The Mets didn’t just beat the Rangers on Wednesday night. They took control of the series, ruined Texas’ evening, and left Globe Life Field with a 7-2 win that was built on power and a strong final start from Nolan McLean.
McLean earned his 12th win of 2026, and he did it by making the Rangers work for almost everything. He retired Texas in order in every inning he pitched except one, and the one rough frame was enough to let the game tighten briefly before the Mets’ bats finished the job.
The damage came in three big swings. Juan Soto got New York on the board with a 429-foot blast in the third.
Marcus Semien then broke a tie with a two-out solo homer in the eighth. After that, Brett Baty came off the bench and blew it open with a pinch-hit grand slam.
The game opened quietly, though not without a strange early moment. After Gary Cohen pointed out that Rangers first baseman Jake Burger was close to a club record for consecutive errorless games, Burger booted the very next play on a Bo Bichette grounder to let the first runner aboard. The Mets didn’t cash in, with Mark Vientos flying out to end the inning.
New York didn’t record its first hit until the third, helped along by a pair of sharp early defensive plays from Wyatt Langford in the outfield. But Francisco Lindor finally broke through with a two-out single up the middle, and Soto followed by hammering Cody Bradford’s pitch over the wall to make it 2-0.
That cushion let McLean settle in. He was perfect through four innings, and the Rangers didn’t do much to disturb him until the fifth, when their lone productive stretch came all at once.
The Mets had their own chance to add on in the fifth and let it slip away. Francisco Alvarez singled to start the inning, A.J.
Ewing reached on a bunt attempt that turned into a safe first-base play, and Nick Morabito couldn’t get the sacrifice down. Texas then went to Tyler Alexander, who got Lindor to fly out and intentionally walked Soto to load the bases.
Bo Bichette grounded out, and the inning ended without a run.
Texas answered in its half of the fifth. Brandon Nimmo led off with a single, Ezequiel Duran grounded out, and Jake Burger drove in the Rangers’ first run with a single.
Nicky Lopez followed with another hit, Danny Jansen walked, and the bases were loaded with one out. McLean limited the damage from there.
Evan Carter hit into a grounder that produced an out at second but also brought home the tying run, then stole second before McLean escaped with an inning-ending popup from Wyatt Langford.
McLean came right back with a quick 1-2-3 sixth, and the Mets had another missed chance in the seventh that looked a lot like the fifth. Chase Silseth came in and Alvarez greeted him with a sharp single, giving Alvarez four straight multi-hit games for the first time in his career.
Ewing walked, but Morabito again failed to execute the bunt, popping a two-strike pitch foul for strike three. Skip Schumaker then turned to Jacob Latz, who saw Lindor drive a ball to the warning track before Soto was intentionally walked for the second time.
This time, Bo Bichette flew out to right to end the inning.
McLean finished his outing by retiring the Rangers in order, and the Mets’ offense finally gave him room to breathe in the eighth. Semien lined a two-out solo homer off his former team to put New York ahead. Devin Williams then made his first appearance back from the injured list and worked a clean eighth, striking out Wyatt Langford.
The Mets weren’t done. Jordan Montgomery came in for Texas, and Morabito picked up his first big league hit off a left-handed pitcher.
Lindor followed with a dribbler in front of the plate, Soto was intentionally walked for a third time, and that marked the first time a Met had been intentionally walked three times in a game since David Wright in 2009. Trevor Williams then entered for the Rangers, and Bo Bichette drew a walk to force in more traffic.
Baty, pinch-hitting for Vientos, made the whole sequence matter with a towering grand slam that stretched the lead to 7-2.
Cionel Pérez handled the ninth for Andy Green, working around a one-out single by Josh Jung to close out the win. The Mets will go for the sweep at Globe Life Field on Thursday afternoon.
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