This game was strategically designed to be hell for Mets fans: Michael Kay was on play by play, Chase Utley joined the booth, the ugly Zoom sticker on all the helmets, home plate umpire Stu Scheurwater particularly squeezing the Mets, and London Stadium was overflowing with phu*cking Phillies fans.
And yet, the Mets managed to have themselves a weird afternoon of baseball and come out on top, 6-5.
José Quintana somehow managed to give up just one run in the first inning after loading the bases with no outs. Kyle Schwarber started off the game with a swinging bunt that couldn’t be handled by Luis Torrens (due in part to Quintana being in the path of the throw). Walks to J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper loaded them up before Alec Bohm grounded into a double play with Schwarber scoring the game’s first run.
Taijuan Walker started for the Phillies and, for allowed just one hit over the first three innings - a well-struck single by Brett Baty in the third.
While the whole ‘mic-ing up a ballplayer’ thing generally sucks, Francisco Lindor was on the mic in the bottom of the third and was excellent. Lindor was entertaining, informative, and fun during the inning. What was especially nice was that Lindor never treated the mic as the priority; he was still shouting encouragement and discussing the game with his teammates, giving the viewers an intimate view of the game in progress.
ESPN giveth and ESPN taketh away, so after a great half-inning of Lindor on the mic, the first play of the top of the fourth was totally missed in order to show the Philly Phanatic in Beefeater gear bringing tea to the broadcast booth.
In the bottom of the fourth, Nick Castellanos hit a squibber down the third base line that stayed fair for an infield hit. Edmundo Sosa then struck a hard double that split the outfielders. Due to an odd bounce on the relay throw from Lindor, Castellanos was able to score when Torrens couldn’t come up with the ball. One batter later, Whit Merrifield singled in Sosa to put the Phillies up 3-0.
One batter later, DJ Stewart got turned around in right field but managed to grab a Weston Wilson fly ball on the warning track, but Stewart collided hard with the wall, but held onto the ball. Stewart stayed in the game after a visit from the training staff.
A Johan Rojas single put two men on for Schwarber, and that was it for Quintana. Danny Young relieved him, and promptly walked Schwarber to load the bases. The beneficiary of a truly absurd strike one call, Young struck out Realmuto to end the inning and strand three.
Young started the fifth and struck out Harper before giving way to Dedniel Nuñez. After allowing a single to Bohm, Nuñez picked Bohm off of first after a review where Alonso’s glove tagged Bohm’s oven mit before it touched first.
After a single to Torrens and a walk to Alonso, Walker exited the game after 79 pitches. Gregory Soto relieved him and, facing Nimmo as his first batter, gave up an opposite field double, plating Torrens and putting the Mets on the board. One pitch later, J.D. Martinez drove in both runners to tie the game at 3-3. A walk to Harrison Bader - coming in the game for the banged up Stewart - chased Soto from the game. Matt Strahm was the next in line, and struck out Tyrone Taylor to end the threat.
Nuñez stayed in and completed the sixth inning, helped out by a fantastic play on both ends on a Weston Wilson ground ball down the line that Baty whipped across the diamond to Alonso, who handled it with aplomb.
Jeff McNeil led off the seventh with a bloop single, which felt like his first hit in a month. Mark Vientos pinch hit for Baty, and he walked to put two on with no outs. With one out, Lindor hit a deep fly ball that just missed being a home run, but died at the warning track. A strikeout to Alonso from new pitcher Jeff Hoffman ended the threat.
Nuñez entered the seventh, but the Phillies called upon lefty David Dahl to pinch hit. The Mets had Jake Diekman ready to face Schwarber one batter later, but Carlos Mendoza let Nuñez start the inning. It immediately backfired, as Dahl hit a solo home run to put the Phillies back up 4-3. This was especially frustrating as Diekman’s platoon splits are relatively minor, and Nuñez had already pitched an inning and two-thirds.
Diekman entered the game by striking out Scharwber and inducing a ground out to Realmuto. After a walk to Harper, Reed Garrett entered the game and walked Alec Bohm before getting Casellanos to strike out to end the inning. Garrett pitched a clean ninth, almost marred by a misplay and bad throw by McNeil, if not saved by a fine stretch by Alonso at first.
The Mets had to face José Alvarado in the ninth and immediately got to work. Tyrone Taylor drew a walk after an excellent at bat. After bluffing a bunt (?), McNeil singled up the middle to put men on first and second with no outs. Vientos hit a turf-assisted ground ball to Bohm which was bobbled, allowing Taylor to score, tying the game, still with no outs.
Torrens attempted to give the Phillies an out by trying to bunt, but Alvarado walked the bases loaded instead. This also flipped the batting order over, so the Mets had the top of their order up with no outs and the bases loaded. Alvarado got the first out of the inning by getting Lindor to chase a ball out of the zone to strike out. Up next was Alonso, and Alvarado hit him on the front thigh to drive in the go-ahead run.
On the next batter, Realmuto could not corral a running fastball and the pitch went to the backstop, scoring pinch runner José Iglesias. The passed ball also eliminated the force play, but a Nimmo strikeout took the double play away anyway. A Martinez ground-out ended the Mets’ rally, and sent them into the ninth with a 6-4 lead.
With limited options, Mendoza stuck with Reed Garrett to close out the game, with Cristian Pache turning over the lineup with a single to start the inning. Kyle Schwarber popped out to Igelsias in foul ground for the first out. Garrett struck Realmuto on the leg to put the tying run on base.
Mendoza then called upon Drew Smith to face Harper. In what could only be seen as a good thing, Harper hit a single to right so hard that Pache could not score on the play. The bases were now loaded from Bohm, with pinch runner Garrett Stubs replacing Realmuto. Smith was all over the plate, walking Bohm to cut the lead to just one.
Castellanos hit a swinging bunt that Torrens snagged, stepped on the plate, and then effectively threw to first to end the game.
Anyone else need a drink?
The Mets have tomorrow off for a travel day before facing the Marlins at home later this week.
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:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25484110/chart__14_.png "Mets 6, Phillies 5: Sound the Crumpets! (1)")
What’s WPA?
Big winner: Jeff McNeil, +29.3% WPA
Big loser: Francisco Lindor, -27,5% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -3.9% WPA
Total batter WPA: +53.9% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Jeff McNeil’s ninth inning single, +27.0% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Alec Bohm’s bases loaded walk, -20.6% WPA
