Mets Notebook: Late-Game Rally Sparks Win, Soto Exits After HBP

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the penultimate day of the MLB regular season, the New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals, 7-1.

For the first couple of innings, both offenses were quiet. The Nats pushed across the first run of the contest in the third inning off of starter Jonah Tong, due to a sacrifice fly from Abimelec Ortiz.

The score remained 1-0 into the top of the seventh, but then the New York offense found its groove. A leadoff single from Carson Benge and a walk drawn by Francisco Alvarez put two runners on for A.J. Ewing, who blasted a home run to give the Mets a 3-1 lead.

The next batter, Ronny Mauricio, decided a two-run cushion wasn’t good enough, so he drilled a 411-foot homer to increase New York’s advantage.

In the eighth, Benge again started the rally, this time with a one-out double. He came around to score on an infield single by Brett Baty, where an error by Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez allowed Benge to score from second.

Then, in the final frame, Ewing walked to lead off the inning. Next, Mauricio hit an opposite-field bomb, his second of the game, to extend the Mets’ lead to six.

“I’m happy for him; it’s gotta feel good going deep from both sides of the plate,” Mets manager Andy Green said postgame. “That did not surprise us at all, especially the two-iron left-handed [swing]. It’s really impressive pop; he took some pitches south of the zone before that home run, which is huge for him.”

“When he impacts the baseball, it’s special,” Green added.

Mauricio entered Saturday’s contest with just one major league home run in 54 plate appearances this season. The 25-year-old has 18 long balls in 71 Triple-A games in 2026.

“Obviously, it’s been a difficult year,” Mauricio said, through an interpreter. “We’re already approaching the end of the season, but it means a lot to have this type of game. You’ve gotta continue to go out there and do your best and try to finish strong.”

In the bottom of the ninth, right-hander Tobias Myers slammed the door shut, securing the Mets’ win.

The New York bullpen fired four scoreless, hitless innings to finish the game. Mets pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts and allowed just one walk in Saturday’s win.

Juan Soto Injury Update

Soto was removed from Saturday’s game in the ninth inning, after being hit by a 91.7-mph sinker on the right hand.

The Mets’ highest-paid player enjoyed a quality game leading up to this point, going 2-for-4 with two singles. Following his removal, Soto was replaced by Nick Morabito, who finished out the game in left field.

Fortunately, initial reports say that Soto avoided a major injury.

“[Soto] just got X-rays, [I was] told they were negative,” Green reported. “Contusion [is the diagnosis] at this point it time; it got squared up on his hand pretty good.”

Green was non-committal regarding Soto’s availability for the team’s regular season finale postgame.

“It takes a minute to know the answer to that one,” Green said. “I don’t know.”

Despite missing 51 games this year due to two separate calf strains, Soto has been very productive when healthy. The 27-year-old is slashing .278/.397/.522 with 27 home runs in 477 plate appearances.

Even if Soto misses Sunday’s contest, the injury likely won’t have any effect on his offseason training.

Recapping Jonah Tong’s Excellent Outing

Tong has been regarded as one of the Mets’ top young arms for a couple of years, but his major league results have been a mixed bag. While Tong has shown flashes of swing-and-miss stuff, he entered Saturday’s game with a 4.21 ERA, and 13 walks allowed in 25.2 innings pitched.

In this start, Tong was dominant. He lasted five innings, struck out nine, walked one, and allowed just one earned run. Tong punched out at least one batter in every inning, striking out two batters in four of the five innings he covered.

This outing will undoubtedly be a huge mental boost for Tong, as he heads into the offseason. When asked about his mentality on game day, here’s what Tong said:

“Day by day and brick by brick. Come to the yard, having the utmost confidence in me and my team, and just enjoying the ride and having fun.”

Moving forward, Tong will attempt to earn a spot in New York’s Opening Day rotation in 2027. While that’s certainly on the forefront of his mind, Tong was sure to mention that encouraging his teammates in the season finale is what’s next for him.

“I’m gonna take a shower, eat some food, and go watch Sean [Manaea] shove tomorrow,” Tong quipped.

Manaea is scheduled to face Nationals lefty DJ Herz in the season finale in D.C. on Sunday.