Mets 7, Phillies 2
The New York Mets need one more game. The Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-2, in Game Three of the NLDS on Tuesday night to take a 2–1. Pete Alonso got the Mets on the board with a solo home run on the first pitch he saw in the second inning. The Phillies did not score until the eighth inning with two-out RBI singles from Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos.
Mets Magic Continues
The Mets’ first two runs came in due to two solo home runs. Pete Alonso went the opposite way in the second inning to get an early lead. In the same inning, Jesse Winker hit one deep into right field that did not quite make it. A great glove from Nick Castellanos prevented Jose Iglesias from advancing. Winker got the home run he was looking for in the fourth inning, when he launched one deep into the second deck to make it 2–0 Mets.
The Mets started off the bottom of the sixth inning by loading the bases against Phillies starter Aaron Nola with a single from Mark Vientos after an eight-pitch at-bat and back-to-back walks to Brandon Nimmo and Alonso. Orion Kerkering relieved Nola. Iglesia hit into a fielder’s-choice tag play at home to get Vientos out. Winker then flied to Austin Hays in left field for the second out. Starling Marte looped the ball to left-center, bringing in Alonso and Nimmo to make it 4-0 Mets.
The Mets loaded the bases again in the seventh. Vientos grounded it off of pitcher José Alvarado’s foot. Alec Bohm completed the play but not in time. Harrison Bader ran for Vientos before Nimmo and Alonso were walked back-to-back AGAIN. Iglesias had another “OMG” moment with a two-RBI single. Bader and Nimmo both came home. Alonso tried to score after the ball got away from J.T. Realmuto but was tagged out right before he reached the plate. Nonetheless, the Mets held a 6–0 lead.
The Mets tacked on one more run in the eighth inning for extra insurance. Pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez drew a walk before Francisco Lindor doubled him home with a shot to right field.
Phillies Phall Short
The Phillies had a low-scoring night in comparison to Sunday’s late-game comeback. They tried to recreate Game Two’s eighth-inning magic again. Edmundo Sosa got on base to start it off after Iglesias hesitated with the play. That was the last batter the Mets’ Sean Manaea faced. Kyle Schwarber was walked by Phil Maton, giving the Phillies two baserunners. Trea Turner hit a fielder’s choice to Maton to move the runners to scoring position. Bryce Harper’s first hit of the night was an RBI single to right field, scoring Sosa to get the Phillies their first run. Their final run came from a Castellanos single to bring Kyle Schwarber home, making the score 6–2 Mets at the time. A 1–2–3 top of the ninth ended the game after about four hours of play.
Mets Move the Ball Around
The Mets offense shined in their first time home in 22 days, gathering a total of nine hits and five walks. The Mets were eager to get the bats on the ball. In some places, it helped by fouling off pitches when behind in the count to keep the at-bat alive. In other cases, they were missing pitches and swinging for the sake of swinging. They made hard contact but not enough to hit it out of the park. Eight of nine Mets starters reached base, with Tyrone Taylor being the exception.
The Mets’ defense went as expected. Although Taylor had no luck at the plate, his outfield assist in the fourth inning was perfect. Bohm hit one to center, and Taylor played it off the wall. He fired it to Lindor while Bohm was on his way to second. Lindor received the ball just as Bohm crossed him slightly off the bag. It was close enough for Lindor to tag Bohm on the helmet.
Of the 27 outs, 19 came from plays on the field. Manaea was the real star after seven-plus innings that allowed three hits and a run with six strikeouts.
The Mets bullpen provided some scares in the eighth inning. Two runners scored, with Manaea responsible for Sosa’s run. Phil Maton was unable to get the three outs needed to close the eighth, and Ryne Stanek came in to close. Maton recorded two outs, a full count strikeout to Brandon Marsh and the Turner fielder’s choice that put runners in scoring position with no force out. Stanek the Castellanos RBI single but retired the last four Phillies batters for the night.
Nola Strikes Out Eight
Nola’s start against the Mets was not his worst against them in 2024. On September 13, Nola allowed eight runs while facing the Mets at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Nola’s one other start in Queens this season was a complete game where he shut the Mets out and allowed only four hits. In Game Three, he allowed five hits, four runs, and two home runs with eight strikeouts. While Philly’s pitching gave up nine hits and seven runs, they also struck out the Mets 11 times.
Take note of Schwarber’s at-bats. Schwarber went 0-for-2 with a strikeout but walked twice, one of which resulted in a run. Three of his four plate appearances had at least six pitches. Although two plate appearances resulted in outs for Schwarber, the longer the at-bat, the more tired a pitcher will get, and the less use he will be.
Also to note, on both sides, the players who have been in the league longer were more patient at the plate and waiting on pitches. The younger guys were eager for a postseason hit, which resulted in more swinging strikeouts.
Magic Number is One
The Mets need to win one more game to move on to the National League Championship Series. The Phillies are looking for three-peat appearances in the NLCS and are in desperate need of a World Series win. They last appeared in a World Series when they lost to the Houston Astros in 2022. In 2023, their postseason journey came to an end at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks after being up 2–0 in the series.
The Mets have not played a postseason game at Citi Field losing the 2015 World Series to the Kansas City Royals, four games to one, until Tuesday night. The Royals are currently playing the New York Yankees in the ALDS.
Wednesday night’s Game Four will be Ranger Suárez for the Phillies versus Jose Quintana for the Mets, with a 5:08 first pitch on FS1.
