The Mets opened their final series of the season with a 7-6 loss to the Nationals, and the mess started early. New York used a bullpen game, but the real damage came in a brutal third inning that swung the night for good.
Francisco Alvarez was at the center of it. Behind the plate, he dealt with three wild pitches in that inning, and two of them let runs cross.
Both came back-to-back with Jonathan Pintaro on the mound. It was only part of a rough night for Alvarez, who also grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the first inning.
Gary Cohen noted that he was 2-for-32 in his career with the bases loaded. Then in the second, Alvarez tried to throw behind a runner at second base and instead sent the ball into center field.
He did pick up an RBI later with a sacrifice fly to drive in the Mets’ sixth run, but the overall line was ugly.
Once the third inning settled into the rearview, the Mets tried to claw back the only way they could: with power. Juan Soto nearly added a homer, but the wind knocked it down.
Bo Bichette and Carson Benge each went deep, cutting the deficit to one. Benge’s blast carried extra weight, as he became the first rookie in Mets history to reach the 20/20 club.
Both teams would tack on another run, but the third inning remained the turning point. The loss doesn’t change much in the broader picture of a lost season, but it did close off any chance of finishing ahead of the Nationals and climbing out of last place. With only two games left, the season is almost over.
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Soto also took some responsibility for the way the year unfolded, pointing to his own performance and the injuries that hit him along the way. Even so, the message was unmistakable: the Mets have work to do if they want to contend, and the front office is expected to explore both free agency and trades to give the roster a much-needed boost. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team whose identity has been built around a mix of iconic homegrown names and short but memorable peaks, the retired-number discussion is never just about statistics. It is also about legacy, timing and how the organization chooses to honor players from different eras, which is why the list of possible future candidates keeps coming back into the conversation whenever the Yankees add another name to Monument Park. [Read more 🡒]
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Still, the bigger issue is what comes next, because the drop has only sharpened the discussion around ticket pricing and how roster changes shape fan interest. With another decline expected in 2027, the Mets are headed toward a familiar crossroads: how to keep Citi Field full enough to match the teams ambitions, while deciding how much their approach should shift in response to a crowd that is clearly paying attention. [Read more 🡒]