The Mets’ 3-0 loss to the Phillies ended up feeling secondary to the scene in the sixth inning, when Nolan McLean and Jared Young collided on a dribbler up the first-base line and Young had to be taken off the field by EMS on a backboard. He was transported to the hospital, and the Mets later confirmed that he has feeling in, and full use of, his extremities. It was a jarring moment that stopped the game cold and put everything else into perspective.
Before that, the night had been a tight, scoreless grind. Aaron Nola and McLean matched zeros through the first four innings, with both sides squandering small chances.
Bryce Harper opened the game with a single in the first, but McLean worked around it. Juan Soto walked in the bottom half, only to be picked off by Nola, and Bo Bichette struck out to end the inning.
In the second, Bryson Stott reached on an infield hit, but Justin Crawford grounded into a double play. The Mets threatened again in the fourth when Soto walked for the second time, but Bichette rolled into a double play to shut that down too.
The Phillies finally broke through in the fifth. Brandon Marsh reached on a fly ball single into right, Crawford moved him up with a sacrifice bunt, and Garrett Stubbs’ grounder pushed Marsh to third.
McLean then walked Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner to load the bases. Harper’s initial force-out call at second was challenged and overturned, turning it into an RBI hit and the game’s first run.
Then came the sixth, and the collision that changed the mood of the night. After Alec Bohm reached on an infield single and Stott advanced him with a sacrifice bunt, Crawford dribbled one up the first-base line.
McLean moved to field it, Young came in on the play, and the two ran into each other. Young stayed down for several minutes while EMS used the backboard.
McLean, shaken but determined, told Andy Green he would stay in the game and finished the inning by striking out the next hitter.
The Mets finally scratched together some offense in the bottom of the sixth. Brett Baty drew a walk, and Nick Morabito singled to left to break up Nola’s no-hit bid. But Francisco Lindor grounded into a double play, and the inning ended without a run.
McLean was replaced by Tobias Myers in the seventh, and the Phillies added on. Turner walked, advanced to third on a throwing error by Francisco Alvarez while the catcher tried to catch him stealing at first, and Harper walked. Luis Arraez then brought Turner home with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
The Mets got a brief spark in the bottom half when Carson Benge singled and Mark Vientos, who had entered for Young, followed with another single into center. But A.J. Ewing grounded out, leaving both runners stranded.
Philadelphia tacked on one more in the eighth. Stott doubled to right, Marsh laid down another sacrifice bunt to move him to third, and Crawford drove him in with a sacrifice fly.
The Phillies bullpen then took over the rest of the way. Jonathan Bowlan replaced Nola in the eighth, walked Baty, and later exited with a lower body injury issue, which brought in Tim Mayza.
Mayza walked Lindor, but Soto grounded out to end the inning.
Austin Warren handled the ninth for the Mets and worked a clean frame. Jhoan Duran then closed it out for Philadelphia, allowing a Bichette single before retiring the final three batters to finish off the 3-0 game.
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