Mets’ 13-Run Surge Wipes Out Early Deficit vs. Phillies in 13-3 Win

Mets 13, Phillies 3 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets Record: 70-61

Mets Streak: W1

Mets Last 10: 6-4

WP: Jose Castillo (1-2) LP: Christopher Sanchez (11-5)

Seat On The Korner: Mark Vientos

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

Tonight, the chair belongs to Mark Vientos—“Swaggy V”—who stayed scorching with a 2-for-3 night that featured two RBI doubles and a hit-by-pitch. The heater keeps rolling: over his last eight games, Vientos now has five home runs, four doubles, and 13 RBI—nine extra-base hits in that stretch. If Ralph were here, he’d grin and ask, “Swaggy V, is the swag officially back?” Judging by the numbers, it never left.

A strong case could also be made for Luis Torrens, who went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer, an RBI double, and an RBI single, totaling five RBIs on the night, or for Tyrone Taylor, who finished 3-for-4. But it was Vientos who ignited the comeback, earning him tonight’s Seat on the Korner.

Need To Know:

• The Mets are in a stretch of 16 straight games.They are 4-3 in that span. They start the seven-game homestand with a win against the Phillies (three games) and Marlins (four games).

• The Mets are in a stretch of 13 straight games against the NL East...They Mets are 4-3 in that span...Overall, they are 20-16 against the division

• This season, the Mets are 42-24 in home games.

•  Including the 2024 NLDS, the Mets have won their last eight

  home games against the Phillies dating back to September 21, 2024. The win tonight tied the franchise's second-longest home

  winning streak against the Phillies (also: 8/31/14-8/31/15)..The longest home

  winning streak for the Mets against the Phillies was 10 games from June 20, 1984- August 13, 1985.

• Kodai Senga didn’t have his best stuff, bending often during an abbreviated outing of four innings and one batter. Still, he held the Phillies to just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and limited them to three runs, keeping the Mets in the game.

• Francisco Lindor’s 12-game hitting streak came to an end tonight as he went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts.

• There was a 14 minute delay in the game stemming from the Phillies complaining about network microphones in center field at Citi Field. They had been there all game long, but the objection arose when the score tied 3-3 in the 5th, after Mets relief pitcher José Castillo induced Alec Bohm to hit into a double play.

• Francisco Alvarez (thumb) took batting practice today and is scheduled to begin a Minor League rehab assignment Wednesday or Thursday. If he can stand the pain and still be productive, he will return in September.

• The Mets made the following roster moves prior to the game RHP Reed Garrett was placed on the 15-Day Injured List (retroactive to 8/23) with right elbow inflammation. LHP Jose Castillo was selected to the Major League roster. RHP Frankie Montas was transferred to the 60-Day Injured List

• LHP Jose Castillo who was selected to the Major League roster earlier in the day picked up his first win in 7 years.

Turning Point:

With the score knotted at 3-3 in the fifth, the Mets seized their opportunity thanks to a defensive lapse by Philadelphia. After Juan Soto drew a walk, he was picked off but reached second on a missed catch error by Bryson Stott — a mistake that kept the inning alive and put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Starling Marte followed with a walk, and though Pete Alonso struck out for the second out, Mark Vientos delivered the decisive blow. The third baseman ripped a sharp RBI double down the right-field line, plating Soto and giving New York its first lead of the night. The Mets weren’t done, adding two insurance runs in the sixth on doubles from Tyrone Taylor and Luis Torrens followed by Starling Marte, a rally that chased Cristopher Sánchez from the game. The left-hander’s early exit was his first time in 14 starts failing to complete six innings, underscoring just how pivotal that error-fueled fifth inning proved to be.

Three Things:

Game of Inches:

Baseball so often comes down to the smallest margins, and Citi Field saw a prime example right from the start. On the sixth pitch of the night, Kodai Senga appeared to have rung up Trea Turner on an 83 mph sweeper that clipped the outside corner, but home plate umpire Scott Barry called it ball two. Instead of walking back to the dugout, Turner stayed alive, and one pitch later he ripped a line drive to center that Tyrone Taylor narrowly missed on a diving attempt, resulting in a triple. Two pitches after that, Kyle Schwarber grounded out to Jeff McNeil to bring Turner home and put the Phillies up 1-0. The Mets eventually clawed back to tie the game, but those few inches early on set the tone for Senga’s uphill battle.

Game of Inches Part 2:

The Mets’ game-tying rally in the fourth inning perfectly illustrated baseball’s razor-thin margins. What started as a harmless two out bases empty single from Pete Alonso quickly unraveled for Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez after a balk moved Alonso to second, followed by a wild pitch that advanced him to third. Mark Vientos then ripped a grounder down the line that hopped just inches past third baseman Alec Bohm’s glove, plating the Mets’ first run and swinging momentum. Two batters later, Jeff McNeil delivered the game-tying blow, sending a ground ball that deflected off Trea Turner’s glove and dribbled into left field — a ball that might’ve ended the inning had Turner been positioned a step closer. Those narrow misses, compounded by Sánchez’s miscues, turned what looked like a quiet frame into a three-run rally that erased Philadelphia’s lead and gave the Mets a fighting chance..

Mets Ace the Pen-Men-ship Course, Phillies Fail Miserably

The contrast between the two bullpens couldn’t have been more dramatic. The Mets’ relievers, taking over after Kodai Senga’s abbreviated outing, combined for five innings of hitless, scoreless baseball, allowing just a single baserunner while striking out two. Jose Castillo, Tyler Rogers, Brad Raley, Seth Helsley, and Drew Stanek executed flawlessly, shutting down the Phillies lineup and keeping the game firmly under New York’s control. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s relief corps was a disaster from the start. Cristopher Sánchez, Nick Robertson, Matt Romano, and Spencer Ross collectively allowed 14 hits, 13runs, six walks, and a hit batter over eight innings. Balks, misplays, and wild pitches compounded the damage, leaving the Phillies unable to contain the Mets’ offensive surge. What the Mets’ bullpen delivered with precision, the Phillies’ relievers turned into a night of chaos, highlighting the stark difference in execution between the two teams.