Mets' Brandon Nimmo hits go-ahead blast in sixth, Edwin Diaz notches save in series win over Phillies
Mets’ Brandon Nimmo reacts after his solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning of an MLB baseball game at Citi Field on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
A lot happened at Citi Field on Sunday night in the Mets’ final regular-season home game.
Pete Alonso got two standing ovations for what may or may not have been his last Citi Field game in a Mets uniform.
Mets fans packed the ballpark to the tune of 43,139, the club’s second sellout in a row.
And most importantly, the Mets continued their march to the postseason with a 2-1 victory that denied the Phillies the chance to clinch the NL East title for the second straight day.
Brandon Nimmo’s leadoff, first-pitch homer off Zack Wheeler in the sixth snapped a 1-1 tie and the Mets held on to improve to an MLB-best 15-5 in September.
At 87-69, the Mets moved into a tie for the second wild-card spot with Arizona, which has the same record. The Mets own the tiebreaker by virtue of their 4-3 record against the defending NL champs.
If the season ended today, the Mets would travel to San Diego for a wild-card series, with all three games, if needed, at Petco Park.
The Mets and Diamondbacks are three games behind the Padres for the top wild-card spot with six games to play.
The Mets and Diamondbacks are two games ahead of Atlanta. The Mets open a three-game series in Atlanta on Tuesday before closing out the regular season in Milwaukee.
If the Mets take at least two of three from Atlanta, they will clinch a playoff berth.
The Mets won on Sunday despite getting only four innings from starter Tylor Megill, who allowed a first-inning run on a two-out RBI single by Alec Bohm. Megill threw 28 pitches to get through the first and 83 pitches total.
The Mets tied it in the second on a two-out double by Mark Vientos and an RBI single by Tyrone Taylor.
Carlos Mendoza aggressively used his relievers all night. Phil Maton replaced Megill against the top of the lineup in the fifth and threw two perfect innings. Jose Butto struck out two in a perfect seventh.
In the eighth, with the top of the order due up, Mendoza called on Edwin Diaz for a six-out save. Diaz had thrown 1 1⁄3 innings on Saturday to earn his 19th save in the Mets’ 6-3 victory.
“We’ve been protecting him the whole year,” Mendoza said. “And now it’s big-boy time.”
Diaz gave up a one-out single by Trea Turner but struck out Bryce Harper. Turner stole second and third, but Diaz retired Bohm on an inning-ending grounder to short.
In the ninth, Diaz walked Bryson Stott with one out. Stott stole second and stole third as J.T. Realmuto struck out. Diaz then walked Brandon Marsh on four pitches.
That brought up Kody Clemens — Roger’s son — who had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh.
Mendoza visited Diaz on the mound before the final at-bat.
“He told me, ‘You’re the guy here. We need you,’ ” Diaz said. “ ‘Finish them off.’ ”
Marsh stole second as Clemens swung through an 0-and-1 pitch. The Mets let him.
Two pitches later, Diaz struck out Clemens to end the game.
Citi Field went wild.
“Incredible,” Mendoza said. “Playoff atmosphere. The crowd’s into every pitch, every inning, every play, every at-bat.”
Alonso, a free agent after the season, was greeted with a standing ovation before his first at-bat in the first inning. The homegrown Mets first baseman doffed his batting helmet and touched it to his heart. The crowd chanted “Pete Alonso” throughout the at-bat, which ended with a strikeout.
“It’s right out of a storybook for me,” Alonso said. “It’s truly remarkable to be able to see and feel that reaction and appreciation from a packed house like that.”
Alonso (0-for-4, three strikeouts) also received a standing ovation and heard his name chanted in the eighth, when he grounded into a forceout.
Was it Alonso’s final home game as a Met? Not if he re-signs with the Mets in the offseason. Not if the Mets secure the first wild-card spot and host a first-round series. Not if the Mets win a road wild-card series and make it to the Division Series.
But it could have been.
Before the game, Alonso said the topic wasn’t on his mind. On his head was a Mets hat with a logo on the side that said “Outta Here Original,” but that was a reference to home runs, not a subtle signal that Alonso is planning to leave Flushing.
“This is about the 2024 Mets today,” Alonso said. “We’ve played excellent baseball for a really long time now. People are going to think of the 2024 Mets like ‘Oh My God’ or Grimace. But the one word that, for me, that comes to mind is ‘resilient’ when you think of the 2024 Mets. We’ve earned the right to be in this position, and to be a part of this group, it’s been really, really special.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
