Great Scott, Revamped Pen Finish Off Sweep of Nats 4-3

Mets 4 Nationals 3 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets record: 56-69

Mets streak: Won 3

WP - Christian Scott (4-3)

LP - Jake Irvin (2-7)

S- Kodai Senga (3)

Seat on the Korner: Bo Bichette

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner — just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

There were plenty of candidates for today’s Star of the Game, but when you’re welcoming someone onto the virtual set of Kiner’s Korner after a 3-for-3 afternoon, it’s pretty hard to give the chair to anyone else. Bo Bichette delivered three hits — two singles and a triple — continuing what has been an outstanding stretch since June 3. Over his last 61 games entering today, Bichette was hitting .310 with 76 hits, tied for the National League lead over that span, and today he added three more to the pile. He also has been particularly tough on the Nationals this season, entering the game hitting .306 with five extra-base hits, 12 RBI and a 1.017 OPS in eight games against Washington. So while there were several worthy candidates for the Kiner’s Korner star, a perfect 3-for-3, with a triple thrown in for good measure, earns Bo Bichette the virtual spotlight today.

Need to Know

• The Mets are now 9-3 in their last 12 since the trading deadline.

• Carson Benge's on-base streak came to and end today at 18 games as he was 0-4 today.

• Christian Scott came into the game looking for a bounce-back: He entered today's game with 17 starts and 78⅓ innings under his belt, posting a 3.45 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.302 WHIP and 118 ERA+. The right-hander has hit a rough patch over his past two outings, giving up seven runs across nine innings while surrendering 13 hits and three walks, though he has recorded 13 strikeouts. Washington has also given him trouble this season—Scott faced the Nationals once, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks in four innings. He rose to the occasion by going 6.1 innings scattering 5 hits, giving up 3 runs while walking 2 and striking out seven to earn his 4th win of the season.

• Jake Irvin has struggled since returning: Irvin has logged 14 starts and 65⅓ innings this season, carrying a 5.79 ERA, 4.86 FIP, 1.316 WHIP and 73 ERA+. After leading the league in both earned runs (114) and home runs allowed (38) last year, he has continued to have trouble keeping the ball in the park. Since coming off the injured list, Irvin has made three starts and surrendered 12 earned runs in 13⅔ innings, including four homers, for a 7.90 ERA and 7.25 FIP. His lone outing against the Mets this year lasted four innings, with Irvin giving up three runs—two earned—on six hits and a walk. Somehow Irvin lasted 6 innings and gave up 4 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks, but got tagged with his seventh loss of the season.

• Since the All-Star break, the Mets have scored 125 runs.They have pitched to a 3.46 ERA (95 ER/247.0 IP) as a staff since the All-Star break.

• The Mets earned their fourth sweep of the season.The Mets swept the Tigers (May 12-14), the Marlins (May 29- 31) and the Guardians from August 4-6.The Mets last swept Washington from June 10-12, 2025.

• Luis Robert Jr, made his first career start in left field today, and did not have any defensive chances.

• Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams reached 10 years of Major League service today.

• The Mets are now 22-22 since Andy Green took over for Carlos Mendoza.

  
  

Turning Point

The turning point in todays game came in the bottom of the 4th

Jared Young got things started with a ground-ball single to right field, but Luis Robert Jr. followed by striking out. Brett Baty then lined a double to right, putting runners on second and third with one out. After a mound visit, Jorge Polanco grounded out to first, bringing Young home and cutting Washington's lead to 2-1, with Baty moving to third. Then came the turning point of the game. Luis Torrens launched a fly ball to center field for a two-run homer, his sixth of the season, bringing Baty home and giving the Mets a 3-2 lead. In the blink of an eye, the Mets had gone from trailing by two to leading by one, and Torrens' blast provided the game's biggest momentum swing. A.J. Ewing then struck out to end the inning, but the damage had been done. Torrens' two-run homer was the turning point, transforming a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 Mets advantage.

Three Keys

Forever Young

Jared Young had one of those games that reminds you why baseball is such a wonderfully complete sport. At the plate, Young went 2-for-4, collecting a single and a double while delivering the game-winning RBI.

But his contribution didn't stop there. Young also came up big with the glove, making a nice defensive play to start the ninth inning and helping protect the Mets' lead when the game was on the line. And this wasn't exactly a one-day hot streak. Young entered the game riding a four-game hitting streak, batting .412 (7-for-17) with a home run, triple, four RBI and three runs during that stretch. Over his previous 31 games, dating back to July 5, he had been hitting .326 with a .903 OPS and 11 extra-base hits — the most extra-base hits he'd produced in any 31-game stretch of his career. Today, he added another double, another RBI and another big defensive play to the résumé. On a day when the Mets needed contributions from up and down the lineup, Jared Young provided them in just about every way possible.

Benge Watch

At this point, it’s becoming less of a surprise and more of a daily occurrence: Carson Benge is making spectacular defensive plays look routine. The rookie turned in three gems today, each one coming in a different way. In the first inning, Benge covered an enormous amount of ground to his left, racing into the gap to rob Dylan Crews of a likely extra-base hit.

In the second, he showed off his arm, turning a Keibert Ruiz single into a highlight-reel defensive sequence. When Daylen Lile scored, Brady House tried to advance to third, but Benge’s throw was right on the money, starting a relay that went Benge to Francisco Lindor to Bo Bichette and back to Lindor, with House eventually tagged out at third.

Then, in the sixth, Benge appeared out of nowhere to track down a shallow pop-up off the bat of Dylan Lile, making a play that looked impossible when the ball first left the bat. Three innings, three different defensive skills — range, arm and instincts. For a rookie who is already making a habit of putting his fingerprints all over games defensively, Benge is quickly becoming one of the most must-watch players on the Mets.

.

Beat It : Mets Pen Perfect and Senga Goes 3 for 3 in save Opportunities

After Christian Scott delivered his deepest outing of the season, pitching into the seventh inning for the first time, the Mets bullpen was handed a one-run lead and eight very important outs to record. They didn't just get the job done — they were perfect. Nate Lavender and Daniel Duarte combined to retire all five batters they faced, striking out two of them while allowing absolutely nothing to get in the way of the Mets' lead. Lavender and Duarte set the table perfectly, turning the game over to Kodai Senga, and Senga once again proved he can be trusted when the Mets need him most. Senga retired all three batters he faced, striking out two, to record his third save in as many opportunities. Eight batters came to the plate against the Mets' bullpen after Scott's departure. Eight batters went back to the dugout. In a one-run game, that's about as perfect as it gets.