The bats were alive again at Citi Field, but the New York Mets couldn’t complete another rally, falling 11-8 to the Miami Marlins in the second game of the series Saturday night.
The Mets dug themselves into a hole early as All-Star lefty David Peterson struggled mightily, giving up a career-high eight runs in just two-plus innings. Miami tagged him fast, with Heriberto Hernández doubling home a run in the first and Eric Wagaman and Joey Wiemer each lacing two-run doubles to put New York in an 8-2 hole by the third. Wiemer wasn’t done. He finished with three hits, while Jakob Marsee and Wiemer added RBI singles to keep the pressure on.
But the Mets’ lineup showed fight. Francisco Lindor set the tone with a leadoff homer, and Juan Soto carried the offense with a monster night, going deep twice and reaching base in all five plate appearances. Soto’s solo blast and two-run drive in the sixth pulled the Mets even at 8-8. Mark Vientos also delivered a big three-run homer to spark the comeback effort.
The momentum, though, slipped away late. Playing just his second game back from the injured list, Miami’s Connor Norby had the big answer, lifting a go-ahead sacrifice fly off Tyler Rogers in the seventh before delivering the knockout with a two-run double against Edwin Díaz in the ninth.
The Mets still had a shot in the seventh when Jeff McNeil led off with a triple, but reliever Calvin Faucher shut the door, retiring Brett Baty on a grounder, striking out pinch-hitter Starling Marte, and getting Cedric Mullins to line out. Faucher earned the win, with Tyler Phillips working around trouble in the ninth for his third save.
Despite the loss, Soto made history, becoming the first player to hit 35 home runs in three straight seasons with three different teams. The Mets also set franchise marks for any single month, with 176 runs scored and 53 homers in August.
With the defeat, the Mets stay five games up on Cincinnati for the final NL Wild Card spot but now trail Philadelphia by six games in the East. The series has been nothing short of fireworks, with 58 runs scored between both teams in just three games.