Carson Benge keeps stacking up moments, and Saturday he made the biggest one yet.
The Mets rookie outfielder collected three hits, knocked in a run with a solo homer, and then put his name alone in the record book with a check-swing dribbler in the eighth inning that pushed the Mets to a 10-3 win over the Phillies in New York. That final RBI gave Benge 157 hits for the season, breaking Pete Alonso’s Mets rookie mark of 156.
The night started with the Mets digging out of a 3-1 hole and ended with the Phillies’ bullpen unraveling again. Philadelphia had grabbed control early, but the Mets answered in the fifth when Francisco Alvarez changed the game with one swing.
Marcus Semien opened the inning with a walk, Brett Baty kept his on-base streak rolling with a single, and Alvarez launched a go-ahead three-run homer. Alvarez had entered the game in a 0-for-10 slump, but he finished 2-for-4 with a walk.
Andrew Painter settled down after the blast, striking out four straight hitters, but Phillies manager Don Mattingly went to Brooks Raley, the former Mets reliever, and the wheels came off. The Mets strung together four straight hits against Raley, with Baty driving in a run.
Ronny Mauricio, playing in his first Major-League action since July 6, then drew a bases-loaded walk off Chase Shugart to make it 6-3. Francisco Lindor had a shot to blow it open with a grand slam chance, but he flied out to deep center to end the inning.
Philadelphia had built its early lead against Christian Scott. Bryce Harper started the fourth with a ground-rule double, moved to third on a groundout by Luis Arraez, and came home on Alec Bohm’s RBI single.
J.T. Realmuto then lined out to Juan Soto in left-center to keep the game tied at 1-1.
Harper struck again in the fifth, this time with a sacrifice fly that scored Kyle Schwarber and put the Phillies ahead 2-1. Jefry Yan took over for Scott and allowed another run on a Bohm RBI single.
The Mets put the game out of reach in the eighth, when Lindor worked a bases-loaded walk and then Juan Soto, Bo Bichette and Benge all followed with RBI singles against Orion Kerkering. By the end, Benge had another three-hit game - his 11th of the season - and the Mets had another lopsided win.
Saturday wasn’t just about the scoreboard, either. The Mets retired Carlos Beltran’s number in a pregame ceremony, and longtime radio voice Howie Rose delivered a farewell speech on the broadcast.
His final game behind the microphone is supposed to be Sunday’s, though rain could get in the way of the 1:10 PM EDT finale. If the weather cooperates, Jonah Tong is set to start for the Mets against the Phillies.
In Other News...
Mets May Have A Homegrown First Base Answer After Pete Alonso
Corey Collins spent his second pro season giving the Mets a look at something they do not always get to enjoy from within the system: a young hitter with real power and a patient approach. The 2024 draftee moved through Single-A and Double-A, and his left-handed bat stood out enough to put him on the radar as a possible middle-of-the-order type down the road.
Defensively, the path is still being sorted out, with Collins a converted catcher who could wind up at first base or even in the outfield. For the Mets, that matters because the organization is always thinking ahead at the cold corner, and a homegrown option with some pop and on-base skill is the kind of developmental track worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Prospect Just Put Syracuse's Season On His Shoulders
Syracuse kept its playoff hopes alive in dramatic fashion with a 5-4 win over Lehigh Valley, and Mets prospect DAndre Smith was right in the middle of it. Smith delivered the walkoff two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, then added a key defensive play earlier in the game, giving the club a needed spark on both sides of the ball when the margin for error was thin.
The victory leaves Syracuse half a game behind Rochester with one game left in the regular season, so every inning from here carries real weight. For a team trying to stay in the race, Smiths impact was the kind that can tilt an entire night, and now the Mets-affiliated club has put itself in position to keep pressing until the final out. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Prospects Forced A 2027 Roster Conversation In 2026
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Lavenders return from Tommy John surgery has been one of the quieter development wins, with the left-hander handling both Triple-A and major league work well enough to keep his name in the mix. Vargas, meanwhile, has pushed up to Double-A and shown improved numbers despite injury interruptions, giving the Mets a few more reasons to think beyond the immediate roster picture and toward what the next wave could look like. [Read more 🡒]