Mets Fall to Dodgers in Wacky Extra-Innings Battle

Teoscar Hernández doubled in a run off Huascar Brazobán in the 13th inning to help lift the Dodgers to a 7-5 victory at Citi Field in a game that included a 98-minute rain delay, 17 combined pitchers and two extremely strange plays.

Down 5-2 entering the ninth, Starling Marte singled, Pete Alonso walked, Jeff McNeil hit a two-run triple and Tyrone Taylor singled him home to tie the game at 5-5 and chase closer Tanner Scott. The bullpens matched zeroes for the next three innings.

Edwin Díaz wriggled out out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the 10th, getting Hernández to ground out to first (Alonso made the routine throw home for the force without incident) and Max Muncy to bounce into a double play.

Reed Garrett pitched two scoreless innings to drop his ERA to 0.86. He fanned Tommy Edman to end the 11th and Will Smith to finish the 12th, stranding the go-ahead run at third both times.

The Mets (30-21) missed on a couple of great chances to win. In the 12th, Luis Torrens hit into a 5-4-3 double play with the bases loaded to end the inning. In the 11th, Luisangel Acuña grounded to third on a 3-1 count with the bases loaded and two out.

Los Angeles (32-19) pushed across three runs in the third inning to break a scoreless tie after Max Kranick relieved Griffin Canning following the rain delay. The Dodgers added two more runs off José Buttó in the fifth.

The delay came with two outs and runners at second and third with Freddie Freeman at the plate in the middle of a 3-1 count. When play resumed, Kranick walked Freeman, allowed an RBI single to Will Smith and a two-run single to Hernandez. The runs were all charged to Canning.

Brett Baty hit a solo homer off Matt Sauer, who relieved Clayton Kershaw after the delay, to pull the Mets within 3-1 in the third.

The game also included a pair of odd plays.

Mookie Betts hit a drive to right center in the third. Taylor and Juan Soto converged, the ball hit Taylor’s glove, then Soto’s glove, and then Taylor was able to stay with it and snag the ball with his bare hand for the out.

Michael Conforto tagged at second and made it to third, but the Mets thought they had him doubled off at second because replays showed him leaving before the catch was made. What the Mets apparently didn’t know was that the rule states a runner can leave once the ball hits the glove even if the catch hasn’t been completed yet.

The little known rule was put in place to prevent outfielders from purposefully juggling fly balls to keep runners at bay. Francisco Lindor seemed to be learning about it from the umpire, and former MLB pitcher Dontrelle Willis, who commentated the game for Apple TV+, said it was news to him.

The other weird play resulted in the Mets scoring their second run.

Marte tagged at third and was thrown out at home on a fly ball hit to right by Alonso, but the third base umpire ruled that Muncy interfered with Marte’s view of the right fielder catching the ball. Muncy didn’t make any contact with Marte, but did walk in front of him with the ball in the air.

Mark Vientos was a late scratch due to abdominal soreness. Acuña replaced him in the lineup and got the start at second, with Baty moving from second to third.

Stats of the Game

This was only the second MLB game to go 13 innings this year.

The Mets scored three runs in the ninth inning. They entered Friday having scored three runs or less in seven of their last eight games.

Player of the Game

Garrett has now given up just two earned runs in 21 innings following his stellar outing tonight.

On Deck

David Peterson (2-2, 2.86 ERA), who has given up two earned runs or less in eight of his nine starts, faces Tony Gonsolin (2-0, 4.05 ERA). First pitch is 7:15 p.m. ET and the game will air on FOX.

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