Whether it was Mets pitchers for or against, Michael Tonkin hasn’t had much luck this season.
The right-handed relief pitcher had a disastrous start to the season in a Mets uniform, but his return in pinstripes was upended by a 3-2 loss to the Yankees in a game against the same Mets on Tuesday night in the Bronx.
Tonkin, pitching in the sixth inning of a tied game, saw the same results he experienced with the Mets play out again against his former team.
He gave up a leadoff double to Pete Alonso, and then a long hit by Mark Vientos advanced Alonso to third base.
Tonkin couldn’t catch Jeff McNeil’s eighth pitch in his at-bat, and the seventh was a foul tip that catcher Carlos Narvaez couldn’t catch.
Given another chance, McNeil hit a 93 mph fastball with a full count over the wall in right-center field for the winning run and a lead the Mets would not relinquish.
“The slider would have been a better option, but I just didn’t execute it,” said Tonkin, who gave up two runs in 1 1/3 innings. [in the zone] It was there, but it wasn’t up.”
Tonkin’s ERA rose to just 2.04 during his time with the Yankees.
He’s been a solid pitcher, pitching multiple innings and occasionally being a threat at the back of the bullpen for teams that need him, but nearly all of his worst moments this season have come against the Mets.
The 34-year-old veteran’s strong spring performance earned him a spot in manager Carlos Mendoza’s opening relief roster.
He pitched in two extra-inning games in the first week of the season, both losses to the Tigers, allowing a total of eight runs (two earned).
He became a designated hitter and pitched one game for the Twins before being designated for assignment and returned to the Mets, who watched him give up two runs in three innings and then were designated for assignment for a second time by the same team that month.
The Yankees made a request, asking him to throw more of a slider and two-seam fastball, and he was corrected.
Tonkin is the answer to some of the questions in a bullpen that lost Jonathan Loaisiga, Ian Hamilton and Nick Burdy to injuries.
But when McNeil stepped up to bat, the Mets got a glimpse of the only Tonkin they’ve known this season.
“My goal here is to win every match,” Tonkin said, without any regard for his opponent. “It doesn’t matter who I’m playing.”
