BOSTON -- Jeff McNeil has just three home runs this season. His last came on June 11, nearly six weeks ago. But even if he doesn’t hit another all season, McNeil will always have a Little League homer.
What began as a two-run single turned into a quirky play that saw McNeil race 360 feet around the bases on Saturday, scoring when Jorge Alfaro threw the ball into center field -- so far into center field, in fact, that it rolled nearly all the way to the warning track before Jarren Duran could track it down. By the time Duran did, McNeil was able to cross home standing up with the go-ahead run, providing an early highlight in what became an 8-6 Mets loss to the Red Sox.
“Those Little League home runs, he takes a lot of pride in those things,” manager Buck Showalter said, tongue partially in cheek. “Jeff’s a Long Beach State Dirtbag. He loves the game within the game. He’s always thinking it and always anticipating things.”
Batting with two men on base and two outs in the fourth inning, McNeil laced a two-run single into center field. The play might have ended there had McNeil not attempted to take an extra base, which prompted Alfaro to catch Duran’s throw in front of home plate and try to cut down McNeil at second. He didn’t come close, allowing McNeil to pop out of his slide and score easily.
“I went back and watched the video and that ball looked like it cut seven feet,” McNeil said. “It was an interesting throw, but I was super happy when I saw it go in the outfield and we took the lead.”
As McNeil crossed home with a wide grin on his face, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor were there to greet him, while the rest of his teammates cheered from the dugout.
“I don’t hit a lot of regular homers, so it was a little bit different,” McNeil said, laughing. “That was probably my first Little League homer since Little League. It was a fun moment. I wish we won the game.”
If there was any solace for the Mets on this night, it came in the form of McNeil, and not only because of his Little League homer. McNeil also rapped out a single and a double in the continuation of a suspended game earlier in the day, contributing his second multihit effort of the week. While that may not seem like much, consider that McNeil had just two multihit performances in the previous 20 games before that, as he slid deeper into a slump that has consumed much of his summer.
Overall, McNeil is hitting .248 after winning the batting title with a .326 average last season.
“I’ve hit some balls hard and they’ve just been finding some gloves lately … so it’s nice to have a few drop,” McNeil said.
July 23, 2023 at 10:14AM
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Jeff McNeil hits Little League home run in Mets' loss - MLB.com
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