Starling Marte homered in his return to the lineup, and the New York Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 5-1 on Saturday in the first meeting of a doubleheader.
Friday’s game was postponed when a wintry spell hit Colorado. The snow continued to fall Saturday morning, but by the time of the first pitch, the sky cleared and the thermometer climbed to 45 Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius).
Carlos Carrasco (4-1) gave up one run on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings, while fellow Venezuelan Luis Guillorme had three hits for the Mets.
The Dominican Marte had left the team after the death of his grandmother. He was put on the list of active players just before the game.
His first swing of the day put the ball into the left-field bleachers and gave the Mets a 2-0 lead, just two innings into the game.
Stepping on the plate, Mars looked up and pointed skyward.
“It’s a difficult situation, because this has been on my mind for a long time,” Marte said of the passing. “Being with the team is a distraction, but you have to get over this.
CJ Cron had three hits and Germán Márquez (1-4) allowed five runs — four earned — in six innings for the Rockies, who have lost nine of their last 11 games.
For the Mets, the Dominican Marte 5-2 with a run scored and two RBIs. Puerto Rican Francisco LIndor 5-1 with an RBI. Venezuelans Eduardo Escobar 4-1, Luis Guillorme 4-3 with a run scored.
For the Rockies, the Venezuelans Yonathan Daza 4-1, ElÃas DÃaz 4-0. Cuban Jose Iglesias 2-1.