Saturday, September 26, 2026 • 12:35 PM
Nationals Park • Washington, DC
RHP Jonah Tong (2-2, 4.21) vs. LHP Connelly Early (7-5, 3.44)
SNY
With the loss last night, the Mets have locked themselves into a last-place NL East finish. Disappointing for sure, but also an opportunity to have quite the glow-up next season. Despite playing better the last two months, they just had too many losses and could never really get themselves out of the cellar.
There are still things to celebrate. Carson Benge reached the 20-20 club in Friday night’s loss. A.J. Ewing had a tremendous rookie season. The Mets have a ton of talent in the rotation and we’ll see one of those arms today with Jonah Tong!
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Mets Lineup
- Francisco Lindor – DH
- Juan Soto – LF
- Bo Bichette – 3B
- Carson Benge – RF
- Mark Vientos – 1B
- Brett Baty – SS
- Francisco Alvarez – C
- A.J. Ewing – CF
- Ronny Mauricio – 2B
Starting Pitcher: Jonah Tong
Jonah Tong has pitched in six starts this season, totaling 25 2/3 innings with a 4.21 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.325 WHIP, and a 98 ERA+. He’s coming off a rough start against the Phillies, where he allowed four runs on four hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings, the third time in four outings he has allowed four earned runs. Hopefully Tong can end his 2026 campaign with a solid start, taking momentum into the winter. This will be his first time facing the Nationals in a Major League game, and no one on the Nationals roster has seen him as a member of other organizations.
Opposing Lineup
- James Wood – LF
- Abimelec Ortiz – DH
- Dylan Crews – CF
- CJ Abrams – 2B
- Brady House – 3B
- Daylen Lile – LF
- Yohandy Morales – 1B
- Keibert Ruiz – C
- Nasim Nuñez – SS
The Mets bats will get a look at Connelly Early, who the Nationals acquired in the Curtis Mead trade with the Red Sox earlier this season and is making his Nationals debut today. He was injured when the Nationals acquired him and has been on the injured list since then. Before his injury, Early made 17 starts with the Red Sox totaling 91 2/3 innings with a 3.44 ERA, 4.60 FIP, 1.255 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. The only member of the Mets to face Early before is Christopher Morel (1-for-2, 2B)
Game Notes
- Jeffry Yan was optioned to the FCL Mets prior to Saturday’s game. Chayce McDermott was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
- Carson Benge socked his 20th home run of the season. With that, he became the first rookie in Mets history to record a season with 20 steals and 20 home runs. He became the 11th player in franchise history to record 20 doubles, 20 home runs, and 20 steals in a single season. Over his last eight games, he is batting .400 (12-30) with six runs, two doubles, two homers, six RBI, and four walks, with a 1.152 OPS.
- New York has hit 68 home runs since the trade deadline, which are tied for the third-most in the majors. They trail only the Chicago Cubs (79) and the Baltimore Orioles (71).
Three Things To Watch For
- Bo Bichette. Last night, Bo Bichette went 2-for-4 with his 25th double and 18th home run of the season, picking up two RBIs. He was hitting behind Juan Soto, who went 2-for-4 with a walk and scored twice. This was the hope for the Mets lineup last spring: Juan Soto getting on base and Bichette driving him home. It’s been an up-and-down season for Bichette, but he’s ending on a better note than it started, with an OPS above .700.
- Carson Benge. Benge continued his amazing rookie campaign on Friday night, going 2-for-2 with two walks, hitting his 20th home run of the season. There are a lot of rookies making a case for NL Rookie of the Year, including Nolan McLean. Benge has done pretty much everything he can to prove that he should be in that conversation with a .768 OPS, 115 WRC+, and 4.0 fWAR.
- Francisco Lindor. Lindor has two more chances to hit his 300th career home run. Lindor hit two home runs, including a grand slam against the Yankees on September 12th. It’s been almost two weeks, hopefully, he can reach this milestone before the end of the season.
Let’s go Mets!
