Mets Survive Atlanta's Seven-Run Ninth, Escape 10-9
New York built a 10-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth and nearly watched it disappear entirely, holding on for a 10-9 win over Atlanta on July 5. The Braves scored six runs in the final frame — capped by Drake Baldwin's three-run blast — but ran out of outs one run short.
The game looked like it was over before it started getting interesting. Atlanta jumped in front 3-1 in the first inning on the play that swung win probability the most all night: Michael Harris II singled to center, scoring Baldwin and Albies, pushing Atlanta's home win probability from 62% to 73%. Dubón then singled Harris II home to make it 3-1 New York trailing. But New York answered immediately in the second. A.J. Ewing homered to center — 408 feet — to cut it to 3-2, and then Juan Soto singled to right, scoring Baty and Lindor to flip the lead to 5-3. Martin Perez lasted just 4.1 innings for Atlanta, allowing 6 hits and 4 earned runs, and the Mets never trailed again.
Nolan McLean was steady for New York, going 6.0 innings and allowing just 2 earned runs on 5 hits with 5 strikeouts. The Mets then went quiet offensively for several innings — until the ninth turned into a scoring avalanche in both directions. Tyrone Taylor opened it with a 417-foot homer to left center to make it 6-3. Bichette then doubled to left, scoring Baty and Lindor. Soto moved to third on the play, and an Atlanta pitcher's pickoff error allowed a run to score. Then, with the bases loaded, a Danny Young single to left scored Soto and Bichette, pushing the lead to 10-3. It looked like a laugher.
It wasn't. Atlanta's ninth-inning rally looks, in hindsight, like one of the more alarming late-game collapses a winning team can survive. A pickoff error by pitcher Brazobán let a run score, and then Baldwin — who finished 2-for-4 with 4 RBI — crushed a 383-foot homer to left that scored Smith, Riley, and White, suddenly making it 10-8. Harris II then reached on an infield single to score Olson, cutting it to 10-9. The tying run was on base, but New York held. Bo Bichette went 3-for-5 with 3 RBI to lead the Mets offensively, while Harris II finished 2-for-5 with 3 RBI in a losing effort. The story of the night was simple: New York built enough cushion to survive its own bullpen's near-disaster.