NEW YORK -- There were 613 days, three teams and two countries between Jared Young's last Major League home run and now.
But he's finally back in the big leagues, and he hit his first home run for the Mets -- his first MLB home run since Sept. 22, 2023 with the Cubs -- to spark New York to a 6-4 win over the White Sox on Tuesday night at Citi Field.
It was a long time coming. Over those 613 days, time didn't fly.
"It felt that long," Young said. "[MLB is] the best league in the world, so you've got to play your best to be here and have success here. But I'm glad to be back -- and that one felt good."
Since that last home run for Chicago, Young had spent time in the Minor Leagues with the Cardinals and in the Korea Baseball Organization with the Doosan Bears. The Mets picked him up as a free agent in December, and after spending the first month-and-a-half of the season at Triple-A Syracuse, Young got called up Saturday to be a left-handed-hitting platoon option at designated hitter for New York.
"When you're called up, you always want to make your presence felt, and really join the team and contribute to a win," Young said. "So that was kind of a big thing."
The 29-year-old Young went hitless over his first three games. But in the first inning on Tuesday, he unloaded on a cutter from White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon and went deep to the right-field seats.
Young's home run gave the Mets the lead and sent them toward a fourth straight win.
"You take a look at this team from the top down, it's pretty good ballplayers and winning a lot of games," Young said. "To get thrown into it -- I feel like I belong. I feel like it's a good spot and a good fit, and I hope we can just keep winning some ballgames."
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, who has now started Young at DH four games in a row, lauded his ability to control the strike zone and get ahead in counts as reasons to trust him at the plate. On Tuesday, his belief paid off with the homer and a double for Young.
"Look, he's getting an opportunity," Mendoza said. "He's back in the big leagues after a lot of grinding. Whether it's the Minor Leagues, [going] up and down, or going overseas. He's getting an opportunity back here in the States, and here we are -- giving him a chance, and he's taken advantage of it."