Miami – Unlikely Hero Emerges as Mets Topple Marlins
On Saturday, the Mets were in dire need of a hero, and they found an unexpected one in Clay Holmes.
Holmes, who had only made a single start back on June 7, stepped up after coming off a relief appearance just three days earlier. The Mets, in a rut, had been struggling badly.
The seasoned right-hander rose to the occasion, throwing six scoreless innings and ensuring that Sunday’s regular season finale would still carry weight for the Mets.
With Holmes on the mound, the Mets secured a 5-0 victory over the Marlins at Rondepot Park.
At the day’s start, the Mets (83-78) were in a tie with Cincinnati for the NL’s final wildcard spot—though the Reds held the tiebreaker.
Meanwhile, the Reds were scheduled to play later in Milwaukee on Saturday.
Holmes mirrored the success of past Mets pitchers like John Maine and Johan Santana, who also delivered standout performances against the Marlins during pivotal moments in 2008, keeping postseason aspirations alive at that time.
Yet, as history shows, the Mets did not make the playoffs the following day.
Holmes limited the Marlins to just one hit while issuing three walks and striking out two, managing to get through 78 pitches with the Mets ahead by three runs.
The final three outs were capped by Brooks Laurie, Tyler Rogers, and Edwin Diaz combining to finish the game.
A double from Pete Alonso marked the first run early in the game.
Francisco Lindor walked to start things off and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Alonso’s hit brought him home.
Brandon Nimmo added to the effort with a single, but Sterling Marte and Jeff McNeill couldn’t capitalize further, ending the inning.
In the third inning, Alonso homered with two outs, pushing the Mets to a 2-0 lead. That was his 38th home run of the season, bringing his RBI total to 126.
He connected with a 101 mph fastball from Eury Perez, sending the ball deep into the left-center fence.
Holmes started strong, retiring the first eight batters he faced before walking Helibert Hernandez for the third time and allowing a single to Xavier Edwards.
However, Holmes quickly regained form, striking out Jacob Marcy and then breezing through the side again in order.
In the fifth, after recording two quick outs, he walked Graham Pauly and Hernandez consecutively, but managed to get Edwards to ground out, preserving the two-run lead for the Mets.
Jeff McNeill made a significant impact in the sixth, hitting two doubles that extended the Mets’ lead to 3-0.
Alonso reached base for the third time with a walk and advanced to second on a balk before McNeill stepped up with clutch hits.
In the ninth, Lindor contributed an RBI single after Francisco Alvarez and Tyrone Taylor both singled. The Mets added to their lead to make it 5-0 when George Soriano’s wild pitch let Taylor score.
