Mets Win on Error After Yelich Nearly Stole It

Christian Yelich's ninth-inning double swung New York's win probability from 57% to 17% — and the Mets still won. A throwing error by Milwaukee's third baseman in the tenth handed New York the walk-off, 3-2.

Milwaukee drew first blood in the fourth when Luis Lara singled to left, scoring William Contreras to put the Brewers up 1-0. New York answered immediately. Francisco Lindor crushed a 400-foot solo shot to center in the fifth to tie it, then Luis Robert Jr. followed with a 390-foot homer to left center in the sixth to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. Two home runs in back-to-back innings — the Mets looked in control, and the pitching backed it up: Zac Thornton went 6.0 innings, allowing just 1 earned run on 7 hits with 0 walks and 4 strikeouts, before Nate Lavender and Jonathan Pintaro combined to throw 3.0 scoreless innings with no hits allowed.

Then Yelich happened. With the Mets three outs from a tidy win, Yelich doubled to left in the ninth, scoring Contreras and sending Bauers to third to knot it at 2-2. That single swing shifted New York's win probability from 57% all the way down to 17% — a 40-point collapse in an instant. It looked, at that moment, like Milwaukee had stolen the game right out from under the Mets. Kyle Harrison had already exited after 5.0 innings of 1-run ball with 5 strikeouts, and the Brewers' bullpen had kept them alive long enough for Yelich to do damage. Contreras, for his part, was everywhere — going 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored on the night.

But the tenth inning belonged to New York in the ugliest, most satisfying way possible. A grounder by Morel to third turned into the winning run when third baseman Hamilton's throwing error allowed Lindor to score, pushing the Mets to a 3-2 final. Lindor finished 2-for-4 with a homer, an RBI, and 2 runs scored. Robert Jr. matched him at 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI. Carson Benge went a quiet 3-for-4 without appearing in the scoring column, which appears to be the kind of under-the-radar performance that keeps lineups honest. The story of the night was really two stories: Yelich nearly making this a Brewers win with one swing, and a defensive miscue ensuring he couldn't. New York takes the 3-2 decision, but Milwaukee will feel like they left one on the table.