Torrens 407-Foot Blast Flips the Script, Mets Hold On 4-3

Luis Torrens hit a 407-foot, two-run homer to center in the fourth inning that swung New York's win probability from 47% to 71% — the single swing that decided this game. The Mets survived a late Washington push to win 4-3 on August 16.

Washington looked like the team in control early. Keibert Ruiz singled to right in the second to score the first run, and Abimelec Ortiz followed in the third with a 389-foot shot to left center to push the Nationals ahead 2-0. Jake Irvin was giving New York fits, and through three innings this looked like a comfortable road lead building toward something bigger.

Then the fourth inning happened, and it happened fast. Jorge Polanco grounded out to first, but that plated Jared Young to make it 2-1 and put Brett Baty on third. Two batters later, Torrens unloaded — a 407-foot home run to center that scored Baty and put the Mets up 3-2 in a single swing. That's when the win probability lurched from 47% to 71% for New York, and the story of the night was essentially written right there. Young added another run in the fifth with a double to right that scored Lindor, stretching the lead to 4-2 and giving the Mets a cushion they'd need. Christian Scott did his part, going 6.1 innings and allowing 3 earned runs while striking out 7 — a workmanlike outing that kept Washington from ever fully recovering.

The Nationals didn't quit. Ruiz came through again in the seventh, singling to right to score Vivas and cut it to 4-3, and Washington's bullpen arm Jake Bird was sharp in relief — 1.0 inning, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts. But Kodai Senga slammed the door for New York with a clean inning: 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts. Irvin's final line — 6.0 IP, 8 hits, 4 earned runs — looks like the difference-maker on paper. He gave up too much contact at the wrong time. Bo Bichette went 3-for-3 and appears to have been a constant thorn in Washington's side all afternoon, even if his hits didn't all show up on the scoreboard in obvious ways. Ruiz finished 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and was arguably Washington's best offensive player — the Nationals just couldn't get him enough support when it mattered most.