Mets Survive Ten Innings, Steal One From Cleveland 6-5

New York needed extra innings and a Cleveland shortstop's error to escape with a 6-5 win on August 5. The Mets hit three home runs before the fifth inning, watched Cleveland erase a three-run lead, then clawed back twice to take it in ten.

Brett Baty and Jorge Polanco went back-to-back in the third — Baty 399 feet to left center, Polanco 380 feet to right — and Jared Young's RBI double in the fourth pushed the lead to 3-0. It looked like New York had control. It didn't last. Cleveland chipped away with a run in the fourth on a Bazzana single, then Nathaniel Lowe singled to right in the fifth to score both Genao and Kwan and knot it at three. Just like that, Tanner Bibee's rough start was irrelevant — the Guardians had life.

Carson Benge answered immediately, going the other way with a 369-foot shot to right center in the sixth to put New York back in front 4-3. But Cleveland wasn't done. The seventh inning unraveled for the Mets: a Bailey single scored Rocchio to tie it, and then Genao — who finished 4-for-5 on the night — singled to left to score Martínez and give Cleveland a 5-4 lead. The Guardians looked like they had it. Cleveland's win probability sat at 77% heading into the ninth, and the story of the night appeared to be New York's bullpen letting a well-earned lead slip away.

Then Rocchio handed it back. With the Mets down to their last out in the ninth, Young scored and Ewing reached on a fielding error by shortstop Rocchio, sending Semien to second and Polanco to third — the win probability swung from 77% to 47% on that single play. The game went to extras tied at five. In the tenth, Bichette singled to right to score Lindor for the 6-5 lead, though Bichette was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double. It didn't matter. New York held on. Chayce McDermott threw two scoreless innings in relief and Jefry Yan worked a clean ninth with two strikeouts to set up the comeback. The Mets needed all of it — the long balls early, the error late, and a walk-off single in ten — to get out of Cleveland with a win.