The Mets kept hanging around, and that was enough. A late push in the ninth turned a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 win over the Nationals, with Francisco Alvarez and Francisco Lindor delivering the final blows.
Sean Manaea gave New York another long start, working six-plus innings and keeping the game within reach even after Washington briefly grabbed control. The bullpen then held the line just long enough for the offense to cash in at the end.
New York jumped first in the opening inning. A.J.
Ewing opened with a walk, stole second during Lindor’s at-bat, and then watched Lindor also draw a walk. Carson Benge loaded the bases with another walk, setting up Jared Young’s RBI double into left field to bring home Ewing and Lindor.
Marcus Semien followed with a ground ball to C.J. Abrams at shortstop, and Abrams fired home to cut down Benge for the second out.
Brett Baty drew the inning’s fourth walk, forcing Brad Lord out of the game, and Will Dion came on to strike out Jorge Polanco and end the frame. The Mets had a 2-0 lead.
Manaea allowed a single to Jacob Young in the second, but otherwise settled in and kept the Nationals quiet until Andrés Chaparro launched a home run to left field to lead off the fourth. Washington later flipped the game in the sixth.
Manaea hit Andrew Pinckney with a pitch, walked Chaparro with one out, and then Brady House sent a ball off the foul pole for a three-run homer that initially looked like it might stay foul before turning into a Washington lead. After Abrams grounded out, Manaea issued a walk to Harry Ford, and Daylen Lile then flied out to Benge to end the inning with the Nationals ahead 4-2.
The Mets answered right away. Tom Cosgrove took over for Dion in the bottom of the sixth, and Benge greeted him with a home run to right.
Young then beat out a bunt that Cosgrove couldn’t handle cleanly, but Baty grounded into a double play to close the inning. New York was back within one, 4-3.
Manaea returned for the seventh and ran into trouble again when Nasim Nuñez opened with a single. Manaea helped catch Nuñez stealing in a rundown for the first out, but Pinckney followed by ripping a ball to right field that caromed off the wall and rolled past Benge, allowing Pinckney to slide into third for a triple.
Dedniel Núñez entered and ended the threat in dramatic fashion, getting Dylan Crews to fly into a double play in right field. Benge caught the ball for the second out and threw home to Francisco Alvarez, who tagged Pinckney for the final out of the inning.
The Nationals kept pressing in the eighth, but the Mets’ relief work held. Dedniel Núñez allowed a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Abimelec Ortiz, struck out House, and then gave way to Jefry Yan. Yan retired the next two hitters to keep Washington from adding on.
That set up the finish. Yan worked a clean ninth to keep the deficit at one, and Yovanny Cruz came in for the Nationals in the bottom half.
He walked Baty to start the inning, then gave up a single to Polanco that moved Baty to second. Christian Pache entered as a pinch-runner for Polanco, and Alvarez stepped in with no outs.
He lined an RBI double down the left-field line to score Baty and tie it 4-4, and Luis Robert Jr. came on to pinch-run for Alvarez.
After Ewing struck out, Lindor ended it with a fly ball into right field for a walk-off single, sending the Mets to the 5-4 win.
The series finale is set for tomorrow at 1:40 PM, with Christian Scott pitching for the Mets and Jake Irvin going for the Nationals.
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For the Mets, the issue is no longer just about getting Polanco back on the field, but figuring out how to manage his contract and his position moving forward. With his health still part of the equation, the club may have to decide whether the best path is to keep him in a heavier everyday role or look at a broader shift in 2027 while prioritizing a full recovery. [Read more 🡒]