The Mets finally snagged their first road series win since early June today, shutting down the Phillies 6-1 in the rubber game, all thanks to Nolan McLean on the mound.
McLean’s Early Dominance and Offensive Firepower
McLean was locked in from the jump. Six shutout innings, giving up just two hits and two walks while facing their top guys in that first inning and shutting them down 1-2-3. That’s how you set the tone, right? The Mets offense was cooking early. Bo Bichette grinded out an 11-pitch walk with two outs in the first, setting up Francisco Lindor to absolutely CRUSH a two-run homer to right field. Then Carson Benge legged out a single on a bobbled ball, Jared Young got plunked under the arm, and suddenly the bases were loaded. Even though Marcus Semien struck out, the Mets were up 2-0 before McLean stepped back on the bump. What a start!
The Second Inning Explosion and a Scare
The second inning? That’s where the Mets really broke it open. Brett Baty led off with a sharp single, then Luis Torrens delivered a clutch RBI double that barely stayed fair down the left-field line, scoring Baty easily. Juan Soto worked a nine-pitch walk, Bo Bichette tapped one to center, and BAM, bases loaded again! Lindor wasn’t done, smacking an RBI single to score Torrens and keep those bases juiced. Benge then hit a sac fly to right, and even though Gabriel Rincones Jr. paused to flip his sunglasses down, he couldn’t get the ball home fast enough, allowing Soto to score an additional run. The Mets walked out of that inning up 5-0, despite Young lining out to end it. Huge inning! McLean had a little scare in the bottom of the second, too. After Brandon Marsh grounded out, Alec Bohm reached, but not before the ball came back and tagged McLean on the shin. Trainers checked him over, and thankfully he stayed in the game. He walked Bryson Stott, but then J.T. Realmuto grounded into a double play to end the threat. Talk about clutch pitching after a scare.
Holding the Lead and Grinding It Out
In the fourth, Bichette singled and Lindor walked, giving the Mets another shot to pad the lead, but Benge grounded out. Tough break, you always want to pile on. Later that inning, there was this ridiculous call where Marsh got a foul ball on a pitch he didn’t even touch! Seriously, how does that happen? And it wasn’t reviewable? So frustrating! It didn’t matter one pitch later when he grounded out anyway, keeping the score 5-0. The Mets offense kept putting up hits and walks, having 14 hits and seven walks total, grinding out at-bats. That’s a good sign. The game wrapped up with a 6-1 final, a dominant win on the road. Tyrone Taylor pinch-hitting for Young was the last action noted, but the job was already done.
What a win for the Mets, snapping that road series drought since early June. That’s a huge psychological boost for the club. We don’t know who they play next from this snippet, but you can bet the momentum from McLean’s gem and that relentless offense is gonna be something to ride. Gotta keep that energy up, because this kind of road series win shows what this team can do when everyone is clicking!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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