The New York Mets dropped their final home game of the season to the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 on a rainy Sunday, a gloomy end that saw their pitching staff completely unravel. It was a brutal way to send off the home crowd, especially with so many questions now swirling.
Tong Fights, But Phillies Land Early Punches
Mets starter Jonah Tong had a rough day on the mound, giving up four runs and four walks while only getting five strikeouts. The Phillies jumped all over him in the first inning, taking a quick 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly from Luis Arraez and an RBI single from Alec Bohm. Tong had already walked a batter and given up two hits when he got knocked to the ground in a collision with Bryson Stott at first base while getting the final out. He limped back to the dugout, but to his credit, shook it off and returned for the second. He even managed a 1-2-3 inning, which was huge. The reprieve didn’t last long, though: Tong gave up another pair of runs in the third as rain continued to fall. The Mets bats couldn’t bail him out either. They had multiple baserunners in the second and third innings but couldn’t capitalize against Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez, who settled in after early hits, retiring nine straight Mets batters. Sanchez finished with six strikeouts and two runs allowed, getting through the sixth for the 24th time this season.
A Glimmer of Hope Crushed By Senga
Finally, in the sixth, Bo Bichette crushed a solo home run off Sanchez, finally getting the Mets on the board. Sanchez got Mark Vientos and Carson Benge to end the sixth, but Phillies manager Don Mattingly pulled him in the seventh after Francisco Alvarez singled. That’s when the Mets briefly made things interesting! Back-to-back pinch-hit singles from AJ Ewing and Brett Baty against Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane meant Baty’s single scored Alvarez, cutting the deficit to 4-2. That clutch play earned Baty big Mets winner status with +11% WPA. But just like that, the rally died with a popout from Francisco Lindor and a strikeout from Juan Soto. Credit goes to Jack Weisenburger and Jefry Yan, who combined for 2.1 shutout innings in relief of Tong, keeping things manageable. But then Kodai Senga came in, and everything went sideways. He gave up a three-run triple to Justin Crawford in the eighth inning, blowing the game wide open to 7-2 and instantly renewing every question about Senga’s place on the team.
Closing
It was a tough way for legendary radio voice Howie Rose to get his final broadcast in, though the dugout still walked out to raise their caps to him after the game. The Mets have Monday off to lick their wounds, but then it’s a three-game road series against the Texas Rangers starting Tuesday. The Rangers are in the thick of the Wild Card race, so New York has a real chance to play spoiler. Can they turn things around and show some fight, because that Senga meltdown left a sour taste nobody’s forgetting quickly.
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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