Bichette’s First Met Homer

Bo Bichette hit his first home run as a New York Met on April 11, a two-run shot to right field in the fifth inning against the Athletics at Citi Field. (mlb.com) Major League Baseball’s video and Statcast pages listed the homer at 343 feet, with a 96.6 mile-per-hour exit velocity and a 30-degree launch angle off Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) The homer cut the Athletics’ lead to 7-3, and New York later got within 7-6 before losing 11-6. Francisco Alvarez and Jorge Polanco also homered for the Mets, while Tyler Soderstrom hit two for the Athletics. (espn.com) Bichette opened the season without a home run in his first 15 games for New York. ESPN’s game log listed him at 0 home runs and a.230 batting average entering April 11. (espn.com) The swing landed quickly on league and team feeds because Bichette arrived in New York as one of the Mets’ biggest winter additions. The club announced his three-year contract on January 20 after agreeing to a deal worth $126 million, according to MLB.com. (mlb.com 1) (mlb.com 2) The Mets signed Bichette after missing on outfielder Kyle Tucker, and planned to use the longtime shortstop at third base alongside Francisco Lindor on the left side of the infield. ESPN reported that positional shift when the deal was reached in January. (espn.com) Bichette brought a long track record to that move. The Mets’ January announcement described him as a two-time All-Star, and Baseball Reference lists him with five full seasons in Toronto before 2026. (mlb.com) (baseball-reference.com) For one afternoon, the Mets got the swing they paid for, even if they did not get the win. Bichette’s first homer in a Mets uniform arrived 81 games and one organization after his last regular-season home run for Toronto on September 11, 2025, according to Baseball Reference’s game log. (baseball-reference.com)