David Wright returned to the New York Mets lineup with a bang.
The Mets gave Wright a 16-7 road victory over the Philadelphia Phillies as a welcome-back present. Reliever Sean Gilmartin picked up the win in 3.1 innings of work and New York improved to 68-56, good for 5.5 up on the Washington Nationals.
The third baseman homered in his first trip back to the plate since the first month of the season. His power proved contagious.
Juan Lagares hit a solo dinger in the third. Wilmer Flores and Travis d’Arnaud went yard the following inning. Flores and Michael Cuddyer hit bombs the next inning. Daniel Murphy notched his own home run in the sixth. And, in the top of the ninth, Yoenis Cespedes finally joined the longball club with a deep ball of his own.
The shot broke a club record. It also shattered conceptions about the Amazins as offensively challenged.
Ryan Howard, Cameron Rupp, and Domonic Brown blasted home runs for the home team in a losing effort. The combined 11 home runs fell one short of history. The Tigers and White Sox collectively hit 12 in a 1995 nine-inning game.
The Toronto Blue Jays own the Major League Baseball team mark with 10 home runs in a game, which they inflicted on the Baltimore Orioles in 1987. The Mets feat of eight home runs stands one homer short of the National League record of nine set by the Cincinnati Reds, also using Phillies pitchers for batting practice, in 1999.