Peters Principal Walks off Senga in Sox 2-1 win.

White Sox 2 Mets 1 (Rate Field, Chicago IL)

Mets record: 59-72

Mets streak: Lost 1

WP - Grant Taylor (6-2)

LP - Kodai Senga (0-9)

Seat on the Korner: Tristan Peters

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.

Tonight’s Seat on the Korner belongs to Tristan Peters, who collected two of the White Sox’s five hits and saved his biggest swing for when it mattered most. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Peters launched a walk-off homer to center, sending the White Sox to their second walk-off victory of the three-game series. But there’s a little Peter(s) Principleat work here, too. The management theory says people keep getting promoted until they reach a position where they’re no longer competent — and while Peters was certainly competent at the plate, Kodai Senga's new position in the Mets bullpen proved to be a promotion of a very different kind. After struggling as a starter, Senga was moved into a high-leverage relief role following Devin Williams’ injury and a trade deadline that stripped away much of the Mets’ bullpen depth. Unfortunately for Senga and the Mets, asking him to pitch on back-to-back days did not end well, as Peters' ninth-inning blast turned Senga's latest bullpen assignment into a walk-off headache — and gave Peters the perfect reason to occupy the Seat on the Korner.

Need to Know

• The Mets failed to secure the series win. After splitting the first two games in Chicago, New York lost the rubber match despite a tremendous pitching performance by Nolan McLean.

• Nolan McLean got the start today for New York. The right-hander has now made 26 starts and logged 148⅔ innings this season, posting a 3.21 ERA.

• McLean has been especially sharp lately.Over his last sixteen starts, he owns a 2.21 ERA while striking out 99 hitters in 93⅓ innings. (update)

• McLean's last three outings have been solid, too. McLean has surrendered only two runs across 18 innings, although ten walks have been an issue during that stretch.

• McLean has one unusual league-leading number.He has hit 15 batters this season, the most in the league.

• The White Sox don't have much experience against McLean.Jake Rogers is the only Chicago hitter with an official plate appearance against him, going hitless in two at-bats while drawing a walk and striking out once in the past

• Chicago countered with Sean Newcomb as its opener.Newcomb has been excellent overall, carrying a 2.38 ERA, and gave the White Sox two scoreless innings to start the game off.

• Newcomb has become a weapon in the opener role.He has opened four games this season and hasn't surrendered a run in those appearances, covering 8⅓ innings.

• The Mets saw Newcomb for only a few innings.Chicago then turned to Erick Fedde for the bulk of the game once Newcomb's stint was over.

• Fedde who has had trouble keeping the ball in the park this season.Opponents were averaging 1.7 homers per nine innings against him this season, his highest rate since 2020. All three hits he allowed over his 4 scoreless innings of relief stayed in the park.

• Luis Robert Jr. has caught fire against his former team. In the three games of this series, Robert is 4-for-10 with a double and two homers and two walks.

• The Mets despite the loss still historically have the upper hand in this matchup. New York owns a 15-10 advantage in the all-time series, including a 9-5 mark at Rate Field.

• Recent history also favors the Mets. New York is now 11-4 against Chicago since July 30, 2019, and swept a three-game series at Rate Field in 2024.

  
  
  
  

Turning Point

The turning point came in the top of the ninth, when the Mets finally erased the White Sox’s 1-0 lead and suddenly had three chances to take control of the game. Jared Young’s RBI single scored Carson Benge to tie the game, and with Luis Robert Jr. standing on second and only one out, the Mets had life. But Francisco Alvarez struck out swinging,once again swinging for the fences instead of going the other way to drive a run in, and then Marcus Semien drew a walk, putting the potential go-ahead run just 90 feet away at third with two outs. That was the moment for the Mets to land the knockout punch. Instead, A.J. Ewing struck out, leaving the bases loaded and the game tied. Three opportunities to score the go-ahead run, three chances to put the White Sox away — and the Mets got nothing. One pitch later, Tristan Peters was celebrating a walk-off home run, and the Mets were left wondering how a promising ninth-inning rally turned into another gut-punch loss.

Three Keys

Andrew Benintendi but Doesn't Break

Andrew Benintendi, who had been on the wrong end of some tough luck over the last two games, finally delivered when the White Sox needed him most. After stranding 11 of 12 runners over those two games, Benintendi came through in the bottom of the eighth inning, lining a double that brought Miguel Vargas home with the White Sox’s first run of the game. It was a timely hit from Benintendi, who finally turned all those missed opportunities into a run on the scoreboard.

Forever Young

The Mets finally broke through in the ninth, and it was Jared Young who delivered the big blow. After Bo Bichette grounded out to open the inning, Carson Benge singled and Luis Robert Jr. drew a walk to put two runners aboard. Young then came through with a ground-ball single up the middle, scoring Benge from second and tying the game at 1-1. The clutch hit continued the Mets’ rally, as Young gave New York new life and suddenly put the White Sox under pressure with runners on first and second and only one out. Francisco Alvarez would strike out, but Marcus Semien followed with a walk to load the bases before A.J. Ewing struck out to end the threat.

Sox Walk it Off Again

Just when the Mets appeared to have rescued the game, the White Sox had one more punch left. After Kodai Senga came on in relief for the second consecutive day the first time in his career , he quickly retired Chase Meidroth, but Tristan Peters followed with a fly ball that carried over the center-field wall for a walk-off home run, giving Chicago a 2-1 victory It was a brutal ending for Senga, who had been asked to work on back-to-back days after a 23 pitch outing last night, and the home run completed the White Sox’s series win. Even more frustrating for the Mets, it was Chicago’s second walk-off victory of the three-game series, meaning New York had now lost two games in the series in the most painful way possible.