Fans of the New York Mets haven’t had all that much to complain about over the first month of the 2025 MLB season. Sure, Juan Soto hasn’t quite gotten out of second gear yet, and he said some silly things about Aaron Judge that got New York talk radio in a bother for a few days. Other than that, though, things are fine and dandy: The team entered Monday’s matchup with the Washington Nationals a league-best 19-9, with an MVP candidate in Pete Alonso and the hottest pitching staff in all of baseball.
Of course, these are still New York sports fans we’re talking about; they can always find a nit or two to pick, even from first place. And for Mets fans, that nit was outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who’d slashed a dismal .192/.239/.337 through his first 27 games. Combine that with his poor second half of 2024, and you can understand why many in Queens had grown frustrated with their $162 million man. So frustrated, in fact, that some had even called for him to be benched.
https://twitter.com/Jolly_Olive/status/1916929542737846709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Benching Nimmo was never a serious option, both because of his considerable MLB track record and because, well, New York doesn’t have a ton of viable alternatives. Still, his struggles at the plate were cause for long-term concern; if the Mets are really going to dethrone the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the NL, they’re going to need their biggest bats all hitting up to their reputations.
Thankfully, Nimmo put all that angst to rest on Monday evening — and made some franchise history while he was at it.
Brandon Nimmo’s record 9-RBI day couldn’t have come at a better time
When you’re in as deep a funk as Nimmo has been, sometimes all it takes to snap you out of it is a single thing going your way. That seemed to be the case here: Nimmo lined a single to center in the top of the third inning against Nats starter Trevor Williams, and from there, he was off to the races. First came a solo homer in the fifth, followed by a grand slam in the seventh.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1916977848965075310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1916977848965075310%7Ctwgr%5Ea5c10b4a937b127a4f5a11992db782db1b267d27%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffansided.com%2Fmets-slumping-star-silences-his-haters-for-good-with-historic-day-at-the-plate
Then, the cherry on top: A line-drive double in the eighth that brought in two more runs, tying Nimmo with Carlos Delgado as the only Mets to ever record 9 RBI in a single game.
Brandon Nimmo ties the @Mets franchise record with a 9-RBI game! pic.twitter.com/of3NJuWPcS
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1916982822675378675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1916982822675378675%7Ctwgr%5Ea5c10b4a937b127a4f5a11992db782db1b267d27%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffansided.com%2Fmets-slumping-star-silences-his-haters-for-good-with-historic-day-at-the-plate
Nimmo had the chance to enter some very lofty territory thanks to one more at-bat in the ninth, this time against position player Amed Rosario. Sadly, he grounded out to second base, flummoxed by a 55-mph offering that Statcast very generously described as a “changeup”.
Still, four hits and nine runs driven in ain’t too bad for a day at the office, especially when you’ve been struggling as mightily as Nimmo has this season. This might just be the thing he needs to get him going, and get him back to producing like the career 124 OPS+ hitter he’s been over nearly a decade with the Mets. As if New York needed one more weapon in their arsenal.
