The Mets engineered a miraculous comeback thanks to late-inning heroics at the plate, winning a 7-6 thriller against the Atlanta Braves.
New York leaves Atlanta with a four-game split of the series against its bitter NL East rival.
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Here are the takeaways…
— Rookie outfielder Carson Benge got the scoring started in the top of the second inning, timing up a Reynaldo Lopez slider and launching it to left-center field for a solo home run.
— In the bottom half of the second, the Braves retook the lead, 2-1. Mets starter Freddy Peralta allowed singles to Dominic Smith, Jim Jarvis, and Michael Harris II, and first baseman Jared Young made a fielding error on a Mike Yastrzemski short-hopper which advanced both Braves runners which came around to score.
— Braves All-Star first baseman Matt Olson led off the bottom of the third inning, jumping all over a Peralta changeup and sending it into the right-field seats, making the score 3-1 in favor of Atlanta.
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— With a man on first and one out in the bottom of the fourth, Benge made a difficult diving grab in right field to rob Yastrzemski of a hit, helping Peralta keep the Braves off the board in the inning.
— Benge, on the run to the warning track, was unable to haul in a long fly ball off the bat of Ozzie Albies as he led off the bottom of the fifth. It was ruled a double. The Braves wound up with runners on second and third with one out following a Peralta walk and a wild pitch. Peralta was able to record the second out of the inning by striking out Mauricio Dubon, and was subsequently pulled from the game by manager Andy Green to bring in southpaw Cionel Perez to face Smith, Atlanta’s lefty DH. Braves manager Walt Weiss refused to cede an advantage at the dish, and sent in righty Joey Bart to pinch-hit for Smith. Perez only needed one pitch to get Bart to ground out, ending the inning without allowing any further damage to the Mets’ 3-1 deficit.
— Peralta’s final line tonight was a mixed bag. He was inefficient, completing just 4.2 innings pitched and throwing 103 pitches, allowing six hits. However, of his three runs allowed, just one was earned, and he struck out six Braves batters to just one walk. His ERA for the season now stands at 4.68.
— Bo Bichette led off the sixth inning with a single up the middle, and with one out, Benge recorded his second opposite-field extra-base hit of the night, splitting Atlanta’s left and right fielders with a double. However, Atlanta’s defense executed a perfect cutoff relay to home plate, gunning down Bichette before he could slide into home and keeping the score at 3-1. After Young narrowly beat out a throw to pick up an infield single and move Benge to third base, it was Francisco Alvarez who came up clutch with a two out knock, ripping a single through the infield to bring home Benge. Braves reliever Didier Fuentes struck out Brett Baty to strand one Mets runner in scoring position and end the inning with the score 3-2.
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— Amid a “tarps off” frenzy at Truist Park, the Braves managed to get two runners into scoring position with two outs, but Mets reliever A.J. Minter — honored by his former ballclub with a pregame tribute video — struck out Bart to end the seventh inning.
— Right-handed pitcher Guillo Zuniga made his Mets debut in the eighth inning, and he impressed, working a scoreless frame to keep his team within one run.
— With the Mets down to their final three outs, Alvarez and Ronny Mauricio roped singles off of Braves closer Raisel Iglesias to put runners on first and second base with one out. A.J. Ewing flied out to right field to move pinch-runner Tyrone Taylor up to third base, bringing Soto to the dish with two outs and men on first and third. On a 3-1 count, Iglesias challenged Soto with a fastball, high and tight. The slugger turned on it and sent it skyward, 430 feet, just inside the foul pole, a three-run shot to put the Mets on top 5-3, their first lead of the game. This blown save ended Iglesias’s streak of 35 straight saves, which dated back nearly a year.
— With Mets closer Devin Williams on the hill for the save opportunity, Albies led off the bottom of the ninth and knocked his second double of the night into the alley in right-center. The next batter was Olson, who sent a Williams pitch which tailed high and away in the zone to the opposite field. Soto could only watch as the ball flew over the wall, as Olson’s second homer of the game tied the game, 5-5. With two outs and Braves runners at second and third, Green swapped Williams out, inserting left-handed reliever Brooks Raley to face the lefty Yastrzemski, who was promptly sent to the bench in favor of righty pinch-hitter Jose Azocar. Raley struck out Azocar to send the game to extra innings.
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— Former first-rounder Owen Murphy made his MLB debut for the Braves in the 10th, with Bichette on second base as the ghost runner. With two outs and Bichette still at second base, Young was hit by a pitch, and Luis Torrens — his first at-bat of the night, substituted into the game for Tyrone Taylor, who had pinch-run for Alvarez an inning earlier — sent a double down the left-field line to score both runners and restore a two-run lead for the Mets, 7-5.
— Right-handed reliever Luke Weaver made his second straight appearance, and with one out, Harris II drove a double down the right-field line to score the “ghost runner” and cut the Mets lead to one run. Weaver battled back, stranding the potential tying run in scoring position by striking out Albies for the second out, intentionally walking Olson, walking Jorge Mateo on a 3-2 count to load the bases, and finally getting Dubon to ground a ball that was put away at second base for the force out. A 7-6 Mets victory in 10 innings.
Game MVP: Juan Soto
The three-out home run, which turned a potential loss to a two-run lead, immediately becomes a signature moment for Soto’s time in a Mets uniform.
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Highlights
What’s next
The Mets return to Citi Field on Tuesday night for a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals. First pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
The starting pitcher for the Mets has not yet been decided.
Right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo (3-6, 4.20 ERA), who spent seven seasons with the Mets, is expected to start for the Royals.
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