228 average) facing Lange as a “tough matchup.” Marte has grounded into three double plays this season — tied with Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil for most on the Mets — and Nimmo wanted to avoid that game-ending scenario, especially with Francisco Lindor and perhaps Alonso due up next.
Thus, he went for it.
“That’s what I was thinking in my head. Ten out of 10 times I should be there, even on a bad jump,” he said. “When I saw the ball in front of me, I was extremely surprised. I went back and I looked at the tape. The catcher (Jake Rogers) did an amazing job of getting it and getting rid of it. He must’ve made up for a lot of time there.”
His jump wasn’t even a bad one, he said.
“It wasn’t my best jump, but also I tried to take that into account,” he continued. “I should not get thrown out here, even on my worst jump, 10 out of 10 times.
“Again, it’s hindsight. You would’ve loved to have that back, but you don’t get that opportunity. Just trying to get out of a double-play ball to end the game and get our big guys (to the plate) with a runner in scoring position to try to get something going.”
Nimmo stole three bases in the first week and a half of the season, matching his total from last year, but hadn’t attempted any since April 10.
What happens if he encounters a similar situation — a seeming lock of a steal — in the future?
“Well, now there’s a second thought in my head,” he said. “But there’s probably not a good chance of it in the near future.”
Personnel news
Handling a perfect seventh inning for the Mets on Thursday: a guy who wasn’t even a part of the organization until several hours prior.
They signed Dominic Leone, a journeyman righthanded reliever, to a major-league contract before the game.
He had been pitching well (1.59 ERA in eight appearances) for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate but exercised the opt-out clause in his contract at the start of the month. After the Mets reached out, he traveled to Detroit — technically still a free agent — to be “on standby,” he said, for when they were ready to sign him. He got word late Wednesday night, after their doubleheader, that they would add him Thursday.
“There were a bunch of teams trying to get him,” Showalter said, adding that the Mets had “targeted” Leone during the offseason.
Leone, 31, had a career 3.69 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in nine seasons.
The Mets’ other transactions included sending lefthander Zach Muckenhirn and righthander John Curtiss back to Triple-A Syracuse. They also moved catcher Omar Narvaez (left calf strain) to the 60-day injured list; he was not due to return until early June anyway.
Extra bases
Carlos Carrasco (right elbow bone spur) was sick the past couple of days, making his rehab assignment — which had been set for Friday or Saturday — uncertain, Showalter said . . . Hitting coach Jeremy Barnes wound up in a local emergency room because of a stomach bug, according to Showalter, but returned to the team Thursday . . . Eduardo Escobar went 0-for-2 with a walk in his first start in more than a week. His transition to being a part-time player has been “tough,” Showalter said, but “he’ll never talk about it.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
