In what was one of the wildest games of the season-and the only time all year that the Mets came back from being five runs down to win-the Mets took the first game of their three-game set at Wrigley Field, beating the Cubs 9-7.
Francisco Lindor got the Mets on the board in the top of the first, taking Cade Horton deep to start the game on a positive note for the Mets. It would be the final positive note for some time.
David Peterson was terrible tonight, but his defense didn’t do him any favors either. With Nico Hoerner on first after a lead-off single, Hoerner stole second without a throw from Francisco Alvarez. Carson Kelly then walked and, with speed resembling an old Zamboni, managed to steal second, again, without a throw from Alvarez. Carlos Santana then hit a fly ball to right that drifted a bit, and Juan Soto completely and totally misjudged it, allowing both Hoerner and Kelly to score, and the Mets were down 2-1.
In the bottom of the second, old friend Justin Turner walked on four pitches. Matt Shaw then singled and Pete Crow-Armstrong bunted them both into scoring position. Hoerner then singled again, scoring Turner. Ian Happ then doubled, scoring both Shaw and Hoerner, and that would close the book on Peterson: one and a third innings, 42 pitches, two walks, five hits, five runs, and just one strikeout.
Huascar Brazobán relieved Peterson, and retired the first five batters he faced. The Mets wouldn’t get a baserunner in the second or third inning until Horton left the game after just three innings, to be replaced by Michael Soroka. Mark Vientos ripped a single to left with two outs in the fourth, but a weak Brett Baty groundout ended the (minuscule) threat.
In the bottom of the fourth, Brazobán allowed a one-out single to Crow-Armstrong, and when Baty grabbed a hot shot off the bat of Hoerner at third and turned the start of a nice double play, Jeff McNeil threw an inexcusably bad throw to first to allow Hoerner to not just get on base, but advance to second. McNeil made a second terrible throw after he made a nice play to get to the ball, but then threw it away from Pete Alonso at first, allowing Hoerner to score, and Mets were down 6-1.
Starling Marte greeted Siroka with a leadoff single in the fifth. McNeil popped out to second for the first out, but Alvarez hit a ball that went under the glove of Dansby Swanson, which pushed Marte to third and saw Alvarez get to second. Marte came home on a Lindor ground out to the right side, and were now only down by four. Soto walked on four pitches, and Alonso drove a bullet off the ivy in right field, scoring Alvarez, pushing Soto to third, but because of how hard it was hit, Alonso wound up staying at first.
That would be it for Soroka, who was pulled in favor of Taylor Rogers, twin brother of Met reliever Tyler Rogers. Just two pitches in, and Nimmo launched a deep three-run bomb to tie the game at six. For a game that felt totally out of reach, Nimmo’s blast reinvigorated the club.
Ryne Stanek was next out of the bullpen and worked around a one-out walk to keep the Cubs off the board. During that half-inning, the Reds fell to the Pirates 4-2, giving the Mets a lane in which to take back sole possession of the third and final National League Wild Card slot.
With two outs in the sixth, McNeil doubled down the right-field line to put the go-ahead run in scoring position, which would end the game for Rogers. Drew Pomeranz came in to face Alvarez and promptly walked him on four pitches. Next up was Lindor, who worked a tough at-bat and then drilled a ball up the middle to score McNeil from second and put the team up by one. Pomeranz froze Soto with a low and away knuckle-curve to end the inning.
Gregory Soto started the bottom of the sixth for the Mets and blew Matt Shaw away on an high slider for the first out and PCA lined out to right field for the second out. Hoerner continued his hot night and singled to right, and that would be it for Soto. Tyler Rogers came into the game, hoping not to emulate his brother’s performance.
He would.
Ian Happ walked before Seiya Suzuki singled up the middle to tie the game at seven apiece. Carson Kelly grounded out to end the inning and send the game into the seventh.
Andrew Kittredge took over for the Cubs, and made short work of the middle of the Mets’ order, getting Alonso and Nimmo to ground out and striking out Vientos to end the frame.
After John Mulaney sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” Tyler Rogers remained in the game. He retired the first batters without issue, but allowed a bloop single to Turner and then walked Shaw to put two on. Brooks Raley came on to face Crow-Armstrong, and he sat him down on strikes to keep the game knotted up.
With the bottom of the lineup due up, the Cubs turned to lefty Caleb Thielbar for the eighth inning. He was greeted by Baty inside-outing a ball down the left-field line for a leadoff single, and was pulled for pinch-runner Luisangel Acuña. Marte tried to bunt and popped out to the catcher for a very frustrating first out. McNeil hit a soft pop up to center which also did not advance the runner. Acuńa took second base on a 1-0 slider to put the (again) go-ahead run in scoring position. The stolen base wouldn’t matter, however, as Alvarez hit a two-run home run to left-center to put the Mets 9-7.
With the top of the lineup due up in the eighth, the Mets went to Edwin Díaz earlier than usual. It was the right move, as Díaz struck out Hoerner and Ian Happ and getting Suzuki to fly out to left to end the frame. Jordan Wicks did his best Díaz impression in the top of the ninth, inducing a weak groundout from Soto, striking out Alonso, and working around an infield Nimmo hit to retire the side when Vientos grounded out.
Díaz was back for the ninth, which shows just how importantly the Mets viewed this game. After a rocky start to Kelly’s plate appearance, Díaz struck him on a nasty slider Michael Bush was next, and he went down looking for the second out. Swanson was the last hope for the Cubs, and he struck out swinging as well.
Put it in the books. Who needs a drink?
Tomorrow, Jonah Tong takes the ball for the Mets and faces Matthew Boyd for the Cubs.
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Win Probability Added
What’s WPA?
Big Mets winner: Francisco Alvarez, +41.6% WPA
Big Mets loser: David Peterson, -39.9% WPA
Mets pitchers: -17.2% WPA
Mets hitters: +67.2% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Francisco Alvarez’s game-winning home run, +37.8% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Seiya Suzuki’s RBI single, -18.8% WPA
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