Mets steal NLDS Game 1 from Phillies with five-run rally in eighth
Mets' Mark Vientos hits an RBI single off Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jeff Hoffman during the eighth inning of Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
PHILADELPHIA — A couple of hours into Game 1 of their NL Division Series with the Phillies, the Mets were right where they wanted to be: down by a little headed into the late innings.
That’s their sweet spot. These Mets tend to thrive when the circumstances grow dire. They seem to like when it’s hard. What’s the fun without some drama?
They had lots of fun and just as much drama in the eighth inning of a come-from-behind 6-2 win Saturday, stealing the opener of the best-of-five series after former Met and current Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, among the premier postseason stalwarts of his generation, shut them down for seven innings.
The Mets had one hit entering the eighth. Then they rallied for five hits and five runs off three Philadelphia relievers in that frame. Mark Vientos’ single tied the score. Brandon Nimmo’s put the Mets ahead. Pete Alonso and Starling Marte contributed sacrifice flies, and J.D. Martinez’s pinch-hit single brought in another insurance run.
Altogether, the Mets’ accidental strategy felt familiar: fall behind early, practically blow it open late. On Monday in Atlanta, they were shut out through seven innings, then scored eight times in the final two innings to clinch a playoff berth. On Thursday in Milwaukee, they were shut out through eight innings, then scored four times in the final frame to win the that Wild Card Series.
So this was more of the same from the never-say-die Mets.
The pitching, meanwhile, was close to perfect. The Mets countered Wheeler with Kodai Senga (two innings, one run), David Peterson (three innings) and Reed Garrett (two innings). The Phillies’ only run in the first eight innings came on Kyle Schwarber’s 425-foot homer to lead off the bottom of the first.
The Mets rolled with Senga — in just his second game of a season derailed by shoulder, triceps and calf injuries — knowing he would be limited to about two innings. They figured that was better than their alternatives, especially with fellow starters Peterson and Tylor Megill available behind him in long relief.
They wound up with Peterson as the preference beginning in the third inning. He wasn’t capable of providing a full starter’s load after he pitched out of the bullpen — and picked up the save — two days prior against the Brewers. But he still navigated a full third of the game without allowing a run, scattering one hit and three walks.
Wheeler was excellent. The Mets had one hard-hit batted ball off him, from Francisco Lindor, the first batter of the game. His lineout to first baseman Bryce Harper came off the bat at 104 mph. Vientos’ soft line-drive single in the fourth was their only hit. He struck out nine and collected a career-high 30 swing-and-misses.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
