Carson Benge lightly strummed an acoustic guitar sitting at his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Petco Park, casually riffing for a moment ahead of the Mets' series opener in San Diego on Friday. The rookie, who learned how to play the instrument while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery before his freshman season at Oklahoma State, has been trying to find the right tune as a first-time big leaguer this season. A little over two months into his career, Benge is in a groove. The 23-year-old recorded his first career five-hit performance in New York’s 7-3 win over the Padres on Sunday afternoon, belting his seventh home run of the year to go with a trio of singles and an RBI triple to pad the lead in the eighth inning. He is the first Mets rookie with five-plus hits in a single game since Pete Alonso on Aug. 15, 2019, and the fourth Mets rookie with five-plus hits (including a home run) in one game. That list also includes Alonso's 2019 game above, as well as: Alex Ochoa (July 3, 1996) John Milner (Sept. 8, 1972)
