QUEENS, NY — Perhaps there is some Mets magic in this 2026 season, after all.
Down to their last out, trailing by three in the bottom of the ninth inning, Tyrone Taylor tucked a first-pitch curveball from Yankees closer David Bednar inside the left-field foul pole to tie the game at six apiece to force extra innings.
After AJ Ewing’s sacrifice bunt moved ghost runner Marcus Semien to third in the bottom of the 10th, Carson Benge walked it off with a fielder’s choice that Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm fielded, but could not get a throw off after he collided with shortstop Anthony Volpe.
“I saw them collide, and I was like ‘Yeah, Marcus has got that,’” Benge said, threading the hit into a five-man Yankees infield. “But once it went over the pitcher’s head, I kind of knew that he was scoring on that one.”
Mets closer Devin Williams kept the Yankees off the board in the 10th by coaxing an inning-ending 3-6-3 double play from Austin Wells to strand the go-ahead run at third.
With four series wins in their last five, the Mets (20-26) have won 10 of their last 15 games.
“I think in baseball, hitting is just contagious,” Taylor said. “So when things are going well, it’s just fun to be a part of.”
The Yankees did not need to put the ball in play much, but when they did, all they had to do was sit back and watch the Mets shoot themselves in the foot. They scored their first five runs on just three hits, while Mets pitchers yielded eight walks and a hit batter across the first seven innings.
With the game tied at one apiece in the top of the sixth, Mets starter Freddy Peralta walked the first two men he faced, ending his afternoon by tying a career-high of six walks in a single game. Reliever Sean Manaea’s struggles continued when, following a Ryan McMahon sacrifice bunt, he hit Paul Goldschmidt on a 2-2 sweeper to load the bases.
Volpe continued his strong series with a two-run single — the only hit of the inning — before Amed Rosario’s sac fly gave the Yankees a three-run cushion. Trent Grisham’s pop fly to shallow left should have ended the inning, but the ball clanged off a back-peddling shortstop Bo Bichette’s glove to plate a fourth run of the frame and make it 5-1.
After Luis Torrens’ two-run double brought the Mets back within two in the bottom of the sixth, Volpe picked up his third RBI of the afternoon when Manaea walked him with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh.
Benge and Bo Bichette led the bottom of the ninth off with singles, and Juan Soto beat out a double play to put runners at the corners. After Mark Vientos struck out, Taylor launched his third home run of the season — his first since April 26 — 404 feet into the left-field seats.
“Awesome, that’s all I could say,” Taylor said. “I was just happy to contribute to the team and do my part. I was anticipating [a curveball]. We had a good plan in the dugout. I saw him throw Mark a few, so I was anticipating it.”
“I kind of blacked out for him,” Benge added. “I had a feeling. Didn’t tell him, but I had a feeling. To be able to see that was so sick.”
Ben Rice’s 15th home run of the season gave the Yankees a one-run lead in the third inning off Peralta and continues one of the more prolific power-hitting starts for a pair of Bronx Bomber teammates. Rice and Aaron Judge (16) are just the third pair of Yankees teammates with 15-plus home runs in their first 47 games, joining Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961 and Mantle and Yogi Berra in 1956 (h/t Sarah Langs, ESPN).
Rice’s home run was one of just two hits Peralta allowed on Sunday, but the walks marred his afternoon, as his two free passes in the sixth came around to score. He was charged with three runs while striking out four.
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