NEW YORK -- The future was laid out before the Mets, plain to see: one at the plate, one in the on-deck circle, one near the dugout exit awaiting his turn to bat. The Mets were trailing the best team in baseball by three runs in the ninth, but they at least had some hope. They at least had the kids.

First it was Brett Baty, long one of the organization’s top prospects and a spark for the club throughout the early season. He struck out. Next up was Mark Vientos, the story of the day, a prospect who woke up in Syracuse, N.Y., but arrived in Queens in time to hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the seventh. He flew out.

That brought up Francisco Álvarez, the organization’s top prospect entering the season who had mostly struggled at the plate since his callup. Just not on this occasion. Álvarez launched a game-tying, three-run homer off Jason Adam, allowing the Mets to steal a walk-off, 8-7 win over the Rays in the 10th inning on Pete Alonso’s three-run homer.

Merrill Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks) emerged victorious in the "KBO League Alumni Starting Pitchers Matchup" against Drew Ruchinski (Oakland Athletics).

On the 16th, in a visiting game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, California, United States, in the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB), Kelly took the mound as a starter and delivered 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, striking out 9, and conceding 2 runs (1 earned).

Kelly secured his 4th win of the season (with 3 losses) and lowered his earned run average from 3.18 to 2.92.

On the other hand, Oakland's starting pitcher Ruchinski gave up 5 hits, including 2 home runs, and issued 5 walks, resulting in 5 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Ruchinski suffered his 4th loss in his 4th appearance of the season, and his earned run average worsened from 8.16 to 9.00.

Anthony Rizzo hit two home runs, including the go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth inning, leading the New York Yankees to a 6-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The game was played in front of a pulsing crowd of 46,130 at Yankee Stadium on Anthony Rizzo “Mandalorian” bobblehead night. The win came after the Yankees had lost the series opener to their division rivals. Yankees rookie Anthony Volpe also hit a home run and credited the electric atmosphere of the crowd for creating a goosebump-inducing atmosphere. The Rizzo bobblehead giveaway attracted many Star Wars fans in full costumes to the stadium. ⚾️⚾️

Former MLB pitcher Matt Harvey, also known as the "Dark Knight", has announced his retirement from baseball. Harvey debuted in the major leagues with the New York Mets in 2012 and quickly gained attention for his exceptional strikeout ability. He suffered an elbow injury during the 2013 season and missed the entire 2014 season due to surgery, but returned in 2015 to continue his career. Despite concerns from those around him about potential long-term effects of his injury, Harvey continued to pitch many innings. He was responsible for the most innings pitched by an individual in his personal career. Harvey helped lead the Mets to the postseason that year, pitching in the Division Series, Championship Series, and World Series. Fans were impressed by his determination and passion, which earned him the nickname "Dark Knight".

Goodbye "Dark Knight." ⚾⚾⚾⚾

San Diego Padres' infielder Kim Ha-seong (28) in Major League Baseball hit a decisive 3-run home run to surpass 100 RBIs in his MLB career in a home game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 2. With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs and runners on first and second, Kim hit a changeup from Reds' left-handed pitcher Alex Young over the left-field fence. Kim had been struggling at the plate recently, but he had a productive game with a double in the second inning and the home run in the fifth, raising his batting average to .222. In addition to his milestone RBI, Kim added three more RBIs in the game. The Padres won the game 8-3, securing their third consecutive win. During the game, Fernando Tatis Jr. also hit a home run and gifted Kim with a Mexican sombrero as he returned to the dugout. ⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️⚾️

Pitcher Ohtani's mission was over after the sixth inning, but batter Ohtani's mission was still on. He hit a single in the first inning, a double in the third, and a triple in the sixth, leaving only a home run for his second career cycle. Ohtani achieved his first cycle on June 14, 2019, against the Tampa Bay Rays, but he wasn't a starting pitcher at the time. As expected, there has never been a starting pitcher in Major League history to achieve a cycle. In the eighth inning, Ohtani stepped up to the plate for his final at-bat against the new pitcher, Luvreudy, and hit a big swing, but unfortunately it was caught by the center fielder near the fence (96.1 mph exit velocity, 389 feet distance). The Angels nearly gave away Ohtani's victory by allowing two runs due to a fielding error by Renfroe and struggles by the bullpen, but they held on to the lead (8-7) thanks to spectacular catches by Upton and Ren don, and Estevez secured the win by finishing the ninth inning. As a pitcher, Ohtani recorded 6 innings, 8 strikeouts, and 5 earned runs, and as a batter, he recorded 3 hits and 1 RBI in 5 at-bats. He is scheduled to go for his fifth win of the season on May 4th against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Too bad for the cycle! Ohtani achieves his fourth win of the season."