LONDON — The Mets got more than just a sightseeing trip or two in their four days across the Atlantic.
Teams with some flaws have shown a penchant for creating magic in the ninth inning, and that was on display again Sunday as the Mets pulled away to a draw with the Phillies in the London Series.
A good old-fashioned three-run attack in the final frame, with most of the Mets’ batting average coming in, gave the Mets a 6-5 victory at London Stadium.
Mark Vientos tied the game with an infield single against Jose Alvarado, then Pete Alonso singled in the winning run with the bases loaded and added another run on a subsequent passed ball.
But the Phillies weren’t done. A bases-loaded walk by Alec Bohm put them within one run, but then the Mets pulled off a Houdini. Nick Castellanos hit a squib in front of home plate and Luis Torrens caught it. Torrens stepped into home plate, threw off balance to first base, and completed the game-ending double play.
After the Mets tied the game in the previous inning, David Dahl hit a pinch-hit home run off Dedniel Nunez in the seventh to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead, but Jake Diekman and Reid Garrett both failed to score in the next two innings, setting up a chance to rally in the ninth.
Jose Quintana continued his lackluster season with a lackluster performance that saw him pitch just 3 2/3 innings, during which he allowed three earned runs on six hits, two walks and one strikeout. The veteran left-hander’s ERA improved from 5.17 to 5.29, but that’s not very encouraging for a team that has excellent rookie Christian Scott just a phone call away from Triple-A Syracuse.
Quintana nearly got shutout in the first inning after loading the bases with a single and two walks, but got Alec Bohm to ground out for a double play and score a run. Quintana then got Nick Castellanos out to make the score 1-0.
The Mets also got a boost in the top of the second inning when Quintana hit Edmundo Sosa into a double play, but Quintana’s luck ran out in the fourth inning, when he gave up two more runs on four hits and left the game.
Sosa followed up a Castellanos single with an RBI double to give the Phillies a 2–0 lead, then Whit Merrifield’s RBI single put the Mets up by three runs. Danny Young replaced Quintana and walked Kyle Schwarber to load the bases, then struck out JT Realmuto for the win.
The Mets woke up in the sixth against Taijuan Walker and relief pitcher Gregory Soto. After Torrens singled and Alonso walked with two outs, Brandon Nimmo doubled against Soto to score the Mets’ first run, then J.D. Martinez followed with a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3.
