Losers of their last eight straight, the Mets had to contend with football Sunday, kids going back to school and waning interest in baseball Sunday afternoon at Citi Field. All season, fans heeded the calls of the team and the owners, packing Citi Field to see what they hoped would be winning baseball.
For the most part, the Mets have given those fans a show at home. But there has been tremendous frustration among the fanbase over the last few months as the Amazins’ have looked anything but. Those who showed up Sunday to see the finale of what has been an eventful, yet frustrating series against the Texas Rangers finally got something to cheer about when Pete Alonso hit a walk-off bomb to give the Mets a 5-2 win.
Considering the fact that no Mets team has ever had a losing streak of nine games or longer and still managed to make the playoffs, they needed this win.
With two on and none out in the bottom of the 10th, Alonso teed off on right-hander Luis Curvelo (1-1), sending a 1-1 sinker the other way over the right field fence for his 34th of the season. Ryne Stanek (4-6) pitched a scoreless top inning to keep the game tied at 2-2.
Nolan McLean tossed six shutout innings, holding the Rangers to only five hits and two walks while striking out seven. The rookie right-hander now has a 1.19 ERA, the lowest in club history for a player through his first six starts.
A 2-0 lead was intact when McLean left the game, but the bullpen gave it away in the seventh.
Brooks Raley put two on and got two outs before handing the ball over to right-hander Reed Garrett to face No. 2 hitter Wyatt Langford. Garrett walked him to load the bases for Joc Pederson, who proceeded to line the second pitch he saw from Garrett to right field for a two-run, game-tying single.
Pushing the first run across was hard enough for the Mets. Francisco Alvarez doubled to start the fifth against left-hander Jacob Latz, and advanced to third on a ground ball by leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor. Juan Soto hit a grounder to Rowdy Tellez at first base. Alvarez ran on contact and Tellez fired home after tagging the bag for the second out. The catcher slid in head-first, just before catcher Kyle Higashioka could get the tag down.
Brandon Nimmo made it 2-0 in the sixth with a solo home run off right-hander Cole Winn, but the lead wouldn’t last.
It was even more difficult to score in the bottom of the seventh. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy used his bullpen effectively, bringing in right-hander Hoby Milner to face the top of the Mets order with one out and one on. Milner gave up a single to Lindor to put two on, but retired Soto and Alonso to end the threat.
In the top of the ninth, pinch-runner Ezequiel Duran swiped second base, with Lindor protesting that he came off the bag. The call on the field stood, but the Mets got the last laugh, doubling Duran off third after Lindor nabbed a low liner by Josh Smith for the double play. The Mets were fired up coming off the field.
