SEATTLE — Michael Conforto returned to his hometown and hit a pair of solo home runs, Neil Walker and Curtis Granderson had two-out RBI singles in the eighth inning and the New York Mets rallied for a 7-5 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night after wasting a four-run lead.
Playing his first professional game at Safeco Field, Conforto excited the 30 or so friends and family he left tickets for with the fourth multi-homer game of his big league career. Conforto, who grew up in nearby Redmond, homered leading off the third inning against Ariel Miranda.
He connected again in the eighth against lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski, lining the second pitch of the inning just over the wall in right for his 21st homer. It was the first home run allowed to a lefty this season by Rzepczynski.
The Mets kept the rally going, helped when Wilmer Flores beat out a potential inning-ending double play. Walker and Granderson followed with consecutive RBI singles off David Phelps (2-5) to cap the three-run burst.
Jay Bruce hit his 27th home run in the first inning, a two-run shot on an 0-2 pitch, as the Mets built a 4-0 lead. New York rebounded to win for just the third time this season when trailing after seven innings.
Jerry Blevins (5-0) worked 1 1/3 innings for the win. Paul Sewald squeezed through the eighth despite allowing the first two batters to reach thanks to a strikeout of Mike Zunino and a groundout from Jean Segura with runners at second and third. Addison Reed pitched the ninth for his 19th save.
Conforto had plenty of attention on his return to the Pacific Northwest. He’d played one time in a high school showcase at Safeco Field and joked during pregame that the stadium seemed a lot larger as a teenager.
He made the spacious confines of the park seem small, both home runs lined shots that came early in the count. All four of his multi-homer games have come this season
Zunino’s 16th home run and Kyle Seager’s two-run single were part of a four-run fifth inning that put Seattle ahead 5-4.
Roster shuffle
Mets: New York attempted to solidify its bullpen by acquiring closer A.J. Ramos from Miami for a pair of prospects. The trade took place during the game and landed the Mets the Marlins closer for the past three seasons and an All-Star in 2016.
Mariners: The Mariners bolstered their bullpen until Erasmo Ramirez arrives by recalling right-hander Casey Lawrence and selecting right-hander Cody Martin from Triple-A Tacoma. Righty starter Andrew Moore was optioned.
Up next
Mets: Jacob deGrom (12-3) looks to become the second pitcher in the National League with 13 victories. DeGrom has pitched at least eight innings in five of his past eight starts.
Mariners: Yovani Gallardo (4-7) makes his second start since rejoining the rotation. Gallardo went five innings and allowed three runs last time out against the Yankees.
