Granderson's Walk-Off HR Dooms Dodgers In Urias' Debut
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Curtis Granderson homered leading off the bottom of the ninth inning to give the New York Mets a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.
Chase Utley, who was booed all night in his return to Citi Field, hit a tying three-run double off Jeurys Familia with two outs in a four-run ninth inning for the Dodgers.
Granderson hooked a home run over the wall in right field on the second pitch from Pedro Baez (0-1).
New York took a 3-0 lead in the first against Julio Urias and chased the 19-year-old after 2 2/3 innings in his major league debut.
But in a non-save situation, Familia (2-0) failed to hold a 5-1 lead.
He allowed three singles and forced in a run with a one-out walk to Yasmani Grandal. Trayce Thompson struck out and Utley lined the next pitch on two bounces to the wall in right-center. Utley took third on the throw home but was stranded when Corey Seager struck out.
New York moved back into the NL East lead, by percentage points over Washington, giving Mets manager Terry Collins a happy 67th birthday. New York won for the sixth time in seven games, stopping the Dodgers' four-game winning streak.
Utley was greeted with loud booing and derisive chanting in his first game at Citi Field since breaking a leg of then-Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada in last year's NL Division Series. He walked leading off the game and slid well ahead of second base when he was caught stealing as Seager struck out. Utley hit a sacrifice fly in the third.
David Wright and Juan Lagares homered for the Mets. Lagares tied a career high with three RBIs, including a two-run single in the first off Urias, who became the youngest starting pitcher in the major leagues since Seattle's Felix Hernandez in 2005. Neil Walker had put the Mets ahead with an RBI double against Urias, who struggled with his control and lasted just 2 2/3 innings.
Jacob DeGrom allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 2.81. His fastball, which averaged 93-94 mph coming in, was back up to 96 mph — its level last season.
Yoenis Cespedes was 0 for 3 in his 100th game with the Mets, who started a weekend-long celebration of their 1986 World Series championship team. Wright, slowed by a back injury since early last season, has homered in three straight games for the first time since August and September 2013. He has seven home runs this year.
Urias left after throwing 81 pitches to 17 batters, just 42 of them strikes, and he allowed five hits and four walks while striking out three.
Wearing striking white glasses and making theatrical jumps over the third-base line, his debut drew comparisons to the early Dodgers days of fellow Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who joined Los Angeles as a reliever in 1980 and sparked "Fernandomania" as a brilliant starter the following season.
Urias became the first teenager to play for the Dodgers since Valenzuela and their youngest starting pitcher since Dick Calmus in 1963. But the Mets' Dwight Gooden in 1984 remained the only teenage starting pitcher in the last 42 years to win his big league debut.
Wright homered in the fourth off Chris Hatcher and Lagares connected in the fifth off Joe Blanton.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
Most members of the 1986 team are expected to attend a pregame ceremony Saturday.
CLUTCH
Before the two-out hits in the first by Walker, Lagares and Kevin Plawecki, the Mets were hitting .159 (24 for 151) this season with two outs and runners in scoring position.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: Urias might get a second start in the rotation as LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu continues to make injury rehabilitation starts in the minors following left shoulder surgery.
Mets: Wilmer Flores (left hamstring) made his fourth start in an injury rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Binghamton, playing all nine innings at first base and going 1 for 4.
UP NEXT
RHP Noah Syndergaard (5-2, 1.94) is to start for the Mets on Saturday against RHP Kenta Maeda (3-3, 3.29).
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