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george castillo
multiple authors
NEW YORK — It only took until the seventh inning of the third game with them New York Mets For bo bichet To hear applause from the home crowd at Citi Field for the first time.
He was surprised that he did not express his displeasure sooner.
“If anything, I thought it took too long,” Bichette said after the Mets. 4-3, 10-inning loss till pittsburgh pirates. “I thought my batsmen were terrible too.”
Bichette is 1 for 14 with eight strikeouts in his first three games – a shocking stat line for an adept hitter with elite bat-to-ball skills. with last season toronto blue jaysBichette’s 14.5% strikeout rate ranks in the 86th percentile among the majors. In the three-game series against the Pirates, it was over 50%.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, “I think he’s getting good pitches early and then they’re forcing him to chase, especially in the top of the zone.” “He’s gonna swing. He’s gonna go out there and he’s gonna hack. He’s a good hitter.”
The 28-year-old Bichette signed a three-year, $126 million contract with two opt-out clauses, effectively making it three one-year deals, and a $40 million signing bonus in the offseason. He had never played third base as a professional after playing seven seasons as the Blue Jays’ shortstop.
On Sunday, he acknowledged that learning to play third base sometimes requires more mental energy than he has spent on defense in the past. He spent extra time fielding ground balls before the game on Sunday after making a throwing error in the fourth inning on Saturday – a mistake he attributed to rushing through his mechanics – but says he feels “pretty good” in his new position.
Bichette said he did not expect the change to affect his performance at the plate.
“I think I have to be more committed to the process,” Bichette said. “I definitely find myself trying to have a moment there. So I just have to get back into form.”
Bichette said he wanted to see that moment from signing day during the Mets’ offseason roster overhaul in January. He admitted that he did not anticipate that his desire to arrive early would affect his performance.
“It’s early, but there’s not much to be happy about with what I’ve done so far,” Bichette said. “We can talk about it early, but we’ll figure some things out.”
Bichette got two chances for his second term late Sunday night.
The score was tied at 2 with two outs and runners on second and third, and the left-handed fast bowler mason montgomery On the mound in Pittsburgh. A single would have given the Mets the cushion they needed for a season-opening sweep.
Instead, Bichette struck out three pitches, swung a 100 mph fastball to end the inning and got his first taste of New York booing as a result. later, in the 10th inning, later francisco lindor Thrown out at the plate in an attempt to score from first base to tie the score, Bichette stepped into the batter’s box at second base with the tying run and one out. He grounded out to shortstop.
Moments later, the game and the Mets’ mini homestand to start the season ended. Next: Six-game trip St. Louis And san francisco.
Will going on the road help?
“Maybe,” Bichette said. “But I have to figure out how to kill here anyway.”
