The New York Mets staged a rare ninth-inning comeback on Saturday evening but still fell 5-3 in 11 innings to the Washington Nationals, undone by Daylen Lile’s two-run inside-the-park home run off reliever Tyler Rogers.
New York had clawed back from a 3-0 deficit, tying the game on Juan Soto’s RBI single in the ninth. Yet the offense squandered multiple chances: Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte struck out with the bases loaded in the ninth, Francisco Álvarez grounded into a double play in the 10th, and Ronny Mauricio lined out to end another threat. The Mets went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
Rookie starter Nolan McLean gave New York five innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts but was hurt by shaky defense and miscues in the second inning. Two errors, a wild pitch, and Soto’s first error of the year on a misplayed single helped Washington score twice.
The defeat continued a season-long pattern of frustration for the Mets, who finally delivered a dramatic late comeback only to watch it unravel in extras.
Box Score | NL Wild Card Standings
The Mets (80-75) will try to avoid dropping a second straight series to the Nationals (63-92) in Sunday’s regular-season finale at Citi Field. The first pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.