The New York Mets’ MVP had his MVP moment to turn his team’s house of horrors down in Atlanta into their sanctuary of salvation.
Following a meltdown by closer Edwin Diaz in the bottom of the eighth to trail by a single run, superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor launched a two-run home run to lift the Mets to a remarkable 8-7 victory over the Braves at Truist Park in the first game of their season-ending doubleheader on Monday to clinch their spot in the 2024 Major League postseason.
Diaz blew a three-run lead in the bottom of the eighth just one-half inning after his offense plated six runs to take an improbable lead, but a Mets offense that had been dormant for most of the afternoon continued its late-game heroics.
Starling Marte singled off Braves reliever Pierce Johnson before Lindor launched a first-pitch curveball 413 feet over the center-field fence to put New York back in front.
“I wanted to get a good pitch to hit and do exactly what Marte did, pass the baton,” Lindor told SNY. “I had [Jose] Iglesias, who has probably been the best clutch hitter in the game this year [up next]. I wasn’t trying to do too much… and it worked out that I hit it up in the air. I was prepared. I was ready for the moment. The moment came, and I was ready to capitalize.”
Relieving Phil Maton with one out in the eighth and runners on the corners, Diaz was called for a five-out save after pitching the day before. He got Gio Urshela to ground out for the second out but failed to cover first base on Jarred Kelenic’s ground up the first-base line, which was snared by Pete Alonso. Instead of it ending the inning, it brought in a run. Diaz proceeded to walk Michael Harris to load the bases, which were subsequently cleared by an Ozzie Albies double to put the Braves up one.
Albies drove in five of the Braves’ seven runs on the afternoon.
Diaz got the ball again in the ninth inning despite the first blown save and immediately got into trouble when he gave up a one-out single to Eli White. But the closer rebounded to strike out Ramon Laureano and Travis d’Arnaud to end it on his 40th pitch of the day.
The Mets (89-72) looked as though they were dead in the water well before that, though, as they were shut down by Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach for the majority of the afternoon while falling into a 3-0 hole.
New York reeled off six hits in the six-run inning, including four-in-a-row to lead off the frame. But it was Brandon Nimmo who punctuated the dramatic turnaround with a two-run home run shortly after New York took the lead.
“Just to be able to come back and play on the last day when no one was playing, to be down 3-0 to an amazing pitcher… to be able to come back against that bullpen… It’s not the end of the road for us, but gosh dang it feels so good,” Nimmo told SNY.
Schwellenbach went seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits with five strikeouts and no walks, but Tyrone Taylor worked an 11-pitch at-bat before doubling to lead off the frame, driving him from the game with a 3-0 lead that did not last much longer.
Francisco Alvarez greeted Braves reliever Joe Jimenez with a bouncing double down the third-base line to score Taylor and get the Mets on board. Pinch-hitter Starling Marte, filling in for Harrison Bader, followed it up with a single to put the tying runs on the corners. Francisco Lindor cut the Mets’ deficit to one with their fourth-straight hit of the inning — a liner up the middle that nearly took out Jimenez to drive in Alvarez.
Braves manager Brian Snitker turned to his closer, Raisel Iglesias, for the six-out save, but Jose Iglesias poked an 0-2 outside fastball down the right-field line to tie the game while moving Lindor to third. The star shortstop came in to score on Mark Vientos’ sacrifice fly to give the Mets an improbable lead.
Nimmo put the exclamation point on the season-defining inning, launching a two-run shot for his 23rd home run of the season to make it a 6-3 game.
“It’s been an uphill fight. One moment I felt like we were putting ourselves in a big hole,” Lindor said. “Then we kept on climbing little by little out of that hole… There’s been a lot of steps in the way, but I guess that’s the part of the journey.”
Tylor Megill kept the Mets in it through 5.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts and two walks
After Schwellenbach retired the first six men he faced, Taylor’s fluke single put the Mets in business to lead off the third inning. A little nubber off the right fielder’s bat started out well in foul territory, but the backspin allowed it to roll back into fair territory. Taylor beat the throw, immediately stole second, then advanced to third on a Francisco Alvarez groundout.
Bader squandered the chance to bring in the run, grounding out to third on the first pitch he saw. Lindor then grounded out to first to end the inning.
The missed opportunity was felt especially more in the next half inning when the Braves opened the scoring in the bottom of the third. After Megill allowed a single to Michael Harris, he hung a slider on the inside part of the plate to Albies, who smacked his 10th home run of the season over the left-field fence to put Atlanta up 2-0.
Megill gave up four hits in the third inning alone but limited the damage by wriggling out of a two-out, two-men-on jam.
Alonso and JD Martinez led off the fifth inning with singles to create some traffic against Schwellenbach, but the Mets came up empty again in a big spot. Taylor struck out before groundouts by Alvarez and Bader.
Laureano made it a three-run game in the bottom of the sixth when he went down and got an 0-1 Megill slider and sent it over the left-center-field fence for his 11th homer of the season. After a two-out single by Laureano, Megill’s day was done at exactly 100 pitches. Huascar Brazoban worked around a walk to get out of the inning.
All the while, Schwellenbach remained unhittable, retiring nine straight Mets after his early-fifth-inning bobble.
Across three starts against the Mets this season, he went 21 innings, allowing two runs on nine hits with 20 strikeouts and a single walk.
While the Mets punched their postseason ticket, the Braves must win Game 2 of the doubleheader or else their season is over and the Arizona Diamondbacks advance to the Wild Card.
