DENVER — Coors Field is known for turning fly balls into home runs, but on a chilly Monday afternoon ahead of a spring snowstorm, the bats were just as cold as the Colorado air. For the first five innings, both the New York Mets and the Colorado Rockies struggled to heat up, leaving fans shivering in more ways than one.

Mark Vientos came close—twice. He nearly sent two balls over the left-field wall, but both fell just short, a frustrating start for the Mets' lineup. But baseball is a game of moments, and the sixth inning delivered one that changed everything.

Enter Carson Benge. The rookie outfielder stepped to the plate with the game still scoreless and crushed a 1-0 cutter from right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano 436 feet over the right-field fence. That leadoff homer wasn't just his third of the season—it was the spark the Mets desperately needed.

"It's a good sign," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "Not only for the team, but good for [Benge] to start playing with some confidence defensively and offensively. We had nothing going on until he finally put a really good swing on a pitch and got us going."

The floodgates opened. Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens followed with back-to-back doubles, pushing the Mets ahead 2-0. After a walk to Juan Soto, Vientos finally got his moment, lacing a line-drive single to center field that cleared the bases and stretched the lead to 4-0.

"We were hitting the ball pretty hard all day," Benge said. "Mark had a few that were grabbed at the track. Soto hit one really hard. Anything that would have sparked the lineup—a hit, a walk—anything would have gotten them going."

The Mets used a pair of openers before handing the ball to David Peterson, a lefty who calls the Denver area home. He delivered four solid innings, helping secure the 4-2 win in the series opener.

For Benge, the homer was a welcome breakthrough. His defense has been sharp, but adapting to big league pitching has been a challenge. He battles at the plate, fouling off tough pitches and working counts, but he's also looked overmatched at times. Even after going 1-for-2 with a home run and a walk, his average sits at .192. But on this day, his one big swing was all the Mets needed to break the ice.