The Mets stormed into Arlington and snagged the first game of the series, pulling out a 6-3 win against the Rangers. Francisco Alvarez and Carson Benge were absolutely lighting it up for the offense, but let’s be real, the Rangers’ defense looked like they were still shaking off a long nap. It was a messy one out there, and the Mets took full advantage.
Early Fireworks and Ranger Miscues Keep Things Wild
Things started a bit shaky for the Mets. Manaea was on the mound, and in the bottom of the second, Jake Burger got on first with an errant throw from Francisco Lindor to Mark Vientos. Old friend Brandon Nimmo followed up with a single, putting runners in scoring position after Ezequiel Duran flied out. But Manaea buckled down and stranded them, keeping the score knotted at 0-0. Then in the third, Alvarez smashed a double off the wall. After a groundout, Lindor walked on four pitches. Juan Soto threaded an RBI single right through the middle, bringing Alvarez home and putting the Mets up 1-0. But the Rangers weren’t going down quietly. Danny Jansen walked and then reached second on a passed ball. Josh Jung absolutely smoked an RBI double down the right field line, tying the game right back up. Manaea finished the inning by striking out Burger, and we were at 1-1.
That Outfield Mix-Up? Yeah, That Was a Disaster
The top of the fourth inning brought some serious action. Carson Benge crushed a ground-rule double that bounced out of play. Then Alvarez stepped up and hit a ball to center-right field that turned into a full-blown nightmare for the Rangers. Nimmo and Duran somehow crossed each other up, letting the ball drop right between them. Alvarez ended up on second, and Benge scored on the error, which was charged to Nimmo. Mets led 2-1! But the Rangers, man, they just kept punching back. Nimmo singled, Manaea walked Duran, and then hit Justin Foscue with a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Elias Díaz hit a sac fly that tied it up again, bringing Nimmo home. And get this: Manaea hit Jansen with a pitch *again* to load the bases, and Wyatt Langford drove in Duran on another sac fly, giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead. Manaea finally struck out Corey Seager to end the fourth, but the Rangers had clawed their way ahead. The top of the fifth saw Soto single, but after a successful ABS challenge by the Rangers, Bo Bichette went from ball four to strike three, stranding Soto.
The Mets showed some real grit to pull out that 6-3 win against the Rangers. It was a back-and-forth battle with some wild moments, especially that head-scratching outfield error. They took the first game in Texas, and you know they’ll be riding that momentum hard!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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