JUPITER, Fla. — Blade Tidwell’s first competitive MLB game was an eventful one, and that was before he forgot to cover first base.
The Mets’ pitching prospect has already pitched wildly with strikes three in his third start Friday, allowing a bunt single and a bloop into the left field seats.
Dylan Carlson hit an RBI single before chaos spread.
Tidwell threw a fastball that hit the knob of Paul Goldschmidt’s bat and rolled toward the first base hole.
Goldschmidt remained at home plate while Pete Alonso hit a grounder.
Tidwell was also inactive, but he remained near the mound instead of covering the bases.
Alonso put the ball in his glove and as Goldschmidt started running, he began gesturing to Tidwell, who eventually approached the bag to receive the throw and recorded an out.
“I thought [Alonso] “I felt like I could have already been on first base and I could have had 10 or 12 seconds left,” Tidwell said of the day the Mets lost 3-2 to the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. “But I don’t think it was that long, it was just an awkward play. [Goldschmidt] I literally hit it off the knob of the bat, but when Alonso yelled, “Go ahead,” it went right back to where it was. ”
Tidwell struck out the next two batters, leaving runners on second and third base.
He had three strikeouts in the first inning.
Tidwell, 22, a second-round draft pick in 2022, is considered one of the most promising pitchers in the organization.
He advanced to Double-A Binghamton last season.
“It was fun playing with the team. Everyone was really cool,” said Tidwell, who the Mets brought in from minor league camp to play in the game. “When I had questions, they steered me in the right direction and didn’t make a fuss about it.”
Christian Scott and Mike Bashir, who are in major league camp, are among the Mets’ scheduled pitchers for Saturday’s exhibition game against the Marlins.
Scott emerged as the organization’s top pitching prospect last season, but Bashir, who reached Triple-A Syracuse last year, may be the closest to the major leagues.
