The New York Mets were up 4-0 against the Chicago White Sox last night at Guaranteed Rate Field, but in a gut-punch that baseball fans won’t soon forget, they coughed up that lead with three straight home runs in the sixth inning before losing on a walk-off bomb in the ninth. Talk about a brutal way to lose a ballgame.
Early Dominance Turns Into a Nightmare
Both starting pitchers, Sean Manaea for the Mets and Sean Burke for the White Sox, managed to pitch scoreless innings to kick things off. But Manaea looked a little shaky early, giving up a double off the wall and a couple of deep fly balls. It was almost a sign of things to come, especially with that wind blowing in at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Mets got on the board in the second, and it felt like they were in control. Carson Benge sparked the rally with a sweet single dunked over the shortstop’s head, showing some serious plate discipline. After Luis Robert Jr. struck out, Brett Baty and Marcus Semien notched back-to-back singles, bringing Benge home for the game’s first run. Manaea then really settled into a groove, retiring seven White Sox hitters in a row. It felt like the Mets were taking over.
They extended their lead in the fourth when Jared Young singled, and then Luis Robert Jr. hit an easy fly ball to center. But Brenton Doyle for the White Sox completely lost it in the lights, and it dropped for a double, putting Young on third. Brett Baty doubled down the right field line, scoring both runners and making it 3-0. Then, in the fifth, with the wind still messing with deep fly balls, Bo Bichette launched one to left field that sailed over a leaping Randal Grichuk and over the wall for a solo homer. That blast extended Bichette’s on-base streak to 11 games and gave the Mets a commanding 4-0 lead. Everything was going their way.
Three Blasts, Zero Lead
Manaea did run into his first real jam in the bottom of the fourth when a fly ball to the warning track was followed by a Miguel Vargas walk and a Randal Grichuk single. Both runners tagged on yet another deep fly ball by Colson Montgomery, but Manaea battled, getting a huge strikeout of Brenton Doyle to escape unscathed. He retired the White Sox in order in the fifth, and the Mets went down 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth. It felt like a solid performance, leading to the bullpen taking over with a nice cushion.
But then, the bottom of the sixth happened. Things escalated very quickly, and not in a good way. Manaea issued a one-out walk to Munetaka Murakami, and then Miguel Vargas absolutely crushed a two-run homer, instantly cutting the Mets’ lead in half. The stadium was buzzing, and then it got worse. Randal Grichuk followed with a solo homer, and just like that, Colson Montgomery hit yet another solo homer right after him. In the blink of an eye, a 4-0 lead was gone, tied up at 4-4. The White Sox had been threatening against Manaea all night, and in the sixth, they finally broke through in the most dramatic way possible.
Bullpens took over from there, but the damage was done. And the final punch? The White Sox hit another home run in the bottom of the ninth to walk it off. You just can’t make this stuff up.
This kind of loss is absolutely brutal, ripping the heart out of any team. You have to wonder how the Mets bounce back from something like this. Every game matters, especially early in the season when teams are finding their form, and letting a 4-0 lead slip with back-to-back-to-back dingers just hurts different. They’ve gotta regroup and come back strong, or a loss like this can linger for a long time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Amazin’ Avenue.
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