These New York Mets have no quit. For the second straight night, the Washington Nationals bullpen imploded in the late innings.
- New York Mets 4 (61-56)
- Washington Nationals 3 (61-55)
- NL East, Final, Box Score
- Citi Field, Queens, New York
There’s something special going on in Flushing right now. The New York Mets have won 14 of their last 15 games and have moved to within a half-game back of the first NL Wild Card spot.
They’ll have the opportunity to usurp first place from the Washington Nationals on Sunday. If Saturday night was any indication, they have the right mojo to complete the sweep.
After Noah Syndergaard gave up two runs in the first inning, courtesy of a Juan Soto two-run bomb. But Syndergaard turned his game up to another level after that. He finished seven innings of work with just those two early runs on his resume.
The Mets were able to fight back from that early two-run deficit thanks to back-to-back home runs from J.D. Davis and Wilson Ramos.
Back-to-back jacks. There’s something special going on in Flushing. #LGM (via @Mets) pic.twitter.com/LIRub1s1Yr
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) August 11, 2019
However, Juan Soto continued to do damage with a solo home run to take a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning. For a moment, it looked like this current magical run from the Mets was about to hit a snag.
But an unlikely hero would emerge: Luis Guillorme. Yes, you read that right. Luis Freakin’ Guillorme.
Luis Guillorme!?!?!?!?! #LGM (via @Mets) pic.twitter.com/HP5sKzX7Vj
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) August 11, 2019
In his 100th career at-bat, Guillorme hit his first big league home run and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
A Trea Turner error on a Joe Panik groundball would give the Mets another shot of life. Panik would later score on a Davis sacrifice fly and that was all the Mets needed.
Seth Lugo, who allowed the Soto home run in the eighth, settled in and sent the Nats down in order in the ninth.
Although the division is still an unlikely proposition, the Mets are only six games back of the Atlanta Braves in the loss column. Stranger things have happened. And for Mets fans, it’s starting to get easier to believe.
