Mets 6 Rangers 5, 10 innings (Citi Field, Flushing NY)
Mets record: 61 -73
Mets streak: Won 1
WP - Jeff Brigham (1-2)
LP - Aroldis Chapman (5-3)
Seat on the Korner: DJ Stewart
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.
If ever there were a game dominated by a single player, that describes DJ Stewart's night: Two home runs, a game-saving catch in right field and, fittingly, the walk-off HBP in the 10th. Take a seat, DJ, catch our breath and savor the moment.
Need to Know
With two home runs tonight, DJ Stewart has eight in his last 13 games. Daniel Vogelbach, who homered in the at-bat before Stewart's first, has also been hot, with 1.032 OPS in his previous 15 games going into tonight's game.
Rangers starting pitcher Dane Dunning and Mets first basemen Pete Alonso were college teammates. Alonso flied out twice against Dunning.
When he was hit by a pitch to end the game, DJ Stewart became the 87th Met to be hit by a pitch this year, the most in the National League.
Jeff McNeil has now hit safely in 21 of his last 25 games.
The Mets end August with an 11-18 record After an off-day Thursday, they host the hot Mariners at Citi Field. Kodei Senga gets the start.
Turning Point
The turning point of the game : an electrifying double play to end the top of the 10th, an inning that highlighted the importance of defense. Jonathan Arauz, playing third, stopped a screamer down the line that had double written all over it, holding Adolis Garcia to an infield single and keeping the ghost runner at second base. After Mitch Garver walked, loading the bases, Francisco Lindor, perfectly positioned, caught a hard liner in back of second. Former Met and Stony Brook Seawolf Travis Jankowski grounded down the first base line. Pete Alonso fielded the ball, threw home for the force and Omar Narvaez then fired the ball to Jeff McNeil, covering first, to get the speedy Jankowski. Holding the visiting team scoreless in the top of an extra inning gives the home team a huge leg up in the bottom half, and the Mets responded, helped by an intentional walk to Pete Alonso, a walk to Francisco Alvarez and the walkoff HBP to DJ Stewart.
Three Keys
Denyi Reyes, called up from Syracuse to start as Kodai Senga was given an extra two days off between starts, pitched 5 1/3 strong innings. Manager Buck Showalter pulled him after 78 pitches with Corey Seager, maybe the best hitter in the Texas lineup, set to face Reyes for a third time. Reyes will probably be on the bus back to the Salt City, but he certainly deserves another start as the season enters its final month.
The bullpen wasn't just bad, it was awful. Sean Reid-Foley, on his 28th birthday, gave out walks as if they were party favors, including walking in a run in the sixth before getting out of the inning after throwing 35 pitches, none of them hit into fair territory. Brooks Raley, brought in to start the eighth, was even worse., giving up single to Marcus Semien and Corey Seager and walking Nathaniel Lowe. He was replaced by Adam Ottavino, who promptly hit Adolis Garcia to force in a run and tie the game. Ottavino then gave up a single to Jonathan Heim that put the Rangers in front. The bullpen threw a total of 128 pitches in 4 2/3 innings.
Jeff Brigham gritted his way through two innings to get the win. He clearly was gassed in the 10th, but with Carlos Carrasco the only remaining bullpen option (unless you count Danny Mendick), his performance -- helped by some great 10th-inning defense -- put the Mets in position to win in the bottom of the inning,
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