Starling Marte wears a necklace from a fan and scores his fourth hit in the Mets' NLCS win over the Dodgers

NEW YORK (AP) — Starling Marte came to the plate with a gift — from a 12-year-old fan.

Batting with runners on the corners in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the NL Championship Series, Marte wore an orange, white and blue necklace given 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 one 12:6 victory of the New York Mets over the Dodgers that forced a Game 6 in Los Angeles.

“I usually start throwing the balls to the fans in the eighth inning because I want the kids to leave with a little memory. In the fifth inning, a fan tried to get my attention,” Marte said through an interpreter. “And finally in the seventh or eighth inning I threw the ball and they gave me the necklace. And with my next swing I landed a hit there. I 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 has been making the necklaces for friends for some time and has been trying to get one for Starling for a few innings,” 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.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb