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New York Mets’ Rafael Ortega (30) reacts after hitting a walk off single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023, in New York. The Mets won 3-2. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
QUEENS — Rafael Ortega doesn’t get these moments often.
The journeyman outfielder delivered his second-career walk-off hit, a bases-loaded single to right, to lift the Mets to a 3-2 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.
“Everybody’s trying to leave a good memory,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “Whether it be Ortega… everybody knows that there’s going to be some directions that the club will take and they want to be included in that.”
Scoring once in the eighth before Ortega’s winner, the Mets pulled it out against Angels reliever Reynaldo Lopez, whose erraticness helped set the table for New York’s win. Francisco Alvarez was grazed in the hand by a Lopez fastball to put a lead-off man. DJ Stewart followed up with a single and Mark Vientos walked to load the bases for Ortega.
The 32-year-old sent a sinking liner to right field that found the grass just millimeters ahead fo Angels right fielder Hunter Renfroe’s glove.
“I was looking for something in to put that ball in the air to bring in that run,” Ortega said. “I know [Refroe] has a really good arm and he’d have a really good chance to throw the ball home… but he didn’t get that one and I got the base hit.”
The Mets (60-71) managed to overturn a 2-1 eighth-inning deficit after a Luis Renfigo home run in the top of the eighth off reliever Drew Smith gave the Angels an advantage. Pete Alonso replied immediately in the bottom of the inning to tie the game with a two-out double to score Francisco Lindor from second base.
The win snapped the Mets’ four-game losing streak while avoiding a…
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