For the Mets, Tuesday evening in Wrigley wasn’t simply one other sport. It was an announcement in the course of a chaotic NL Wild Card chase. After 54 hours out of the playoff image, New York slugged its method again in, beating the Cubs 9-7 in a rollercoaster battle that swung on Francisco Alvarez’s largest profession swing.
The rookie catcher, who two days earlier had a possible game-tying homer stolen on the wall in Washington, bought his redemption within the eighth inning. With two outs and Luisangel Acuña on second as a pinch-runner, Alvarez crushed a Caleb Thielbar pitch deep into the ivy in left-center, flipping a 7-7 tie right into a 9-7 Mets lead. His teammates poured out of the dugout, figuring out it was the form of swing that would tilt a playoff race.
However the drama didn’t cease there. Supervisor Carlos Mendoza turned to Edwin Díaz for a uncommon six-out save, and the Mets’ nearer delivered. Díaz struck out three over the ultimate two innings, shutting down a late Cubs push and sealing a victory that carried the load of greater than only one evening in September.
The comeback had been brewing for the reason that fifth inning, when Brandon Nimmo blasted a three-run homer to erase a 6-1 deficit. Lindor had set the tone early with a leadoff homer, his twenty ninth of the yr, and later added an RBI single as a part of the Mets’ regular climb again. Even defensive lapses and one other rocky outing from starter David Peterson couldn’t derail an offense decided to reclaim its playoff footing.
The win pushed the Mets one sport forward of the Reds, who misplaced to the Pirates. Cincinnati, nonetheless, nonetheless holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, which means New York will want each inch of separation it might get within the weeks forward. Miami and Arizona stay inside hanging distance as effectively, establishing a September stretch the place each pitch will carry postseason weight.
For now, the Mets as soon as once more management the Nationwide League’s third Wild Card spot and with Díaz closing the door prefer it’s 2022 once more and Alvarez delivering clutch energy, New York has purpose to imagine their October push has simply begun.
