The Citi Field crowd leapt from its seats and threw up its hands and roared in anticipation, watching a screaming line drive jump off Yoenis Cespedes’s bat. The second-largest crowd in the park’s history, 42,996 fans, had come to watch his Mets debut. He had been heralded as their offensive savior, and a home run would tie the score in the sixth inning.
But Cespedes held onto his bat as he watched the ball dart foul, and the crowd groaned. On the next pitch, Cespedes struck out swinging through a slider. He sauntered back to the dugout, kicking the end of his bat.