Lucas Duda, Ike Davis, and Bartolo Colon provided some of the nominees for most important hit of the 2014 Mets' season.
We have three categories left in the 2014 SB Nation MLB Awards. Today's is a fun one: Most Important Hit of the 2014 Mets' Season. There are, surprisingly, plenty of options to choose from.
Here are the nominees, in chronological order (and click here for an explanation of the stat WPA):
Ike Davis's grand salami
Date: April 5
Final Score: Mets 6, Reds 3
Pitcher: J.J. Hoover
WPA: +28.6%
Ike's final dong with the Mets was a big one. With our heroes trailing the Reds 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ike stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter with no outs and the bases loaded. A simple single probably would have won the game, but Ike opted for a no-doubt homer to right field. The postgame celebration out on the town that night must have been epic.
Curtis Granderson's 14th inning sacrifice fly winner
Date: April 20
Final Score: Mets 4, Braves 3 (14 innings)
Pitcher:Gus Schlosser
WPA: +16.8%
Okay, it's not technically a hit, but we'll make an exception. Granderson was a debacle in April, but he was the hero on this Sunday afternoon. In the bottom of the 14th inning, with the Mets and Braves tied 3-3, Granderson came to the plate with one out and Kirk Nieuwenhuis on third base. Grandy shook off an 0-for-6 game and won it with a sacrifice fly to left field. He would go on to enjoy a much better month of May.
Bartolo Colon's wild ride
Date: June 18
Final Score: Mets 3, Cardinals 2
Pitcher: Lance Lynn
WPA: +10.4%
It didn't win a game or even drive in a run, but this hit was one of the most memorable moments of the season. Bartolo Colon helped his own cause by leading off the sixth inning with a double off Cardinals starter Lance Lynn, eventually scoring on a double by Eric Young Jr. that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. It was Colon's first hit since 2005 and his first run scored since 2002. Way to go, Bartolo!
Ruben Tejada's extra-inning clutch hit
Date: July 7
Final Score: Mets 4, Braves 3 (11 innings)
Pitcher: Anthony Varvaro
WPA: +37.7%
This was one of two walk-off hits in extra innings by Tejada in 2014. I included it over his May 11 walk-off because this one had a higher WPA. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Juan Lagares hit a one-out double. After Lucas Duda was intentionally walked and Travis d'Arnaud flew out, Tejada came up with a chance to send Mets fans home happy. And he did it, singling home Lagares to give the Mets a 4-3 victory over the Braves.
Lucas Duda destroys K-Rod
Date: July 25
Final Score: Mets 3, Brewers 2
Pitcher:Francisco Rodriguez
WPA: +58.3%
The first of two Duda nominees was a beautiful smash over the wall in Milwaukee off Francisco "Perp-Rod" Rodriguez. If you blinked you missed it; the ball rocketed out of the park. It turned a ninth-inning 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead, setting the stage for Jenrry Mejia to close it out in the bottom half of the frame.
Lucas Duda's final-weekend walk-off
Date: September 27
Final Score: Mets 2, Astros 1
Pitcher: Tony Sipp
WPA: +85.8%
The Mets sleepwalked through the first 8-and-one-half innings of their penultimate game of the season, and trailed the lowly Astros 1-0 entering the bottom of the ninth. That mattered little after Duda followed a triple by Eric Young Jr. with a two-run, walk-off home run off the right field foul pole at Citi Field. It gave Duda 29 home runs, and he would hit number 30 the next day during game 162.
There are the nominees, folks. Vote for your favorite in the poll below.