NEW YORK (AP) — Starling Marte walked to the plate with a gift — from a 12-year-old fan.
Batting with runners at the corners in the eighth inning of NL Championship Series Game 5, Marte wore an orange-white-and-blue necklace handed to him by a 12-year-old boy, Simeon.
Marte delivered an RBI single for his fourth hit and third RBI of the game in a 12-6 New York Mets victory over the Dodgers that forced a Game 6 in Los Angeles.
“Usually in the eighth inning I start to throw the balls to fans because I want the kids to go with a little memory. In the fifth inning a fan was trying to get my attention,” Marte said through an interpreter. “And in the seventh inning or eighth inning I ended up throwing the ball and they gave me the necklace. And in my next at-bat I ended up getting a hit there. I kind of just kept looking at him. So I just kept it. But it was a really special moment.”
Marte, a 36-year-old two-time All-Star, is hitting .409 with four RBIs in the series and .310 with nine RBIs in 12 postseason games.
“He’s been making the necklaces for a while for friends, and he had been trying for a few innings to give one to Starling,” Simeon's father, Andrew, wrote in an email, asking that the family's last name not be used. “He was so excited when he took it and then put it on.”
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New York Mets' Starling Marte celebrates after a double against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Mets' Starling Marte celebrates after a double against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
New York Mets' Starling Marte hits a RBI-single against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning in Game 5 of a baseball NL Championship Series, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
PAJU, South Korea (AP) — Hannah Green completed her weather-delayed second round with an 8-under 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after 36 holes of the LPGA Tour's BMW Ladies Championship.
Green was 4-under for her round Friday when rain washed out the remainder of play for the day. The Australian had a two-round total of 16-under 128 on the Seowon Valley Country Club course after also shooting a first-round 64.
Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa finished her second round Saturday with a 66 and was in second place. Paris Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko (66) and Jenny Shin (69) were tied for third, five strokes behind Green.
Green won the 2019 Women's PGA Championship, a major on the LPGA Tour. Buhai is also a major champion, having won the 2022 Women's British Open at Muirfield.
The third round in South Korea was to be completed later Saturday.
The field features eight of the LPGA Tour’s top 10 players. It also includes 17 of the 18 winners this season on the tour, and the only key player missing is American Nelly Korda, who withdrew with a neck injury.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Eun-hee Ji, of South Korea watches her tee shot on the 15th hole during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Yu Jin Sung of South Korea watches her tee shot on the 15th hole during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Hye-jin Choi of South Korea watches her tee shot on the 15th hole during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa, center, Jenny Shin of South Korea, second from right, and Hannah Green, of Australia, right, walks on the 12th fairway during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa reacts on the 12th green during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
enny Shin of South Korea lines up a putt on the 12th green during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand watches her shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Mao Saigo of Japan chips onto the 12th green during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa lines up a putt on the 12th green during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
enny Shin of South Korea lines up a putt on the 12th green during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Hannah Green, of Australia prepares for a putt on the 12th green during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Hannah Green, of Australia arrives on the 15th hole during the second round of the LPGA Ladies Championship golf tournament at the Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
