NEW YORK — Editor's note: The above video is from May 13.
Bryson Stott hit a leadoff homer in the ninth against All-Star closer Edwin Díaz and delivered the tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as the MLB-leading Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 5-4 Monday night.
The Phillies trailed 4-2 before Díaz gave up Stott’s homer — the fourth homer of the season surrendered by Díaz, who gave up just three homers in 2022 before missing last season with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee that he sustained while celebrating a win for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
Díaz then surrendered a single to pinch-hitter Kody Clemens — the first pinch-hit of the season in 16 at-bats for Philadelphia — and walked Brandon Marsh. Two outs later, Díaz walked Whit Merrifield before hitting Alec Bohm with a pitch.
“That’s one of the best closers in the game and Stott, he torched the ball,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “And then we finally got a pinch-hit, which was nice to see. We put some pressure on (Díaz).”
Díaz hadn’t blown a two-run lead in a save situation since May 24, 2022, against the San Francisco Giants. He threw 30 pitches Monday, his most since a 35-pitch effort against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 19, 2022, while facing eight batters, his most since he faced nine against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 11, 2021.
“Anytime you get those guys in the game, you kind of want to drive their pitch counts up and make them throw more pitches than they’re used to,” Stott said. “And then after that, anything can happen.”
Díaz has a 3.24 ERA and is averaging 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He had a 1.31 ERA and averaged 17.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 2022.
“He’s going through it right now,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s one of the better (closers) in the game, if not the best one. He’ll continue to get big outs for us and he’ll get through it.”
Bryce Harper, the automatic runner to start the 10th, took third on a wild pitch by Sean Reid-Foley (1-1) and scored easily on Stott’s long fly out to right.
“Today wasn’t a good day for me — I let the team down,” Díaz said. “Reid-Foley got the loss, but I count it as on me, because I came in with a two-run lead (and) I blew it.”
Orion Kerkering (1-0) threw a perfect ninth and José Alvarado earned his eighth save with a 1-2-3 ninth, stranding automatic runner DJ Stewart at second.
Starter Cristopher Sánchez gave up three runs and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings for the Phillies.
Garrett Stubbs and Johan Rojas had RBIs for the Phillies, who avoided their third two-game skid of the season. Philadelphia is 29-13, which is tied for the second-best record in franchise history through 42 games. The 1976 team was 31-11 on its way to winning the NL East while the pennant-winning 1993 squad was 29-13.
J.D. Martinez had three hits and two RBIs for the Mets. Tomás Nido had an RBI single in the second inning and Pete Alonso scored on an error by Bohm in the seventh inning.
Mets starter Sean Manaea surrendered one run and struck out six in six innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: Sánchez was visited by a trainer with two outs in the third inning, when he aggravated a stinger in his pitching hand. Sánchez struck out Jeff McNeil to continue a stretch in which he retired 10 of the final 13 batters he faced. … C J.T. Realmuto (right knee) sat for a second straight game, while DH/LF Kyle Schwarber (back), who missed Sunday’s game, struck out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. Thomson said he expected Schwarber to start Tuesday afternoon’s game.
Mets: LF Brandon Nimmo (right side) returned to the lineup Monday. Nimmo left after four innings Saturday, but entered as a pinch-runner Sunday, when he hit the walk-off homer in a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. … RHP Kodai Senga (right shoulder) will continue working on his mechanics during bullpens before beginning a rehab assignment. … RHP Drew Smith (right shoulder) is expected to be activated from the injured list Tuesday.
UP NEXT
The teams complete the first half of their unique home-and-home series Tuesday, when Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (4-2, 3.67 ERA) opposes Mets RHP José Buttó (1-2, 3.00 ERA). The two, two-game series this week are necessitated by the two games the teams will play in London on June 8-9, when each team will have one “home” game apiece.