The never-say-die New York Mets met their match in Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Sunday. After nine innings of thrilling back-and-forth baseball, Nick Castellanos and the Philadelphia Phillies walked off with a Game 2 win (PHI 7, NYM 6) and have tied the best-of-five series at 1-1. The best-of-five is now a best-of-three.
The Mets have made a habit of hitting clutch home runs lately and, in Game 2, Brandon Nimmo hit a go-ahead solo shot in the seventh and Mark Vientos hit a game-tying two-run shot in the ninth. It felt like the Mets were on their way to their fourth miracle win in a week's time, but Castellanos and the Phillies punched back.
Here now are five takeaways from Game 2 of Mets vs. Phillies NLDS matchup, plus a look ahead to Tuesday evening's Game 3 at Citi Field.
1. Vientos conquered Sánchez and had a huge game
Going into Game 2, Vientos was 0 for 7 with six strikeouts against Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez. That suggested Vientos was in for a long afternoon, but he was among MLB's most productive hitters on pitches down in the zone this year. In theory, his bat path matches up well against Sánchez's sinker/changeup combination despite the lack of prior head-to-head success.
On Sunday, the success came. Vientos doubled into the right-field corner against Sánchez in his first at-bat, then smacked a two-run home run the other way his second time up. Here are Game 2's first runs:
The Phillies started Sánchez over Aaron Nola in Game 2 because Sánchez's home/road splits were enormous this season. He had a 2.21 ERA and a .544 opponent's OPS in 110 innings at Citizens Bank Park in 2024. On the road, it was a 5.02 ERA and .813 OPS in 77 innings. Really though, Sánchez had two disasters on the road that skewed his stats:
- July 4 at Cubs: 7 ER in 4 IP
- Aug. 11 at D-backs: 7 ER in 4 2/3 IP
Regardless, the Vientos home run was the only real mistake Sánchez made in Game 2. He retired eight of the 10 batters he faced after the home run and one of the two baserunners was an infield single. The lanky lefty finished with just the two runs allowed in five innings. Sánchez did his part. Vientos got to him and no others Mets did.
2. Philadelphia's bats finally woke up
Through five innings, Mets righty Luis Severino was in complete control. He held the Phillies scoreless on three singles, and needed only 64 pitches to do it. It seems like a complete game could be in the offing. Alas and alack, the third time through the order penalty is real, the Phillies jumped Severino as soon as they got a third look at him.
In the sixth inning, the Phillies and Citizens Bank Park came roaring back to life after Bryce Harper and Castellanos tied the game 3-3 with back-to-back home runs. Trea Turner singled with two outs to extend the inning and set up the rally. Three of the first four batters Severino faced the third time through the lineup reached base, and two took him deep.
During the regular season Severino held hitters to a .545 OPS the first time through the lineup. It rose to a .750 OPS the second time though, and an .843 OPS the third time through. He went from cruising to a tie game in the blink of an eye. That sixth inning was also a reminder that, no matter how bad the Phillies -- who had eight hits in 51 at-bats between Kyle Schwarber's leadoff home run in Game 1 and Harper's sixth-inning blast -- look offensively, it can turn around real quick.
3. The Mets answered right back
It seems like the Mets are only comfortable when they need to stage some late=inning magic. In the top of the seventh, immediately after Harper and Castellanos tied Game 2, Nimmo gave New York the lead against with a solo homer off Orion Kerkering. Here is Nimmo's go-ahead dinger:
Kerkering allowed two home runs in 63 innings during the regular season. Two homers, 257 batters faced, then he gave one up to Nimmo in Game 2. Bad timing, I suppose. After that rally to tie the game in the sixth, a shutdown inning felt imperative to keep the Phillies moving in the right direction. Instead, Nimmo went deep, and the Mets went right back on top.
4. Mendoza was aggressive with Díaz
Very aggressive. With two on and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza went to closer Edwin Díaz because, simply put, it was the game's most important situation. One-run lead, two runners on base, and the top of the order coming up. That situation calls for your best reliever and Díaz is New York's best reliever.
Entering Game 2, Kyle Schwarber was 0 for 8 with six strikeouts against Díaz. He's now 0 for 9 with seven strikeouts. Díaz fanned Schwarber on a check swing to end the seventh inning threat. This is close, but I think Schwarber went around far enough:
I loved Mendoza's aggressiveness with Díaz. That seventh inning situation called for your top reliever, and it worked out. Díaz stranded the two runners and escaped the jam. Leaving Díaz in for the eighth inning was the way to go too. Turner, Harper, and Castellanos were coming up.
In the eighth inning though, things unraveled. Díaz walked Harper with one out, Castellanos singled to right to put runners on the corners with one out, then Bryson Stott turned a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead with a two-strike, two-run triple to right. JT Realmuto then brought Stott home with a ground ball and that proved to be a very important insurance run.
Sunday is Stott's 27th birthday and he gave the 45,679 people at Citizens Bank Park a gift with that triple. The crowd was on edge all game -- Castellanos, the Game 2 hero, heard scattered boos in the middle innings after swinging and missing at two sliders -- but they had plenty to cheer about offensively in the final four innings.
5. The teams traded body blows in the ninth
Vientos does a lot of damage on pitches down in the zone, as Sánchez learned early in Game 2. In the top of the ninth inning, he showed he can go up and get a pitch too. Vientos climbed the ladder to drive this Matt Strahm fastball out of the park for a game-tying two-run homer. Look where Strahm threw this pitch. How did Vientos hit it?
All told, Vientos went 3 for 4 with a double and two home runs in Game 2. He drove in four runs. At 24 years and 300 days, he is the youngest player in National League history with three extra-base hits in a postseason game. The Mets called Vientos up for good on May 15 and he's simply been one of the most productive players in the league since. What a season for him.
Unlike the first game of last Monday's doubleheader in Atlanta or Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Brewers, New York's latest magical late-inning home run did not lead to a win. After Vientos tied the game, the Phillies punched back when Turner and Harper drew two-out walks in the bottom of the ninth, setting up Castellanos for the walk-off hit against Tylor Megill.
Philadelphia did major damage with two outs in Game 2. They made two quick outs to start the sixth and ninth innings before stringing together some baserunners and getting on the board. In the sixth, it was Turner poking a single to extend the inning and set up Harper and Castellanos for the back-to-back homers. In the ninth, it was two two-out walks before the walk-off single.
Only once in nine innings Sunday did the Phillies put the leadoff man on base. That came when José Buttó hit Realmuto in the side to begin the seventh inning. Realmuto was eventually stranded. Against a really good Mets pitching staff, the Phillies had to build their rallies the hard way. After a sluggish start to the game, Philadelphia's offense was very tenacious late, especially with two outs.
What's next?
Game 3 at Citi Field. Well, first an off-day on Monday, then Game 3 at Citi Field on Tuesday. This is a best-of-three series now. The first team to win two more games advances to the NL Championship Series. Aaron Nola and Sean Manaea are the scheduled starters for Game 3.