Mets’ Carson Benge talks scary right field collision vs. White Sox

New York Mets rookie Carson Benge shook off a frightening moment in right field and came through with one of his best offensive performances of the season in a 10-5 win over the Chicago White Sox Saturday night.

Benge’s scare came while chasing a deep drive from White Sox rookie Tristan Peters. The 23-year-old admitted he did not get the best read on the ball before quickly retreating toward the wall. Benge managed to get his glove on the ball, but crashed into the chain-link fence, causing it to pop free and sail over the wall for a home run. He was shaken up and checked by the trainers, but he remained in the game.

“I didn’t get the best read on it. Can’t always be perfect,” said Benge. “Went back on it fast towards the wall and then kind of caught it in my glove, and then it kind of popped out when I hit that fence.

“First thing, I checked my glove and I saw it wasn’t in there, so I was kind of mad at that. But then after the adrenaline wore off there quickly, I knew I was OK.”

He quickly erased the memory of the play with his bat. Benge led off the fifth inning with his 16th home run of the season, a solo shot against Tyler Schweitzer that pushed New York ahead 5-3 and started a three-run inning. Eric Wagaman and Marcus Semien later added RBI singles in the frame.

Benge finished 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. It was his first three-hit game since Aug. 6. Over his previous 15 games, Benge entered Saturday batting .356/.406/.610 with four homers and 11 RBI across 63 plate appearances. For the month, he entered the game with a .308 batting average and a .905 OPS.

The Mets hit five home runs in the victory, including two from Luis Robert Jr. and one each from Bo Bichette and Luis Torrens. The win was New York’s 12th in 17 games since the trade deadline.