With the game hanging in the balance, both teams summoned their flamethrowing closers. Edwin Díaz set down all five Phillies he faced, while Jhoan Duran allowed four straight Mets to reach base.
Diaz (6-2) entered a 5-5 game with one out in the eighth inning after Ryan Helsley had given up a game-tying, two-run homer to Harrison Bader and walked Bryson Stott.
“You know I just try to stay calm in that situation,” the 31-year-old All-Star told reporters after New York’s 6-5 walk-off win. “I know they will run the bases against me. You know I’m slow to the plate. But it was me and (catcher Luis) Torrens connecting, just trying to make pitches and trying to make them chase.”
Stott stole second on Díaz’s first pitch to Brandon Marsh and third on his first delivery to Trea Turner. But Díaz struck out both hitters swinging on an efficient 12 pitches, allowing manager Carlos Mendoza to send him back out for the ninth.
Díaz struck out Kyle Schwarber swinging on a 98 mph fastball and got Bryce Harper to swing through an 88 mph slider. “I think both pitches were really good,” he said. “My fastball command was really good. My slider was sharp. I was just throwing strikes and going after them.”
Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Four batters faced, four swinging strikeouts. Díaz’s ERA is 1.60, and he has struck out 76 in 50 2/3 innings pitched.
“When I’m on the mound, I just think I’m the best right there. Facing those guys, I know they are really good hitters. They are really, really, really good. Just try to do my best and go after them.”
J.T. Realmuto was the only Phillie to put the ball in play against Díaz. He grounded to first, and Díaz showed off his athleticism, leaping to catch a Pete Alonso toss that was a little behind him and finding the bag to retire the side.
“He was pretty nasty again today,” Mendoza said. “Going through their best hitters, runner at third base, two outs against Turner, he gets him. And then he’s going back out against their best guy and makes it look easy. Gives our offense a chance to win the baseball game, which we ended up doing. And yeah, it was a huge outing for him.”
The Phillies went to Duran, hoping he could handle the middle of the order. But Starling Marte, Alonso, Brett Baty and Brandon Nimmo connected for four consecutive singles to send the 41,914 at Citi Field home happy. The Mets (71-61) have beaten Philadelphia nine straight times at home, are five games out of first place with 30 to go, and lead the Reds by 3 1/2 games for the last Wild Card spot.
Mendoza seemed a bit choked up in a post-game interview.
“Overall, just our ability to respond and punch back once you get punched once or twice, so continue to … love what I see from the guys. They fight, they compete, not giving up and just play the whole game. We did it yesterday. We did it today, and we need to continue to do that.”
Starter Sean Manaea, who threw 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball, said the game had playoff intensity.
“From the get-go, it felt like that,” he said. “You know I came back out for the ninth, and I could really feel it. Just like the tension. Felt a lot like last year. Just two really good teams going at it. That’s what you play for.”
