Mets finish off sweet sweep of Blue Jays

Mets 2 Blue Jays 1 (Citi Field, New York, NY)

Mets Record: 6-3

Mets Streak: W4

Mets Last 10: 6-3

WP: Max Kranick (1-0)

LP: Bowden Francis (1-1)

Seat On The Korner: Max Kranick

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

The feel-good start of Max Kranick's Mets career keeps rolling on, and today earned him a miniature Rambler from Ralph during his appearance on the show. Kranick, a lifelong Mets fan who grew up in Scranton, Pa., was brought into a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fifth inning with the Mets clinging to a skinny 2-1 lead. He was rushed into the game after starter David Peterson, who was suffering obvious discomfort from nausea, walked two to load the bases and hit Andres Gimenez to force in a run. With no room for error, Kranick got Alejandro Kirk to foul out to catcher Hayden Senger to end the inning, then pitched a 1-2-3 sixth with a strikeout. The effort earned the 27-year-old right-hander his first MLB pitching victory. Kranick, whose dad grew up a Mets fan in West Orange, NJ, was claimed off waivers before the 2024 season after two years on the shelf from Tommy John surgery and was a surprise addition to the roster this season. He has yet to allow a run in seven innings this season over four appearances, yielding just one hit and no walks while striking out three.

Need To Know:

• The last time he started against the Mets, on Sept. 11, 2024, Bowden Francis took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, but Francisco Lindor broke up that no-no with a lead-off, game-tying homer. The Mets went on to score six runs that inning and won the game, 6-2.

• David Peterson was struggling with discomfort from nausea after getting two out in the fifth inning. He left the game after walking two and hitting a batter to force in a run.

• Edwin Diaz earned his second save of the season despite hitting two batters in the ninth.

• Social media sensation Christian Joseph, an 8-year-old known as The Rizzler, threw out the first pitch and took a seat behind the plate in the bottom of the fifth when he proceeded to make his "rizz face," a facial expression that involves squinting his eyes, pursing his lips and stroking his chin.

Turning Point

Kranick provided the turning point with his rescue of Peterson in the fifth. Peterson retired two after giving up a lead-off double, but seemed to be in discomfort while walking Guerrero. Peterson stayed in after a visit from the training staff and Carlos Mendoza, but then walked Santander to load the bases and hit Gimenez to force in a run. With the Mets' lead in jeopardy, Kranick was summoned and got the foul pop, followed by his scoreless sixth to turn the tide.

Three Keys:

Alonso stays hot

Pete Alonso had two more hits and got the Mets on the scoreboard with an RBI single in the third inning. Hayden Senger scored from second on the hit and Juan Soto went from first to third. A sacrifice fly by Brandon Nimmo scored Soto, but that ended the Mets' scoring for the day. After being hit by a pitch in his first at-bat, Alonso finished the day 2-for-3 and raised his batting average to .290 and his RBI total to 11.

Bullpen stays clutch

The Mets' bullpen was masterful once again in protecting a one-run lead. Kranick was followed by Reid Garrett, A.J. Minter and Edwin Diaz and together they combined for 4.1 shutout innings. The foursome allowed just one harmless hit and struck out five. With the effort, the Mets bullpen lowered its ERA to a major league-best 1.29.

Jay Zzzzz's

It's tough to score when the top of your lineup fails to come through, and Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Anthony Santander and Andres Gimenez — the first four hitters in the Blue Jays' lineup — went a combined 0-for-13 in the game with three strikeouts. Guerrero came up with first and second and a chance to at least tie the game against Diaz with two out in the ninth, but grounded to shortstop Francisco Lindor, who flipped to second to end the game. The Jays came in hot, riding a four-game winning streak before the Mets stopped them cold.