Mets walk off in 13th on 'day of the catcher'

NEW YORK -- Over the past three seasons, the Mets have consistently ranked in the bottom third of the Majors in offensive catcher production. Travis d’Arnaud’s injuries and Kevin Plawecki’s struggles largely contributed to a persistent lineup hole -- one that seemed to resurface in late April and early May, with free-agent acquisition Wilson Ramos scuffling. As recently as Saturday morning, the Mets ranked 24th in the Majors in catcher OPS.

That number spiked sharply in their walk-off, 5-4 win over the Tigers at Citi Field. Over the first eight innings, Ramos was the only Mets player to record a hit, homering twice and driving home all four of the team’s runs in regulation. New York’s final and most important run came on a Tomás Nido homer in the bottom of the 13th, giving the Mets their fifth win in six games -- three of those coming in their final turn at bat.

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“The real story of the game is the day of the catcher,” Mets starting pitcher Jason Vargas said.

Consider it a rare story indeed. Saturday marked the second time in history that two Mets homered in the same game while serving as catchers; Ramos and Nido joined Gary Carter and Ed Hearn, who accomplished the feat on June 20, 1986.

Afterward, Ramos drew comparisons to a different Mets backstop.

“It was like Mike Piazza back there,” manager Mickey Callaway said.

As recently as the eighth inning Friday, Ramos was sitting on two home runs for the season -- hardly the output the Mets envisioned when they signed him to a two-year, $19 million contract. But Ramos clubbed a solo shot on Friday night, then another in the second inning Saturday. Two innings later, Ramos added an RBI single, followed by a two-run homer in the sixth, which allowed the Mets to weather a late barrage of Tigers runs.

Ramos finished the night 3-for-4 with a walk, and has reached base safely in 13 of his last 19 plate appearances. Over that stretch, he has increased his season slash line from .233/.304/.308 to .270/.347/.399.

“I’ve been working really well at the cage right now getting my timing back,” Ramos said. “I feel relaxed at the plate right now. … It’s totally different in the past couple games.”

Yet as the Mets found themselves descending into extra-innings madness Saturday, Callaway decided to swap Ramos out of the game after the 11th. Nido, a backup who typically plays on days that Jacob deGrom starts, entered as a pinch-hitter for pitcher Daniel Zamora, then took over at catcher. Nido was behind the plate as Hector Santiago escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the 12th, then again as the veteran lefty navigated a much breezier 13th.

When Nido came to the plate in the bottom of that inning against Tigers reliever Buck Farmer, he ripped a 2-0 fastball the other way, sending it 394 feet over the fence in right-center field for his first walk-off hit of any kind since high school.

“Amazing,” was how Nido described it. “That was an unbelievable feeling.”

The Mets know they won’t always receive this type of production from their catchers. But this is the reason they acquired Ramos -- a power-hitting backstop with a lengthy track record of hitting 15-plus homers a year-- over more defensive-minded options such as Martin Maldonado. It’s also why they stuck with Nido, a former top prospect with offensive upside, over veterans d’Arnaud and Devin Mesoraco.

The Mets want their catchers to be dangerous. Saturday, both were, and the team won because of it.

“It’s great,” Callaway said. “That is a spot where we want production. That’s the reason Ramos is our starting catcher, because he’s going to produce when he’s back there. He did go through a tough period for a while. Hopefully, he’s over that, and he’s going to kind of ride this wave.”