The New York Mets will keep the lights on for at least one more day after defeating the Miami Marlins 3-0 on Saturday evening at loanDepot Park.
With the win, the Mets (83-78) take a temporary half-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the third and final National League Wild Card spot. The NL Central club plays the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:15 p.m. ET.
If the Reds win, they will draw level with the Mets but hold a one-game lead because they own the tiebreaker. If they lose, New York will control its destiny entering the final game of the regular season on Sunday afternoon.
Pete Alonso carried the Mets’ offense, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, and two RBI. He got his side on the board in the first inning with a one-out double into the left-center-field gap that scored Francisco Lindor from second.
Two innings later, he jumped on a 100.6 mph high fastball from Eury Perez and launched it 410 feet to left-center to double New York’s advantage.
Jeff McNeil added to the scoring with an RBI double in the top of the sixth before the Mets tacked on two more in the ninth.
Lindor picked up added insurance with a run-scoring single with one out in the top of the ninth. With runners at the corners, ball four of Juan Soto’s franchise-record setting 126th walk, which surpassed John Olerud’s previous club record, was thrown to the backstop by Miami reliever George Soriano, which scored Tyrone Taylor from third.
As has been the theme of late, it wasn’t the most well-rounded offensive day for the sputtering Mets, but Clay Holmes stepped up when Carlos Mendoza was in desperate need of a gem from a starter.
With New York’s stable of arms running on fumes after duds from David Peterson and Jonah Tong on Tuesday and Wednesday, Holmes went six shutout innings, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts and three walks.
Xavier Edwards was the lone Marlin to record a hit, a clean single to center in the third. Relievers Brooks Raley, Tyler Rogers, and Edwin Diaz combined to throw three shutout innings.
It was the first time the Mets allowed one or fewer hits in a game since their combined no-hitter on April 29, 2022, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
