Anthony Rieber

Jensen Beach

Sports Writer at Newsday

Sports writer for @NewsdaySports. Brooklyn born and raised. NYU ‘89. Go Violets.

Articles

Rieber: Mets fans aren't happy with shaky Brett Baty

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

Boos directed at Mets players during the first homestand at Citi Field have been as rare as seeing a Mets fan wearing a Yankees cap. Unless you are Brett Baty. Baty went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts to drop his average to .111 and made a key throwing error at second base on Wednesday as the Mets saw their six-game winning streak snapped by the Marlins, 5-0. Thus concluded a 5-1 homestand that was mostly a lovefest.
Alonso, Lindor spark Mets to sixth-straight win

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

It’s nit-picking, for sure. But the two things that the Mets could have stood to improve upon after they went 7-3 in the first 10 games of the season going into Tuesday were length from the starting pitchers and punch from the offense. Consider one mission accomplished: The Mets tied their high run total for the season en route to their sixth straight win, a 10-5 pasting of the Marlins before an announced crowd of 28,861 at frigid, windswept Citi Field.
Mets remember Octavio Dotel after ex-pitcher dies in roof collapse

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

The Mets held a moment of silence before their game at Citi Field on Tuesday afternoon for former pitcher Octavio Dotel, who was among those who died after a nightclub roof collapse early Tuesday morning in the Dominican Republic. Dotel, who was 51, was rescued from the rubble of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, but later died from his injuries while en route to a local hospital, Reuters reported, citing a spokesman for the nation’s sports ministry.
Mets bullpen saves the day again after David Peterson forced to exit

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

Sunday’s Citi Field crowd of 40,132 included many youngsters as the Mets held Kids Opening Day. The tykes learned an important lesson: Nothing beats a shutdown bullpen. After David Peterson exited after 4 2/3 innings with some sort of apparent discomfort, Mets relievers threw 4 1/3 nearly perfect innings to notch a series-sweeping 2-1 victory over Toronto. The Mets (6-3), who have won four in a row, have MLB’s best bullpen ERA at 1.29.
Francisco Lindor's walk-off sac fly lifts Mets past Blue Jays

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

It seemed as if a good time was being had at Citi Field on Saturday night. But the game lacked dramatic moments for the Mets, who were being shut out and were hitless in their first 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position against the Blue Jays. That all changed with two outs in the eighth when Jesse Winker hit a game-tying two-run triple off the rightfield wall. In the ninth, the Mets completed the walk-off 3-2 victory on Francisco Lindor’s sacrifice fly to center before a crowd of 37,694.
Mets' Baty has started ice cold, but Mendoza still confident

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

Jeff McNeil isn’t quite ready to nip at Brett Baty’s heels when it comes to a roster spot. But that day is coming if Baty doesn’t get more batty soon. Baty went into Saturday night’s game against the Blue Jays with one hit in 14 at-bats in the young season. When McNeil is ready to return from the oblique strain that has delayed his season, the natural move would be to send Baty back to Triple-A. To date, Baty hasn’t done anything to stop that from happening.
Mets' home opener was hit at box office, will rest of season be same?

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

On Friday, the Mets drew a sellout crowd of 43,945 to Citi Field for their 5-0 home-opening win against the Blue Jays. Somewhere, Steve Cohen was smiling. Actually, that somewhere was Citi Field, where not even a cratering stock market could keep the billionaire hedge fund mogul from the thrilling spectacle of Juan Soto’s first home Mets game. Remember, it was Cohen who in spring training said the Mets’ 2024 attendance drop of 9.5% from 2023 “really bothered me.
Yanks' Escarra is a great story, but highlights a problem

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

J.C. Escarra, the Yankees’ Uber driver turned backup catcher, made his first big-league start on Thursday night against Arizona at Yankee Stadium. In terms of human-interest stories, you can’t find one better than the 29-year-old, whose journey from doing odd jobs to independent ball to the Yankees’ Opening Day roster is the stuff baseball movies are made of. But the Yankees are about winning. That’s the story their fans signed up to watch. Leave the movies to Lifetime.
Explaining the science behind 'torpedo bat' used by some Yankees

3 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

Athletes are always searching for something to give them even the slightest edge on the field. Enter the so-called “torpedo bat.”The new, odd-looking bat that has taken the baseball world by storm isn’t likely to lead to the kind of offensive production the Yankees featured in their season-opening three-game sweep of Milwaukee (36 runs, 15 home runs, a .333 batting average and a 1.231 OPS). But it should help a bit, say experts in the fields of sports science and engineering.
Don't torpedo the idea! Let's embrace the Yanks' new bats

3 weeks ago | newsday.com | Anthony Rieber

Not to torpedo a juicy narrative, but Aaron Judge would probably be able to hit long home runs if he went to the plate with an unchiseled block of wood. He has four in three games after hitting a two-run shot in the first inning of the Yankees’ 12-3 victory over the Brewers on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. After that, the Brewers walked him three times. That’s not to say the news that five Yankees — not including Judge — are using so-called “torpedo bats” isn’t fun.