Mets 6, Phillies 5 (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, UK)
Mets Record: 28-36
Mets Streak: W1
Mets Last 10: 6-4
Winning Pitcher: Reed Garrett (6-2)
Losing Pitcher: Jose Alvarado (1-3)
Save: Drew Smith (2)
Seat On The Korner:
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.
Even though he didn't start the game, Mark Vientos takes a seat on the Korner for his key contributions to the Mets' late rally. Vientos delivered the game-tying hit with an infield single in the ninth inning that Alec Bohm couldn't handle and his run came around to score after Jose Iglesias crossed the plate as a pinch runner.
Need To Know
Today's victory secured a split in the London series for the Mets.
Today's game counts as a road win since the Phillies were the designated home team, meaning the Mets went 4-0 in road games on this five-game trip.
The Mets are now 2-4 against the Phillies on the season.
Jeff McNeil returned to the starting lineup for the first time since June 2 and went 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Phillies' starter Taijuan Walker held the Mets to just one hit over the first five innings before running into trouble in the sixth, allowing a pair of men to reach before departing only to see the Mets tie the game with consecutive RBI hits from Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Martinez against Gregory Soto.
The Phillies re-took the lead in the seventh inning on a pinch hit homer from David Dahl, who was just called up from the minors this week to replace the injured Brandon Marsh. Dahl, who has appeared in just 94 games since the start of the 2020 season, now has homered twice in a week for Philadelphia.
This is the sixth time this season the Mets have won a game where they entered the ninth inning trailing.
Turning Point
The turning point came in the top of the ninth inning with the Mets having runners on first and third with no one out for Vientos, who hit a high chopper to third that Alec Bohm tried to barehand. The ball ate up Bohm, allowing Tyrone Taylor to score the tying run and opened the floodgates for a wild finish in London.
Three Keys
Jose Quintana's Struggles Continue
It was another rough day at the office for Quintana, who got roughed up by the Phillies for three runs on six hits in 3.2 innings of work before getting a quick hook from Carlos Mendoza. Quintana has now failed to get past the fourth inning in back-to-back starts and has an ERA of 5.29 for the season, which is not what the Mets need from their nominal ace.
Luis Torrens May Be Nicking Tomas Nido's Job
The Mets started Torrens behind the plate for the second straight day and he made another statement as to why he deserves to be the team's backup catcher once Francisco Alvarez returns from the injured list this week. Torrens was solid at the dish, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored, but his defense was once again outstanding. While picking off Alec Bohm from behind the plate would have been one thing, Torrens made a spectacular play to end the game, turning a double play to bail the Mets out of a bases-loaded jam where the winning run was on third base.
According to Baseball Reference, this marked just the eighth time in baseball history that a game ended on a ground ball double play from the catcher. Torrens' turn was just the fifth of those instances when the tying and go-ahead runs were on base.
A Cheeky Rally
With the Mets in danger of heading home from London empty-handed, the bottom of the order staged an improbable rally against Phillies' closer Jose Alvarado. The inning started simply enough with a walk to Taylor and a single from McNeil before Vientos' infield single tied the game. Torrens walked to load the bases, putting the go-ahead run at third, before Alvarado hit Alonso with one out to force in a run. Alvarado then uncorked a wild pitch to force in another run, allowing the Mets to plate three runs in the frame with just one ball leaving the infield.
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