Since watching any live-action between New York and Washington has been rendered impossible right now, save for an MLB: The Show simulation, let’s revel in one of the most thrilling and satisfying wins over the Nationals — a victory that all but sewed up the Mets most recent division title.
Heading into a Labor Day series in D.C., New York’s NL East lead was getting less comfortable. The gap between them and the Nationals was now four games. And despite the Mets taking the opener in thrilling fashion (remember David Wright‘s fist-pump at home plate?), Washington had every reason to believe it was about to cancel that out the very next night, taking what seemed to be a commanding 7-1 advantage heading into the top of the seventh.
Here are the highlights:
- Matt Harvey made the start in the wake of an innings limit fiasco which really never came to fruition. He failed to make it out of the sixth, after a bases-loaded inside-the-park homer was made possible because of a Yoenis Cespedes misplay in center field at 1:48:55. Both Harvey and Cespedes’ struggles would soon be forgotten.
- The New York comeback (which begins at the 2:00:55 mark) is credited as much to the Mets’ patience at the plate as it was to Washington’s dumpster fire bullpen. Headed by Drew Storen, the Nats’ relievers allowed six walks, three hits, and a wild pitch in the seventh inning alone which allowed the Mets to tie it up.
- The biggest hit of the seventh came from the Mets’ biggest mid-year acquisition. Yoenis Cespedes cleared the bases (at 2:23:05) to cut the New York deficit to one.
- From the likely to the unlikely, Kirk Nieuwenhuis broke the 7-7 tie in the top of the eighth of Washington closer Jonathan Papelbon at 2:54:45.
- While Washington’s late-inning arms imploded, New York’s bullpen limited the Nats to three hits and no runs after Harvey departed. Jeurys Familia evaded ninth-inning trouble when he induced a game-ending 5-4-3 double-play at 3:26:25.
