For the Mets, Tuesday night in Wrigley wasn’t just another game. It was a statement in the middle of a chaotic NL Wild Card chase. After 54 hours out of the playoff picture, New York slugged its way back in, beating the Cubs 9-7 in a rollercoaster battle that swung on Francisco Alvarez’s biggest career swing.
The rookie catcher, who two days earlier had a potential game-tying homer stolen at the wall in Washington, got his redemption in the eighth inning. With two outs and Luisangel Acuña on second as a pinch-runner, Alvarez crushed a Caleb Thielbar pitch deep into the ivy in left-center, flipping a 7-7 tie into a 9-7 Mets lead. His teammates poured out of the dugout, knowing it was the kind of swing that could tilt a playoff race.
But the drama didn’t stop there. Manager Carlos Mendoza turned to Edwin Díaz for a rare six-out save, and the Mets’ closer delivered. Díaz struck out three over the final two innings, shutting down a late Cubs push and sealing a victory that carried the weight of more than just one night in September.
The comeback had been brewing since the fifth inning, when Brandon Nimmo blasted a three-run homer to erase a 6-1 deficit. Lindor had set the tone early with a leadoff homer, his 29th of the year, and later added an RBI single as part of the Mets’ steady climb back. Even defensive lapses and another rocky outing from starter David Peterson couldn’t derail an offense determined to reclaim its playoff footing.
The win pushed the Mets one game ahead of the Reds, who lost to the Pirates. Cincinnati, however, still holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, meaning New York will need every inch of separation it can get in the weeks ahead. Miami and Arizona remain within striking distance as well, setting up a September stretch where every pitch will carry postseason weight.
For now, the Mets once again control the National League’s third Wild Card spot and with Díaz closing the door like it’s 2022 again and Alvarez delivering clutch power, New York has reason to believe their October push has just begun.