Mets claim FSL East First Half Title

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (June 15, 2022) – The St. Lucie Mets defeated the Tampa Tarpons 5-1 on Wednesday at Clover Park to win the Florida State League East Division first half title.

The Mets improved to 39-19 and reeled off their 12th straight home win. They are now 22-3 at Clover Park this season. The Mets won the division with seven games remaining in the half.

It’s the 17th division title for the Mets in their 34-year team history. They won the Low-A Southeast East Division last season but missed the playoffs due to Bradenton and Tampa having better overall records in the West. The Mets will be heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 when they won the FSL South second half. That team featured Luis Guillorme, Tomas Nido, Chris Flexen and was managed by Luis Rojas.

On Wednesday, the Mets scored all of their runs with two outs in the first inning. Stanley Consuegra got the party started with a two-run homer off Tampa starter Yon Castro (2-4). After an error led to a third run and extended the inning, Jack-Thomas Wold hit a two-run opposite field home run to make it 5-0.

Mets starter Dominic Hamel (4-1) overcame some early command issues to pitch a gem. He limited the Tarpons to one run on one hit over 6.2 innings. He walked four and hit a batter but struck out seven. Hamel retired the final 15 batters he faced.

Jace Beck tossed the final 2.1 innings to close out the game.

Consuegra went 2 for 2 with a homer, single and two walks.

The Mets (39-19) and Tarpons (24-35) continue their series at Clover Park on Thursday. First pitch is 6:10 p.m. It’s Star Wars Night and Dollar Night with the Mets wearing special Darth Vader jerseys. Fans can enjoy $1 Bud and Bud Light (8 oz. cans), $1 soda, $1 popcorn and $2 hot dogs.