Starling Marte Mets
Eric Hartline | USA TODAY Sports

That amazin’ Mets comeback may be very bad news for a former Yankee.

The Mets scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to stun the Phillies, 8-7, on Thursday night in Philadelphia. But while they were celebrating the latest highlight of the rollicking Buck Showalter era, it sure felt like Joe Girardi moved one step closer to the door.

The Phillies have been a flop so far this season after a winter spending spree. And a collapse like this won’t help.

“I’ve had some playoff losses that were pretty tough. But it’s probably the toughest one since I’ve been here,” Girardi told reporters after the game. “You trust the guys in the room to get it done. You trust them. There’s a lot of fight in that room. They’ll come out fighting.”

The Mets certainly did that. Francisco Lindor had a two-run homer, Mark Canha had an RBI single, J.D. Davis came off the bench for a pinch-hit RBI double before Brandon Nimmo tied the game with a two-run single and Starling Marte delivered the go-ahead RBI double after leading off the running with an infield hit.

“I’m an optimist, I just keep going until they blow the whistle,” Nimmo told reporters after the game. “You just never give up. The stats can say all they want. They can say it can’t be done. But that’s why you play the game.”

The Mets’ win broke an 857-game losing streak by teams that entered the ninth inning trailing by six or more runs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“Just strung a lot of good at-bats together by good hitters,” Mets manager Buck Showalter told reporters after the game.

The Mets now have a 5.5-game lead on the Marlins for first place in the National League East. And they’re seven games ahead of the Phillies.

James Kratch can be reached at [email protected]

 

James Kratch is the managing editor of ESNY. He previously worked as a Rutgers and Giants (and Mike Francesa) beat reporter for NJ Advance Media.