Michael Conforto continued to struggle at the plate in Wednesday night's win over the Braves, but he was still the MVP of the Mets' 2-1 victory.
With the tying run on second with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Atlanta's Ehire Adrianza knocked a pinch-hit single to right, where Conforto was charging to field the ball knee-high on one hop while Abraham Almonte rounded third and raced home for what would be the tying run.
But a perfect throw from Conforto nailed Almonte at the plate, sending Citi Field into a frenzy and sending the Mets on their way to another win and their best record through 100 games of a season since 2007.
"Best feeling in the world," Conforto said of the reaction from the crowd and Diaz. "I can't put into words what it feels like. I'm still sort of shaking from it right now. It's just an awesome moment, another incredible team win…I know I sound like a broken record, but its' been a really, really fun team to be a part of."
Conforto's 91.3 mph laser from right field saved the game, and quickly took its place among the top moments of Conforto's career, even with a couple World Series home runs under his belt.
"Man, that probably ranks up there, as far as the adrenaline rush and the reaction from the stadium, right up there with the walk-off against the Nationals," Conforto said. "There's certain things you can do to help the team to win in big spots. In that moment I was hoping something would come my way. Not necessarily a base hit…but it came to me and I saw it in my mind before it happened. It makes it a lot easier when that happens."
Conforto's teammates emptied the ice water cooler on his head after the game, and when asked if he knew he had Almonte nailed at the plate, he didn't hesitate.
"Yeah, I knew I had him," Conforto said. "I expected them to send him. In that situation against Diaz, you have to take a chance. I was sort of watching out of the corner of my eye. All those things together, you just try to execute how you see it in your mind, and that's what ended up happening."
It hasn't been the best of seasons for the soon-to-be free agent at the plate so far this year, as Conforto is batting just .207 with six home runs this year, and .184 over the last month. But Wednesday night was an encouraging piece of evidence that even when Conforto's bat isn't clicking, he can make a difference on the field.
"Every day is just another day to try and help the team win in some way," Conforto said. "It's been frustrating at the plate. I've left a lot of hits out there. I've given away some at-bats…but like I said, it's just another day to show up and do something, get on base, make a play in the outfield."
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