Luis Robert Jr. decides in extras with a home run and leaves the Pirates on the field

NEW YORK. — Cuban Luis Robert Jr. hit a three-run homer in the eleventh inning to give the New York Mets a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, in a dramatic game decided in extra innings at Citi Field.

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In a cold night dominated by pitchers, Robert Jr. became the hero by punishing a slider and sending the ball over the left-center field wall, thus signing his first golden home run with the Mets uniform and the second walk-off of his career. The game was a pitching duel for much of the day. New York’s starter, David Peterson, worked 5.1 scoreless innings, while Mitch Keller pitched six innings without allowing runs for Pittsburgh, keeping the game close until the extra innings. The Pirates took the lead in the tenth and eleventh innings, but the Mets responded on both occasions. First, they tied the game with a run-scoring single by Luis Torrens and then set the stage for Robert Jr.’s decisive hit, after Jorge Polanco drew a walk. The victory represents an early sign of the Mets’ new identity, who last season failed to win a single game when they were losing after the eighth inning, but who have already starred in important comebacks at the beginning of this campaign. Robert Jr., acquired during the offseason, has had an impactful start with his new team, providing offense, plate discipline, and now a decisive hit that unleashed the celebration in New York. With this triumph, the Mets continue to show a more combative team with a greater capacity for reaction, having in Robert Jr. one of their main figures for the season.