A.J. Ewing sparks Syracuse Mets debut in 10-4 win over Lehigh Valley

A.J. Ewing wasted no time making his mark in Syracuse. In his first game with the Syracuse Mets, the 21-year-old reached base three times, scored three runs and finished a home run shy of the cycle in a 10-4 win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at NBT Bank Stadium.

The debut gave Syracuse exactly the kind of immediate lift clubs hope for when roster moves bring fresh talent into Triple-A. Ewing, promoted by the Mets on April 27 and identified by MLB as the organization’s No. 3 prospect, stepped into a lineup that already had life early. Christian Arroyo opened the scoring with a three-run homer in the first inning, putting Syracuse ahead 3-0 before Lehigh Valley battled back to erase the deficit.

Syracuse answered with seven unanswered runs to take control for good. The 10-run outburst showed a lineup that kept pressing after the IronPigs tied it, and Ewing’s production helped turn a close game into a comfortable win. For a team that constantly serves as the bridge between Double-A, Syracuse and Queens, that kind of instant contribution can reshape playing time and attention in a hurry.

Ewing’s arrival carried added weight because of how quickly he climbed the Mets system. His full name is Andrew Joseph Ewing. The Mets drafted him in 2023 with the 134th overall pick in the compensation round out of Springboro High School in Ohio. Born Aug. 10, 2004, in Kettering, Ohio, he is listed by MiLB as a 5-foot-10, 160-pound left-handed batter and right-handed thrower.

The setting fit the moment. NBT Bank Stadium, the longtime Triple-A home for Syracuse, sits on the site of the former MacArthur Stadium, adding another layer of baseball history to a debut that already mattered for what it said about the Mets’ pipeline. Syracuse improved to 14-13 with the win, while Lehigh Valley fell to 16-12, and the result offered another reminder that in Triple-A, one call-up can change the shape of a night almost immediately.