Mets Slam Door on Rangers' Playoff Push

Mets 7 Rangers 2 (Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX)

Mets record: 73-85

Mets streak: Won 1

WP - Nolan McLean (12-10)

LP - Jacob Latz (3-4) SV -

Seat on the Korner: Nolan McLean

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.

This was a tough one, because a case clearly can be made for giving the seat to the player who got the big hit, Brett Baty, but as the season draws to a close, we'll ask Nolan McLean to sit down next to Ralph and go over not only his performance tonight, but his entire season. McLean pitched seven innings tonight, six of them strong, and his pitch count was low enough that manager Andy Green could have sent him out to become the first Met starter to pitch in the eighth this year. But Green decided to let him end his year on a positive note, leaving with three hits, two runs allowed and five strikeouts. Season totals? A 3.16 ERA. A .214 batting average against. 194 strikeouts. How has he done, comparatively? Among qualified NL pitchers, he ranks fifth in opponents' batting average, seventh in strikeouts, and eighth in ERA... Among all qualified rookies in the majors, he ranks second in strikeouts and in innings pitched, fifth in opponents' batting average, seventh in ERA and eighth in WHIP (1.19). So let's go over not only tonight's game, but all of the pitching that made McLean one of the bright spots of 2026.

Need to Know

• The Mets are now 37-40 away from home, with a chance to end the year above .500 on the road.

•  The Mets are also 23-24 in interleague play, with one game to go.

• Francisco Alvarez had his fourth straight multi-hit game, this time with two singles.

• Bo Bichette's seven-game hitting streak ended, as he went 0-for-4. But he did draw a key walk in the ninth, setting up Brett Baty's grand slam.

• The Mets have hit 66 home runs since the trade deadline, the second-most in the majors behind the Chicago Cubs, who have 78. The three home runs tonight allowed them to pass the Baltimore Orioles, who are in third with 65. Overall, the Mets have hit 197 home runs this season and are three shy of becoming the eighth team in franchise history to reach the 200 home run mark.

• The Mets have won six of their last seven games on the road.

• The series concludes with a Thursday matinee. Zac Thornton gets the ball for his final start of a pleasantly surprising year. His opponent? Kumar Rocker, whom the Mets drafted but decided not to sign.

Turning Point

With the Rangers clinging to slim hopes of passing the Chicago White Sox for the third wild card spot, Texas' Skip Schumaker managed the game as if it were a playoff. He brought his closer, Jacob Latz, into the game in the seventh inning. Latz closed the door on the Mets in that frame and went out to face them again in the eighth. Latz got two quick outs before surrendering a home run to former Ranger Marcus Semien to give the Mets the lead.

So when it came to the ninth, Schumaker had to call on former Yankee Jordan Montgomery, who spent most of the season recovering from elbow surgery. Montgomery struck out A.J. Ewing, but then Nick Morabito singled. Morabito advanced to second on a Francisco Lindor ground out, allowing Shumaker to intentionally walk Juan Soto for a third consecutive time. Montgomery walked Bo Bichette, unintentionally, loading the bases. Mets manager Andy Green sent Brett Baty to pinch hit for Mark Vientos.

Baty has been one of the Met's hottest hitters of late -- he had been on base in 15 straight games, with a slash line of .389/.489/.694 over that span. Baty did not disappoint. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Baty hit a four-seam fastball over the fence in right center, putting the game essentially out of reach and preventing the Rangers from gaining a game on the Chisox, who lost.

Sailing Along, Until.....

Nolan McLean retired the first 12 Rangers and was cruising until Brandon Nimmo, leading off the fifth, broke up the no-hitter with single through the hole between second and first. Ezequiel Duran was the next batter, and we'll be a little wonky about his at-bat and its effect on the inning. Duran hit a foul pop that a competent first baseman would have fielded with little problem. But Mark Vientos, who will never be confused with Keith Hernandez or John Olerud, got the start there tonight, and let's say he seemed to forget that to catch a popup, it helps to look at the ball so you can track it. Vientos was essentially clueless and it was no surprise that the ball dropped in his vicinity, extending Duran's at-bat.

Duran did ground out, but the play moved Nimmo into scoring position , and things unraveled from there. Jake Burger singled to score Nimmo, and suddenly McLean looked rattled. A single, a walk to load the bases and a fielder's choice. McLean got out of the inning, but instead of holding onto a 2-0 lead, the score was tied.

Had Vientos fielded the ball, Nimmo wouldn't have moved into scoring position and it might have been a totally different inning -- batters are only hitting .218 against McLean with no one in scoring position and .294 when someone is.

Deja Vu All Over Again

The Mets had two identical innings, the fifth and the seventh, in which they wasted what seemed like opportunities to break the game open. In both innings, Francisco Alvarez led off with a single and A.J. Ewing reached base (a single in the fifth, a walk in the seventh). In both innings, Nick Morabito was unable to lay down a sacrifice bunt, striking out both times (one swinging, once fouling off a bunt attempt). In both innings, Francisco Lindor followed with a relatively deep fly out. In both innings, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker intentionally walked Juan Soto, who had homered earlier for the Mets' only runs, to lead the bases, and both times, Bo Bichette, usually the Mets' best hitter with runners in scoring position, failed to cash in.

The Air Bender Returns

Devin Williams, activated Tuesday after being on the IL since August 6 with arm issues, came in to pitch the eighth, and this must have been a nervous moment for all Mets fans. After all, Williams has not acquitted himself well in pressure situations, and at the time, the Mets were clinging to s 3-2 lead, thanks for Marcus Semien's homer in the top of the frame (strangely, the last game in which Semien homered in the eighth was the one where Williams send down with his injury). The first batter Williams faced, Danny Jansen, hit a screaming liner that Francisco Lindor handled, but the exit velocity was concerning. Evan Carter then tried to bunt his way on, but Francisco Alvarez pounced on the bunt and threw Carter out. His confidence growing, Williams then struck out Wyatt Langford to end the inning.

With Kodai Senga most likely unavailable for having pitched Tuesday, and with no save situation, Cionel Perez pitched the ninth, giving up a single to Josh Jung but otherwise closing out the game.