Although nothing is set in stone, the New York Mets took a significant step toward securing their spot in the MLB postseason, but none of it would have been possible without some tense moments against a Chicago Cubs team that made more than one Big Apple fan sweat.
After a shaky start, which included a costly error by Juan Soto, the Mets managed to overcome a 6-1 deficit to win the game 9-7, thanks to an offensive outburst that included four home runs. The victory allowed the team to gain a one-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds, who fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Mets’ epic comeback
Despite David Peterson struggling on the mound, lasting just 1.1 innings, the Mets’ offense exploded at the most critical moment against the Cubs’ pitching staff. Trailing by five runs entering the top of the fifth inning, the Amazins mounted a comeback, capitalizing on a pair of hits and a key error by Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. The highlight of the inning was a three-run home run by Brandon Nimmo, lefty against lefty, which tied the game at six.
Although Chicago managed to tie the game at seven in the bottom of the sixth after a home run, following a Francisco Lindor homer that had given the Mets the lead in the top of the inning, New York regained the lead for good with a two-run home run by Francisco Álvarez in the eighth inning.
Edwin Díaz then secured his third six-out save of the season, striking out five of the six batters he faced, leading the Mets to their most dramatic victory of the year and regaining control of their MLB Wild Card destiny after the Reds’ loss. With this win, the Mets’ magic number to clinch the final National League Wild Card spot dropped to five games, with less than a week remaining in the regular season.
Aware that there’s no margin for error in these final games, manager Carlos Mendoza explained why he trusted Díaz‘s ability to deliver a six-out save against an elite Cubs offense.
“Where we’re at now, we’re gonna continue to push those guys,” Mendoza said. “I just thought, you know, tie ballgame, top of the order coming up for them, we had our guys coming up for the ninth, I needed to give our offense another chance to score some runs. I’m glad that Alvy hit that home run there. I stuck with Díaz, and once he was pitching efficiently, I checked with him, and he’s like, ‘let’s go.'”
The Mets will now aim to secure back-to-back wins against the Cubs on Wednesday and maintain their one-game lead over the Reds, with Jonah Tong taking the mound for New York against Matthew Boyd of the Cubs.
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