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Syracuse Slugs Five Homers En Route to 11-1 Win Over Durham on Thursday Night

June 22, 2023 - International League (IL)
Syracuse Mets News Release


Syracuse Mets' DJ Stewart in action
Syracuse Mets' DJ Stewart in action
(Syracuse Mets, Credit: Herm Card)

Durham, NC - The Syracuse Mets kept the good times rolling on Thursday night, smacking five home runs on their way to a dominant, 11-1, win over the Durham Bulls on an occasionally rainy evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Mets have now won the first two games of the series in Durham and seven out of their last nine games overall.

Syracuse (30-40) opened the scoring with a big fly in the top of the third inning as Michael Perez powered a two-run blast over the right-field fence to get the Mets off to an early 2-0 lead.

Durham (39-32) quickly answered back in the bottom of the third, slashing the lead in half via a two-out, RBI triple from Osleivis Basabe that plated Nick Dini and made it a 2-1 game. Dini had walked leading off the inning. Basabe has four hits and has driven in four runs in the first two games of this week's series.

From there, it would be all Mets. Syracuse scored the final nine runs of the game, battering the Bulls' pitching staff with consistent and steady offense in the late innings. In the top of the sixth, the Mets effectively put the game away early with one mighty blow. After Mark Vientos and Luke Voit walked to start the inning, DJ Stewart smacked a three-run homer over the right-field wall to push the Mets lead up to 5-1. Stewart now has hit 15 home runs in 45 games in Triple-A this season.

The offensive attack didn't stop there as the Mets scored at least one run in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to thoroughly put the game out of reach. In the seventh, a one-out, solo home run from Danny Mendick made it a 6-1 game. In the eighth, Luke Voit homered leading off the frame to make it 7-1, his third home run in seven total games with Syracuse. The Mets would score twice more in the eighth to make it 9-1 and capped off their scoring flurry with a final fateful blow in the top of the ninth. After Ronny Mauricio walked to start the inning, Vientos took a hanging pitch and smacked it over the 32-foot-high wall in left field to cap off the night's scoring at 11-1. Vientos returned to Syracuse on Wednesday after spending the prior month up in the Major Leagues. The 23-year-old now has 14 home runs in 40 games in Triple-A this season.

While the offense hummed all night long, the pitching staff held down the front. The Mets starter, Mike Vasil, tossed three and two-thirds innings in his second career Triple-A start, allowing one run on two hits with three walks and five strikeouts. The bullpen picked up the slack from there. Zach Muckenhirn, Eric Orze, Nate Lavender, and Hunter Parsons tossed the final five and one-thirds innings in scoreless fashion, allowing just two hits and one walk down the home stretch of the ballgame. Muckenhirn continues to post eye-popping numbers at the Triple-A level this season. The North Dakota alum has allowed just three earned runs in 28 and two-thirds total innings, good for an astounding 0.94 ERA in 15 total outings.

Syracuse is on the road once again all week, wrapping up the second half of a two-week long road trip. Game three of the series at the Durham Bulls is scheduled for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch on Friday. Left-hander Joey Lucchesi is slated to make the start for the Mets, opposed by left-hander Jacob Lopez for the Bulls.

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Images from this story

Syracuse Mets' DJ Stewart in action
Syracuse Mets' DJ Stewart in action
(Herm Card)		   



International League Stories from June 22, 2023


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