PUT IT IN BOOKS AND TURN THE PAGE: METS CLOSE OUT DISAPPOINTING 2026 WITH 6-4 LOSS TO THE NATIONALS
Nationals 6 Mets 4 (Nationals Park, Washington, DC)
Mets record: 74-88
Mets streak: Lost 1
WP - Will Dion (3-2)
LP - Sean Manaea (6-8)
S- Erik Tolman (5)
Seats on the Korner: Andres Chaparro
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.
Todays Seat goes to Andrés Chaparro, who saved his best for the Mets’ final game of the season, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, two runs scored and two RBI. Chaparro entered the finale already swinging a hot bat, having reached safely in 20 of his previous 22 games, and he continued that torrid stretch in a big way. His two-homer afternoon added to a season in which he has shown some serious power, including a four-hit, two-homer, eight-RBI performance on July 17 that featured a 467-foot blast, the fourth-longest home run by a National in the Statcast Era. With today's performance, Chaparro finished the season batting .268 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI in 83 games, giving Nationals fans yet another intriguing young bat to watch heading into 2027.
Need to Know
This game was moved up from a 3:07 start to a 1:05 start due to impending weather in Washington DC, but was delayed an hour due to inclement weather.
The Mets were denied their 22nd series win of the season and their 11th on the road.
New York concludes their final road trip of the season, a six-game trip (3-3) to Texas (2-1) and Washington D.C. (1-2).
New York finished the season with three games against the NL East...They finished 27-25 against the division.
The Mets have gone 25-14 against the Nationals since 2024.The Mets drop to a game under .500 (80-81) at Nationals Park, which opened in 2008.
The Nationals have won ten of their last 14 games overall and are 13-6 at home since Aug. 13.
Washington ends the season with a +6 run differential (821 runs scored/815 runs allowed).For comparison, the 2025 Nationals had a -212 run differential (687 runs scored/899 runs allowed).According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the +218 improvement from last season to this season is second in MLB
behind Colorado (+234 improvement) this season and the +218 improvement is the best season-to-season improvement in Nationals history (2005-pres.)
The Nationals had 9 hits on the day 6 of them of the extra base variety.
A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge became the sixth pair of Mets rookie teammates to record 10+ home runs in a season joining Ron Hunt and Tim Harkness in 1963, Jeromy Burnitz and Ryan Thompson in 1993, Ty Wigginton and Jason Phillips in 2003, Eric Valent and David Wright in 2004 and Víctor Díaz in 2005.
The Mets finished 38-43 on the road this season.The Mets finished the season have won eight of their last 13 games on the road.
In 49 career games (44 starts) in September, Manaea is 19-12 with a 3.66 ERA (106 ER/260.2 IP) and 233 strikeouts...His 19 career wins in September are his best mark for any calendar month in his career, while his 3.66 ERA in September is his second-lowest mark in any calendar month for his career behind his 3.46 clip in June.
The Mets went 40-41 under Andy Green.
Turning Point
The turning point came in the top of the third inning, with the Mets holding a 4-2 lead and runners on second and third with just one out. With the infield drawn in, a base hit could have blown the game open and given the Mets a 6-2 advantage. Instead, after Marcus Semien’s double put runners at second and third, Nasim Nuñez made a big defensive play on Brett Baty’s sharply hit grounder, fielding it cleanly and throwing to Andrés Chaparro for the second out. Luis Torrens then flew out to end the threat, leaving both runners stranded. It was a huge missed opportunity for the Mets, and it proved costly almost immediately. The Nationals took advantage in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs to tie the game at 4-4. What could have been a four-run Mets cushion instead became a brand-new ballgame, and the momentum had clearly shifted.
Three Keys
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
In a season that has provided Mets fans with far too few reasons to smile, Francisco Lindor gave them a pretty special one on the final day, launching his 300th career home run. The milestone puts Lindor among an exclusive group of Puerto Rican-born sluggers and adds another remarkable chapter to the résumé of a shortstop who has combined power and speed throughout his career. Even more impressive, 293 of Lindor’s 300 home runs have come as a shortstop, putting him behind only Cal Ripken Jr. and Alex Rodriguez for career homers at the position. And with 219 career stolen bases, Lindor becomes the only shortstop to reach 300 homers while also stealing 200 bases. On a day when the Mets were closing the book on a season they would rather forget, Mr. Smile provided a moment worth remembering.
RONNY ON A RUN
If Ronny Mauricio was looking for a way to finish the season on a high note, he certainly found it. After going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI Saturday for his first career multi-homer game—including becoming just the 12th player in Mets history to homer from both sides of the plate—Mauricio stayed red-hot in Sunday’s finale. The switch-hitting infielder went 2-for-2 with another home run, two RBI and a 10-pitch walk, giving him three home runs and five RBI over his last two games. The only blemish on an otherwise terrific afternoon came in the sixth inning, when Mauricio was picked off second base during Juan Soto’s at-bat on a 3-0 count. Still, after a difficult season at the major-league level, Mauricio is giving Mets fans something to watch closely as the offseason begins. His bat has certainly made a statement over these final two games, providing an intriguing glimpse of what he might bring to the 2027 club.
BENGE HITTER
If Carson Benge was hoping to make one final push for National League Rookie of the Year, he certainly did his part in the Mets’ season finale. Entering the game batting an impressive .429 (15-for-35) over his previous nine games, with eight runs, three doubles, two homers, six RBI and four walks, Benge saved another strong performance for the finale, going 3-for-5 with an RBI. The multi-hit effort raised his season average to .282, capping an impressive rookie campaign and giving Mets fans plenty to be excited about. Whatever happens with the Rookie of the Year voting, Benge certainly made his case with the way he finished the season — and his September surge could be one of the most encouraging developments the Mets take into the offseason.
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