On Wednesday night the Daytona Tortugas pulled off a big comeback over St. Lucie. The Mets were leading 7-0 heading into the bottom of the 5th, but Daytona went out and scored five runs in each of their next three innings to take a lead and they would eventually win 17-13. With a score like that you would expect some big performances and there certainly were a few of them. Leadoff hitter Kyle Henley more than did his part in the game as he went 4-5 and drew a walk.
On the surface that’s a fine line all on it’s own. A leadoff hitter getting on base five times in a game is certainly going to help the offense get the job done. But on Wednesday night Henley likely had the best game of his professional career and certainly the best game of his for 2026.
The right-handed hitting Henley had three singles, a ground-rule double, and a walk. His final three hits all drove in a run. As a leadoff hitter he doesn’t get as many opportunities to drive in runs as other hitters do because he’s guaranteed at least one at-bat a game with no one to drive in but himself. That had left him with zero RBI on the season before Wednesday night’s game.
The four hits in a single game set a new career best for Henley, topping his previous high of three which had had done multiple times. The speedster also stole two bases in the game that helped him score four of Daytona’s 17 runs. His two steals gave him nine for the season, which is tops in the league. Last year he had a league best 57 on the season, which also led the league.
Through his 10 games this season he has gone 12-37. He’s now hitting .324/.419/.378 on the year.
Jacob Friend also had himself a big game for the Tortugas. In that turnaround 5th inning the catcher hit a 3-run home run helped start the comeback. That wasn’t his only hit on the day and it wasn’t his only hit that brought in some runs.
Friend came through with three hits on the day. He had a single, double, a home run, scored two runs, and he drove in six. He only had two RBI on the season when the game began and by the end of the day had had his season total four times that. Since being drafted in 2024 he’s only had multiple RBI in three games and never more than two in a game prior to Wednesday night. His season is out to a strong start. In the eight games he’s played he’s now hitting .296/.429/.778 with one single, three doubles, two triples, two home runs, seven walks, and three stolen bases.
Bernard Moon joined in on the fun with the Tortugas, too. Serving as the team’s designated hitter on the night, Moon had a 4-hit night. Two of his hits were doubles, he scored two runs, and he drove in five during the game. None of those marks set new career bests for the infielder (who has also played a limited amount of left field), but it was still a big time game Moon on what was his 21st birthday.