NY Mets pay tribute to Jacob deGrom before he returns to Citi Field mound
As Jacob deGrom made his first start back at Citi Field since leaving the Mets, the club played a video tribute on Sept. 12, 2025.
NEW YORK — The Mets lowered the temperature ever-so-slightly heading into their final series of the season in Miami.
In desperate need of a victory with the Reds breathing down their necks, the Mets bats exploded off Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga to notch a 8-5 victory in the teams’ series finale on Thursday night at Wrigley Field.
One night after a disjointed effort, with clumsy defense, incomplete hitting and lackluster pitching amounting to a seven-run loss, the Mets played one of their more complete offensive games games in September.
They battered Imanaga for eight runs on nine hits and a cushion that was enough to sustain them down the stretch and keep their one game of wiggle room over the Reds in the NL Wild Card race.
“It was a good series win here against a really good team that is already in the playoffs,” Carlos Mendoza said. “We faced some really good arms. That’s a good lineup, as well. So you walk away from this series feeling good, obviously, but you still got to go out there and take care of business in Miami.”
The Mets used the fine print within Major League Baseball’s rule book to strike in the first inning. After Francisco Lindor walked and Pete Alonso laced a one-out double, Mark Vientos popped up into foul territory. Dansby Swanson tumbled into the netting down the third-base line to make the catch but by leaving the field of play, Lindor and Alonso each moved up a base.
“I knew the situation, I understood the play, but credit to (third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh), he was the one that made everything happen,” Lindor said.
Brandon Nimmo pulled an RBI single into right field to make it 2-0 after the opening inning. And Lindor added on with a solo blast over the left-field bleachers for his 30th home run of the season – giving him his second 30-30 campaign in three seasons.
The big blow was delivered by Brett Baty, who was in the lineup for his defense, but cashed in against the left-handed Imanaga. The Mets third baseman followed up back-to-back singles from Nimmo and Luis Torrens with a three-run opposite-field blast to left field to move the Mets ahead 6-0.
“I think just hanging in there, not trying to do too much with them and really just trying to stay on the slider there,” Baty said of his 18th home run of the season.
Despite a dominant beginning to Nolan McLean’s start, the Mets proved to need most of that support. McLean only allowed one hit and one walk while striking out six in the first three innings. He picked up two more strikeouts in the fourth inning before allowing a solo home run to Seiya Suzuki.
McLean racked up a career high 11 batters in 5⅓ innings but was hurt by the long ball. Dansby Swanson cut the Mets’ lead to 6-2 with an opposite-field solo shot.
Then, after Tyrone Taylor hoisted the Mets ahead 8-2 with a two-run double into the left-center field gap, McLean could not get through the sixth. With one out, the Mets righty walked Ian Happ, gave up a double to Moises Ballesteros that nicked the left-field line and then served up a three-run home run to Suzuki that ended his night and sliced the Mets’ deficit to 8-5.
“He just left a sweeper in the nitro zone there,” Mendoza said, “but overall, I thought he was very good.”
The bullpen, which received some much-needed rest with impromptu relief appearances by Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea on Wednesday night, shut the door after McLean exited. Ryne Stanek picked up a pair of fly balls, then Brooks Raley struck out the side in the seventh inning.
Tyler Rogers tossed a perfect eighth inning and Edwin Diaz erased a leadoff single with an game-ending double play to pick up his 28th save of the season.
“They’ve been through ups and downs, but they found a way to bounce back,” Mendoza said. ” … We’re going to continue to rely on those guys. They know where we’re at and they’re gonna continue to ask for the baseball.”
Where the Mets stand in the NL Wild Card race
Thursday’s win was a massive one for the Mets, who answered a 2-1 win from the Reds over the Cubs earlier in the day.
With both teams grabbing victories in their series finales, the Mets maintained a one-game lead over the Reds heading into the final series. The Mets will travel to face the Marlins across three games while the Reds head out for three games with the Brewers in Milwaukee.
“We feel good. We feel like we just gotta go down there and handle business,” Baty said. “We can’t think about winning three games because we gotta win tomorrow night.”
The Mets and Reds gained ground on the Diamondbacks, pushing them further to the brink of elimination following their 8-0 loss to the Dodgers.
The Mets are two games up on the Diamondbacks, while the Reds hold a one-game edge and the tiebreaker for the final spot. The Dbacks travel to San Diego to face the Padres for the final three games of their season.