Kirk Nieuwenhuis' Walk-off Homer

First base coach Tom Goodwin certainly had a bird's-eye view of Kirk Nieuwenhuis' dramatic walk-off homer. (See the ball beginning its flight in the upper right corner.) His 3-run blast off Cubs closer Carlos Marmol brought the Mets from three runs down and gave them a stunning 4 - 3 victory Sunday at Citi Field. 
In the space of five batters and maybe five minutes, the Mets went from listless to joyous: after being shut out for eight innings by Matt Garza, Marmol gave up Marlon Byrd's home run to lead off the bottom of the 9th. A walk, a hit and a sacrifice later, it was Nieuwenhuis' turn. Despite hitting under .100 when he came to the plate, he connected on a 1-0 fastball, driving it in the right field seats and sending the Father's Day crowd home smiling.
Imagine how the fan in the orange shirt feels... he took part in a meet the players promotion, stood next to and even chatted a bit with Nieuwenhuis before the first pitch. Who could have imagined he was hanging out with the guy who three hours later, became the Mets hero of the day?
Of course, our dramatic ending wouldn't be complete without a group celebration as the winning run scored.

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