QUEENS, NY — Starling Marte’s game-winning single to score Pete Alonso from second base in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted the Mets to a 4-3 victory and a sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field.
After the Phillies took a one-run lead in the top of the extra frame, Alonso doubled in the tying run, his 25th RBI of the season, to tie it off Phillies reliever Jordan Romano. Brandon Nimmo was then intentionally walked before Mark Vientos struck out swinging for the second out to set the scene for Marte, who had come on as a pinch-hitter in the ninth.
Up 1-0 in the count, he looped an 87-mph slider that broke his bat into center field, which was hit softly enough to score Alonso from second.
“To be able to come through for the team, it feels really good to see the team smiling and coming together like that,” Marte said. “[My bat] broke into, like, 1,000 pieces. I think the most important part was to put the bat on the ball at that point. That was a key part of that at-bat, for the bat to break for Pete to score on that.”
With it, the Mets (18-7) extended their win streak to seven games, are now 12-1 at home this season, and have a five-game lead over the second-place Phillies atop the National League East.
“It’s always good to win games, to win series, especially when you’re playing against teams within your division,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But understand that’s it’s only April and we’re going to see those guys a lot more, and they’re a good team. We just happen to be playing really well. As I said last night, it’s going to be a fun summer. … but we know we’re good. We’ve just got to continue to take care of business and control the things we can control.”
The Phillies took the lead in the top of the 10th when Nick Castellanos drove in ghost-runner Bryce Harper, who stole third just seconds earlier off Mets closer Edwin Diaz, who has never had a penchant for holding runners. He left the game moments later with hip cramping, which both he and Mendoza implored was not serious.
His replacement, Max Kranick, loaded the bases, but got a pair of fly outs to limit the damage — a significant hold considering he was rushed to enter the game.
“He was unbelievable today,” Mendoza said. “On a day we were staying away from him… he comes in there, a very difficult spot, continues to make pitches, continues to stay on the attack. The moment is never too big for him.”
The Mets’ defense came up big in keeping the game tied for nine innings. While Juan Soto’s bat has not yet delivered its full punch, his arm did in the top of the eighth inning to extend the afternoon.
With runners on first and second with two outs, Castellanos attempted to score from 180 feet away on Max Kepler’s single to right off reliever Jose Butto. Soto fired a one-hopper home, with his throw shading toward the first-base side, but catcher Hayden Senger managed to reel in the throw and apply a diving tag to a sliding Castellanos to keep it tied at two.
“That was an unbelievable play,” Alonso said. “Juan made a great play charging in and threw an absolute rocket. Senger did a good job with his feet to put the tag on. Phenomenal play.”
While the play appeared to be close enough to challenge, Phillies manager Rob Thomson was too late to make his request, perhaps letting the Mets off the hook.
Brett Baty provided the only other Mets runs of the day, a two-run shot in the second inning.
Mets starter David Peterson got out of a bases-loaded jam created by two singles and a Vientos error at third with one out in the second. The lefty got Johan Rojas to fly out to right — Alec Bohm opted not to test Soto’s arm and try to tag up from third — and Trea Turner to ground into an inning-ending force out.
Baty rewarded his fellow lefty for the escape in the bottom of the frame when he launched his first home run of the season with two outs and one man on to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
The second baseman, amid a battle for his job with Jeff McNeil’s return looming, jumped on Phillies starter Zack Wheeler’s 1-0 cutter and turned it 425 feet well into the second deck of the right-field seats. It left the bat at 113.9 mph.
“It’s something I’m going to have to talk to [president of baseball operations David Stearns] now and see what we’re going to do,” Mendoza said, as he continues to mull over whether or not Baty will be sent down to Triple-A. “He’s playing well.”
The Phillies answered in a four-hit fourth inning, stringing three straight singles together to plate a pair of runs — Rojas and Turner with the run-scoring knocks to tie the game.
That was all Peterson gave up despite a high-traffic day on the basepaths. In 5.1 innings, he allowed eight hits with just two strikeouts and a walk. After walking eight in his first two starts of the 2025 season, he has walked just one batter in his last three starts (16.2 IP).
Wheeler managed to cruise through six innings, allowing just two hits and two walks after Baty’s home run.
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