During the first at-bat of the game, Jon Niese reached down for his left knee. He limped a few batters later. His pitches looked worse. He ended up lasting all of four batters Tuesday night in a critical game against the St. Louis Cardinals, a team the Mets are chasing in the National League wild-card standings.
“After he walked the first guy, I said there’s something wrong here,” said Mets Manager Terry Collins, who knew Niese had been battling a knee injury for months.
Despite Niese’s early exit, which landed him on the disabled list after the game, the Mets toppled the Cardinals, 7-4, thanks to the heavy lifting by the bullpen, which was led by the rookie Robert Gsellman.