It started like a dream and ended like a nightmare.
Through three innings Monday night, Cristopher Sánchez had Citi Field hushed, the Phillies up three runs, and not a Mets hit on the board. By the time the lights dimmed, the only sound was the echo of the home team piling on—thirteen unanswered runs, another ugly night in Queens, and a trash can in the Phillies dugout paying for it.
The unraveling began with something as small as a slip. Sánchez, cruising with a no-hitter into the fourth, let Pete Alonso reach, then lost his footing on the mound mid-delivery. The balk that followed seemed to shake him, and the inning crumbled from there. Juan Soto’s single ended the no-hit bid, Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo lined doubles, and Jeff McNeil delivered the swing that tied the game. In the span of four batters, that 3–0 lead evaporated.
An inning later, the Mets took control for good. Sánchez walked Soto, tried to pick him off, and the ball found trouble when Bryson Stott couldn’t handle Bryce Harper’s throw. Instead of an out, it was another runner in scoring position. Vientos doubled again, and New York was on top. By the time Sánchez trudged off in the sixth, he’d allowed season highs in runs (six) and hits (eight), his shortest outing since May.
And while the Phillies’ starter was losing his grip, the lineup lost its bite.
Trea Turner’s leadoff triple in the first became an early run. Alec Bohm’s two-run single in the third stretched the lead. But after that? Nothing. Six runners stranded in the first four innings. A 1-for-9 line with runners in scoring position. And over the final five innings against the Mets bullpen: one walk, zero hits. A game that could have been buried early instead stayed alive, waiting for New York’s counterpunch.
The knockout came against a bullpen already on thin ice. Jordan Romano allowed a sacrifice fly, then served up a three-run homer—the tenth he’s surrendered this year, a staggering number for someone entrusted with leverage innings. His ERA now sits at 8.23, his role more uncertain than ever. Joe Ross followed with three runs of his own in the eighth, and the rout was on.
Even the oddities worked against Philadelphia. A fifteen-minute delay in the fifth, after Bohm complained about a parabolic microphone creating glare in the batter’s eye, only seemed to stall the Phillies’ momentum further.
By the end, it was a full-blown Mets party. Luis Torrens matched a career high with five RBIs, including a three-run homer. McNeil knocked in three. Nimmo, Soto, and Tyrone Taylor all chipped in.
The knockout came against a bullpen already on thin ice. Jordan Romano allowed a sacrifice fly, then served up a three-run homer—the tenth he’s surrendered this year, a staggering number for someone entrusted with leverage innings. His ERA now sits at 8.23, his role more uncertain than ever. Joe Ross followed with three runs of his own in the eighth, and the rout was on.
Even the oddities worked against Philadelphia. A fifteen-minute delay in the fifth, after Bohm complained about a parabolic microphone creating glare in the batter’s eye, only seemed to stall the Phillies’ momentum further.
By the end, it was a full-blown Mets party. Luis Torrens matched a career high with five RBIs, including a three-run homer. McNeil knocked in three. Nimmo, Soto, and Tyrone Taylor all chipped in.
New York finished 11-for-19 with runners in scoring position, a gaudy line that told the whole story.
So here they are: the Phillies, still six games up in the NL East at 76–55, but licking wounds after one of their worst nights of the season. The Mets? They’ve now beaten Philadelphia eight straight times at Citi Field, dating back to October. And on a night when the standings said the Phillies are still in command, it felt like the scoreboard was telling a very different story.
Jordan Romano gave up four earned runs on two hits and a walk. Reality check: he’s not making a postseason roster. What’s harder to explain is why he’s still here, why the Phillies haven’t cut bait on a reliever whose ERA has ballooned past 8.00 and whose home run count keeps climbing.
Yes, Cristopher Sánchez had one of his roughest nights of the season. But the lineup did him no favors. After Bohm’s two-run single in the third, the Phillies managed just one hit over the final six innings—a Harrison Bader single. And this wasn’t Kodai Senga at his best. He slogged through four innings, allowing six hits and three walks, and the Phillies still couldn’t land the knockout blow.
At some point, the stranglehold the Mets have on the Phillies at Citi Field has to creep into the back of everyone’s mind. Especially after last October’s collapse in this same ballpark.
No, the sky isn’t falling. It’s one game, with six more still to play between these two clubs. But in a pennant chase, this isn’t the way you want to open the chapter against your closest rival. Not here. Not now. Not in Queens.
So here they are: the Phillies, still six games up in the NL East at 76–55, but licking wounds after one of their worst nights of the season. The Mets? They’ve now beaten Philadelphia eight straight times at Citi Field, dating back to October. And on a night when the standings said the Phillies are still in command, it felt like the scoreboard was telling a very different story.
If This Were a Playoff Game
It was only late August. But what if this had been a playoff game? Jordan Romano gave up four earned runs on two hits and a walk. Reality check: he’s not making a postseason roster. What’s harder to explain is why he’s still here, why the Phillies haven’t cut bait on a reliever whose ERA has ballooned past 8.00 and whose home run count keeps climbing.
Yes, Cristopher Sánchez had one of his roughest nights of the season. But the lineup did him no favors. After Bohm’s two-run single in the third, the Phillies managed just one hit over the final six innings—a Harrison Bader single. And this wasn’t Kodai Senga at his best. He slogged through four innings, allowing six hits and three walks, and the Phillies still couldn’t land the knockout blow.
At some point, the stranglehold the Mets have on the Phillies at Citi Field has to creep into the back of everyone’s mind. Especially after last October’s collapse in this same ballpark.
No, the sky isn’t falling. It’s one game, with six more still to play between these two clubs. But in a pennant chase, this isn’t the way you want to open the chapter against your closest rival. Not here. Not now. Not in Queens.
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