Sunday’s showdown between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals ended with a narrow 8-7 Nationals win. That’s what you’ll read on the paper, ar least.
But the story stitched between the innings tells something much more gut-wrenching.
The Mets, nursing a plush 7-1 lead — about as cozy as a thick quilt on a winter night in today’s MLB — somehow watched it unravel thread by thread. Like a movie you’ve seen a hundred times but still hope for a different ending, the Nationals stormed back with seven unanswered runs to swipe the game away.
A Collapse For The Ages
Sure, there were external factors. Juan Soto losing a ball in the sun didn’t exactly help the Mets’ cause, and Jose Butto’s rollercoaster ride of inconsistency didn’t do them any favors.
But when the dust settled, the Mets weren’t pointing fingers at the sky or the mound — just the mirror.
“To be there 7-1 and let that go away, it’s a tough one. Turn the page and get ready for tomorrow,” manager Carlos Mendoza said via SNY, offering a sentiment that sounded more like a coping mechanism than a battle cry.
Still, Mendoza wasn’t about to let the whole afternoon go to waste. He took time to highlight Tylor Megill, who quietly continues his transformation from a back-end starter to something resembling an ace.
Megill struck out nine over 6.1 innings, surrendering just three runs — a performance that deserved a far better backdrop.
When Strengths Become Weaknesses
Normally, the Mets’ bullpen is a fortress, a final line of defense teams struggle to breach. But Sunday, it looked more like a sandcastle against a rising tide.
Five runs allowed in just over two innings turned what should have been a victory lap into a desperate scramble. No lead is ever truly safe in baseball, but few thought a six-run buffer would feel so fragile.
The Nationals, pesky and persistent as a summer mosquito, have been a thorn in the Mets’ side all weekend. After snatching two of the first three games in ways few could have imagined, Washington forced New York into a must-win situation on Monday just to split the series.
Monday brings another chance — but the Mets know chances like Sunday’s don’t come around often.