A.J. Ewing's electric debut brings jolt for Mets' desperate offense

Each time Ewing, who started in center field and batted eighth, stepped to the plate, the crowd rose to their feet. And he gave the weary fanbase a reason to cheer throughout the night.

"I think energy is great, but I'm just gonna play baseball and do my job and that's just be the player that I am," Ewing said.

Ewing's stoic nature shone through from his opening at-bat of his major league career. With two runners on base and one out in the second inning the Mets rookie did not press to make contact in 2-2 count, he watched a fastball outside and then low to work a seven-pitch walk. In the next at-bat, Francisco Alvarez's ground ball to the left side scored a run.

Four innings later, Ewing looked at a low cutter from Burch Smith in a full count, walked and picked up his first stolen base and first run on a Tigers error.

The Mets, who have only one healthy player with over a .700 OPS in their lineup, can use the on-base prowess of Ewing. He later walked with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to push across the Mets' final run.

"He got ahead but was able to take pitches close to the strike zone and just the way he was taking them, there was rhythm, he was on time. Pretty good," Carlos Mendoza said. "Something that we've seen in the past - the way he controls the strike zone - but man, he was pretty much perfect at the plate today."

New York Mets outfielder A.J. Ewing (9) reacts during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers on May 12, 2026, at Citi Field.

Ewing's first major league hit showcased his vitality and quickness. He pulled a 104.2 mph line drive off Enmanuel De Jesus through the right side and all the way to the wall. He sprinted to third base with a standup RBI triple for his first major league hit and scored in the next at-bat as the Mets went ahead 8-2.

"It felt great," Ewing said of the triple. "It's exactly the way I started my first game in Triple A, so it felt good."

He was the first player in major league history to walk three times and steal a base in their debut since 1898, and the first Mets player to triple in their debut.

The club does not want to put any undue pressure on Ewing to single-handedly lift the team from the basement in Major League Baseball. But at least for one night, his electric effort proved to be the perfect remedy for a floundering unit.

"We're going to need him and everyone in that room," Mendoza said. "It's not fair to just put it on him. But the fact that he's able to keep the line moving, give you quality at-bats and with him right now hitting at the bottom of the order, the more we can turn that lineup over, we're going to have chances to score runs."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets' A.J. Ewing brings excitement in historic MLB debut