Jared Young's three-hit day helps Mets beat Astros

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Aug 29, 2026

Published in Baseball

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NEW YORK — The difference between the Jared Young who played for Andy Green in Chicago with the Cubs and the one currently playing for him in New York with the Mets is simply opportunity. The Mets’ interim skipper was the bench coach for the Cubs when Young played 22 games for them over parts of two seasons before going to Korea to play in the KBO in 2024.

Green recognized what Young was capable of long ago, but he wasn’t in the right place at the right time to be able to take the step he needed to solidify himself in the big leagues. That changed this season with the Mets. It was on full display Saturday at Citi Field, when Young hit a two-run triple off Houston right-hander Christian Javier in the bottom of the fifth to help the Mets beat the Astros 6-2.

“This is where talent and character finally ran into opportunity,” Green recently said of Young. “It just never has for him in his career. There’s a lot of guys that get runway that put up a 1.000 OPS in Triple-A in multiple seasons, and they immediately get runway in the big leagues, and they get a chance to hit. And it’s like, wow, that guy can hit ...

“Opportunity just never met him before, and it’s finally there for him.”

Juan Soto returned from the injured list to hit the go-ahead single earlier in the fifth. He drove in Francisco Lindor after the shortstop doubled to right field with one out, breaking a 1-1 tie. After Javier retired Bo Bichette, Carson Benge kept the inning alive with a single to left field, putting two on with two outs for Young.

Down 0-2 in the count, Young pulled a sweeper down the right-field line and into the corner, sending Taylor Trammell chasing after it. Soto and Benge scored easily, and Young slid into third ahead of the tag, putting the Mets up 4-1.

Right-hander Nolan McLean gave up one unearned run in the first inning, then blanked Houston the rest of the way through, allowing only two hits, walking three and striking out four over seven innings. He worked primarily off of his fastball and his sinker, barely even using the spin pitches he’s become known for.

“[The game plan was] a little bit different, but once I saw how aggressive they were, I was just trying to play the two fastballs off of each other and get some weak contact,” McLean said.

The Mets’ stars played like stars, with Lindor and Soto providing a spark at the top of the order, and McLean dealing against a tough lineup. But it was Young, the Mets’ Canadian role player, who keyed the victory. The first baseman/outfielder went 3 for 4 with a triple and a career-high three RBI.

“I think a lot of hitters become aware of how pitchers are attacking them and get hyper-focused on that, but the pitcher still has to execute,” Green said. “Every hitter in the game has some relative weakness, so he does a nice job of not worrying about that. ”

It’s worth asking whether the Mets have found their first baseman for next season. The answer isn’t Mark Vientos, and it’s tough to know what Jorge Polanco will be capable of given the injuries this season. Young was used mostly as a platoon hitter earlier in the season because of his career splits and April meniscus surgery. Now that he’s been in the lineup every day, he’s improved his numbers against left-handed pitching, and he’s provided better defense at first base than Vientos or Brett Baty.

Young drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single off left-handed opener Bennett Sousa, then scored in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run double by Francisco Alvarez.

One of the hottest hitters on the team as of late, he’s hit .338 with 10 extra-base hits, 16 RBI and an .882 OPS since Aug. 5. He’s hitting .350 with runners in scoring position this season.

In a career-high 87 games, he’s hit .272 with a .779 OPS, all career-high numbers.

“I think we’re just getting to see who he is,” Green said. “It’s not so much that he’s changed, or we’ve done an amazing job helping him evolve into a big leaguer. I think our scouting group did a nice job identifying somebody that could help in this capacity, and he’s been everything we could hope for.”

The series is tied 1-1 and will conclude Sunday afternoon.

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