Mets providing Luis Robert Jr. an environment to have career transformation, and it's paying off early

It should not have been easy to homer on a slider traveling well below the strike zone at Citi Field, not with wind chills in the 30s. But new Mets  outfielder Luis Robert Jr. did so anyway.

Through nine innings, hitters on both teams failed to get the ball out of the infield enough to score a run, let alone threaten the fences. Heck, a few minutes before his 11th-inning blast, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette all came to bat with the bases loaded. None of them could square up a ball well enough to score a run.

But Robert Jr. found a way, turning what would have been a frustrating loss into a light-hearted win with a physics-defying swing that not all players can provide. “It was unbelievable,” Mets starting pitcher David Peterson said.

“I was facing him a lot in spring, and I was getting real tired of facing him. ” Robert Jr. made it look easy on those warm February afternoons at Clover Park, when Mets starting pitcher after Mets starting pitcher would have peaceful live batting practice sessions interrupted by loud cracks of Robert Jr.