The Chicago White Sox are officially the Mets’ kryptonite right now, delivering their second walk-off win in three days with a brutal 2-1 defeat for New York on Sunday in Chicago. This wasn’t just any loss either; it was the series rubber match, a gut punch that left Mets fans reeling after Tristan Peters blasted his first career walk-off homer to center field in the bottom of the ninth. Talk about a painful way to end the weekend.
Senga’s 0-9 Record Is a Tough Pill to Swallow Despite McLean’s Brilliance
Nolan McLean was absolutely dealing for the Mets, pitching six shutout innings that should have set them up for a win. The kid was cruising early, striking out five of the first nine batters he faced. He hit a rough patch in the third, sure, loading the bases after Sam Antonacci’s first White Sox hit, followed by walks to Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas. But McLean stared down Andrew Benintendi,who had already had three bases-loaded at-bats the day before, only getting a sac fly,and struck him out to escape the jam. It more than doubled his pitch count for the inning, but he rallied, allowing no runner into scoring position for the next three frames, finishing his day with only one hit allowed and four walks across six shutout innings.
Then came Kodai Senga in the ninth. Senga had actually been solid recently as a ninth-inning arm, racking up four saves in as many tries. But Sunday, with zero room for error, Peters took him deep. Just like that, Senga was on the hook for the loss, bumping his season record to a brutal 0-9. Ouch. Dedniel Núñez had picked up McLean’s work with a scoreless seventh, but Daniel Duarte couldn’t keep the shutout going when Benintendi got his redemption with an RBI double in the eighth, giving the White Sox a 1-0 lead.
Mets Bats Fall Silent When It Counted Most
You’d think one of the hottest teams since the trade deadline would be able to scratch across some runs, right? Not the Mets on Sunday. Francisco Lindor led off the game with a double and added a single in the third, accounting for half of the Mets’ hits through the first six innings against a White Sox team using a bullpen game. That’s a huge missed opportunity right there.
They finally tied it in the ninth when Jared Young ripped an RBI single, making it 1-1. That set up rookie AJ Ewing with the bases loaded, a chance for the biggest hit of his young career. And he struck out. Just brutal. To add insult to injury, Ewing also had a shot at snagging Peters’ walk-off homer, a play that would’ve been one of the best catches of the year. He couldn’t quite get it, though, and that was that. The Mets just couldn’t capitalize on their chances.
This tough 2-1 loss meant the Mets dropped the series rubber match, leaving a bitter taste. When your pitching gives you six shutout innings from McLean, but the offense can’t break through, and then your ninth-inning arm takes the loss on a walk-off after your own rally stalls, it’s just a frustrating way to end the day.
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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