Mark Vientos didn’t make the Mets out of spring training.
He’s only on the MLB roster now because Starling Marte went on the bereavement list Saturday, needing to tend to a family issue. The 24-year-old didn’t even start Sunday, entering in the bottom of the ninth as a pinch-hitter.
But Vientos emerged as the unlikely hero Sunday, slugging a walk-off home run in the Mets’ 4-2 victory in 11 innings over the Cardinals.
The improbable victory staved off a three-game sweep and gave the Mets a win in a game they began 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
Vientos’ home run off of Matthew Liberatore followed Harrison Bader’s game-tying single on an 0-2 pitch.
Mets starter Jose Quintana limited St. Louis to one run and three hits over eight excellent innings. The Cardinals went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position against the left-hander, scoring their only run against him on Michael Siani’s fifth-inning RBI safety squeeze.
The 36-year-old Quintana, who started Opening Day in place of injured ace Kodai Senga, and now boasts a 3.48 ERA this season.
The Mets had lost five of six games before Sunday’s win, which put them back above .500 at 14-13.
They continue their seven-game home stand on Monday night, when they’re scheduled to open a four-game series against the Cubs.
