Mets march for NL East Supremacy continues…game notes for June 14th

It is June 14th and Vulgar Pete Alonso has one HR and three RBI and you guys are giving me the sign that you are OK with this.

Today through Friday, the Mets are offering a 25% discount on tickets in select vaccinated seating locations for all games excluding the Subway Series…The sale is available only by entering promo code “Dad” when checking out at Mets.com…For more information, please visit Mets.com/ FathersDay.   Kids, I don’t want Mets tickets.  It was cute when you were 7 but now that you are grown we both know baseball is boring.  Let’s just stay home or go to the beach or something fun.

INF Jeff McNeil started a rehab assignment with the Brooklyn Cyclones yesterday…He went 0-2 and played 5.0 innings at second base… McNeil has been on the IL since May 17 with a strained left hamstring…RHP Dellin Betances began a rehab appearance with the St. Lucie Mets yesterday… He threw 1.0 scoreless, hitless inning with a walk and two strikeouts (21 pitches, 12 strikes)…He has been on the 60-Day IL since April 24 with a right shoulder impingement…OF Albert Almora Jr. is currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse…He went 1-4 with a walk and played center field for Syracuse yesterday…Overall, he is 2-14 with a home run, a walk and two RBI in five games on his rehab assignment…Almora Jr. has been on the 10-Day IL since May 12 with a left shoulder contusion.

ACCESS DENIED: The Mets have caught 14 runners attempting to steal a base, including 10 catcher caught stealings…The team’s 14 runners caught stealing is fourth in the majors…The team’s 10 catcher caught stealings is tied for fourth in the majors…James McCann is tied for seventh in the majors and tied for sixth in the NL with six catcher caught stealings…Tomás Nido is tied for 15th in the majors and tied for 10th in the NL with four.

CONNECT FOUR: The Mets are 25-5 when scoring four or more runs this season…The team is 7-20 when scoring three or fewer runs…The Mets are 28-7 when scoring first this season…The team’s .800 winning percentage is the best record in the National League and is tied with the Rays for best mark in the major leagues when scoring first this season.

THE BALLAD OF BILLY THE KID: Billy McKinney is batting .302 (13-43) since joining the Mets…He has 12 RBI and a 1.106 OPS in 13 games with the Mets…His 10 extra-base hits through 13 games with the team are tied for the second-most in club history with Joe McEwing…Only Pete Alonso (12) had more in his first 13 games as a Met.

THE SUMMER OF JAKE: Jacob deGrom lowered his season ERA to 0.56 (4 earned runs/64.0 innings) and his WHIP to 0.53, both the lowest ever through 10 starts…He has reached 100 strikeouts in just 61.2 innings this season…That is the quickest a starting pitcher has reached 100 strikeouts since the mound moved to its current distance in 1893…Thanks to ESPN Stats & Info.

HOMER BOUND: The Mets have homered in 14 of their last 17 games and 11 of their last 13…The Mets are 22-15 when hitting at least one home run and 10-4 when hitting two or more bombs…The Mets have hit 59 home runs this year, the third-fewest in the majors…On the other hand, the Mets have allowed only 43 home runs this season which is the fewest in MLB…They own a 0.79 home runs per 9 IP ratio…That is the best mark in the majors.

FOR PETE’S SAKE: Pete Alonso now sits 24th on the team’s all-time home run list with 74 blasts…Keith Hernandez is next at 23rd with 80 home runs…Since returning from the IL on May 31, he is batting .333 (15-45) with nine runs, a double, four home runs, 12 RBI and two walks with a 1.010 OPS in 12 games… Alonso is batting .282/.362/.492 with six home runs against right-handed pitchers this year.  He also has ONE HR at home but the Mets don’t want you to know that.

HERE’S THE PITCH: The Mets are second in the majors and in the NL with a 3.16 team ERA (171 earned runs/487.0 innings)…They trail only the Padres who own a 2.97 ERA…The Mets own a 3.18 FIP, according to Fangraphs, the lowest mark in the majors…Jacob deGrom leads the majors with a 0.92 FIP this season…He also leads all pitchers in MLB with a 3.7 fWAR.

THIS DAY IN METS HISTORY: On this day in 1963, Duke Snider hit his 400th career home run and his 11th of the season as the Mets defeated the Reds, 10- 3, in Cincinnati…Snider played one year for the Mets, appearing in 129 games and hitting .243/.345/.401 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI…He was named an All- Star for the eighth and final time that year…Carl Willey made the start for the Mets, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with five walks and eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work…The Mets recorded 14 hits in the effort, including four from Ron Hunt and three from Frank Thomas, who also drove in four in the win…For cool photos and interactive history information on the Mets, please visit the Mets Virtual Vault at metsheritage.com.