Brett Baty Had Words After Mets' Win Over Pirates

Since returning to the big league roster following Jesse Winker’s oblique injury, Baty has gone 6-for-17 (.353) with four home runs and seven RBIs. It’s a small sample, but the swing is real. The poise is real. The opportunity was real—and Baty seized it.

Speaking after the game, the left-handed hitting infielder had words for his heroic performance.

"I've always thought I'm capable of doing whatever I want to accomplish in this game," he said.

For all the late drama, this game’s heartbeat belonged to Kodai Senga, whose erratic brilliance has become a kind of high-wire act. The Pirates put runners in scoring position in each of the second through fourth innings—reaching third base with fewer than two outs every time—and Senga escaped each jam like a magician with a deadline.

Working 5 2/3 innings, Senga struck out seven and allowed just one run despite persistent pressure. He relied heavily on his ghost fork and cutter, keeping Pittsburgh’s hitters off balance in key spots. There’s a fine line between dominance and disaster with Senga, but on this night, he walked it well.

The Pirates, meanwhile, found yet another way to lose a winnable game. This wasn’t simply about missed chances—it was about repeated failure in moments that demanded even minimal execution. Pittsburgh finished 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left a staggering 12 runners on base. It marked the 19th consecutive game in which the Pirates failed to score more than four runs—a franchise record that dates back to at least 1901.

Even when they caught a break—Francisco Lindor’s ninth-inning throwing error that put two runners in scoring position—the Pirates couldn’t capitalize. Edwin Díaz, who has rediscovered his bite after early-season inconsistency, struck out Bryan Reynolds looking with a 98 mph fastball, then induced a game-ending grounder from Joey Bart to secure his ninth save.

With the win, the Mets improve to 28-15, now 13 games over .500—their high-water mark this season. In a division race that figures to demand consistency above all, the Mets are building a profile of a team that wins close games, takes advantage of mistakes, and develops contributors from unlikely sources.

Baty’s resurgence is the latest evidence of that evolution. He didn’t have to be here. By all metrics, he probably wouldn’t be under normal conditions. But baseball doesn’t care about neat timelines or linear development. Sometimes, a swing can change everything.