Nick Castellanos, Phillies walk off Mets in Game 2 to even up NLDS

PHILADELPHIA — The Mets had the Philadelphia Phillies connected the ropes 3 times successful Game 2 of the NLDS. They took a lead, past extended it. Twice, the Phillies took a lead, lone to spot the Mets travel backmost and necktie the crippled successful the apical of the ninth inning erstwhile Mark Vientos deed his 2nd location tally of the game.

But the Phillies, channeling their interior Rocky Balboa, finished the 2nd circular of what is shaping up to beryllium a heavyweight combat of a series, with 3 runs disconnected the person successful the eighth inning. Tylor Megill walked 2 hitters with 2 outs successful the bottommost of the ninth earlier giving up a azygous to Nick Castellanos, and Philadelphia walked it disconnected 7-6.

The bid is adjacent astatine 1-1 arsenic it moves backmost to Citi Field for Games 3 and 4, starting Tuesday.

With 1 retired and the Mets down by 2 runs, Francisco Lindor smoked a azygous up the mediate disconnected left-hander Matt Strahm. It was connected the ground, but astatine 105 MPH disconnected the bat, it was excessively hard for shortstop Trea Turner to mitt it. That brought up Vientos, who homered disconnected left-handed starter Christopher Sanchez to unfastened the scoring successful the 3rd inning.

He botched a transportation with a runner connected 3rd successful the eighth, allowing the Phillies to people an security run.

Never caput the dropped ball, Vientos sent this 1 into the near tract stands to people 2 and necktie the crippled astatine 6-6.

Right-hander Luis Severino and Sanchez gave up 2 location runs, a two-run blast (Vientos disconnected Sanchez, Bryce Harper disconnected Severino) and solo shots (Pete Alonso disconnected Sanchez, and Castellanos disconnected Severino).

With the Mets up 3-0 successful the bottommost of the sixth, Severino got the archetypal 2 outs earlier Turner singled to near field. While Harper walked to the plate, Francisco Alvarez called a gathering connected the mound to speech to springiness his pitcher a breath. Severino got up 1-2 earlier missing with a fastball, evening it astatine 2-2. He reached backmost to 99 MPH connected the adjacent transportation — different four-seam fastball, his cardinal transportation — but helium near it up.

Way up.

Harper deed it mode backmost implicit the halfway tract fence, cutting the Mets’ pb to conscionable 1 run. Castellanos past followed with his ain to necktie the crippled astatine 3-3.

The assemblage was backmost successful it. After booing Castellanos for swinging and missing earlier, the Philly faithful celebrated him erstwhile again. Citizens Bank Park was practically shaking.

Sanchez went 5 innings portion Severino went six. They were each charged with 3 earned runs.

Not to beryllium outdone, Brandon Nimmo homered with 2 outs successful the apical of the seventh disconnected right-hander Orion Kerkering, putting the Mets up erstwhile again.

The pb was successful the equilibrium successful the bottommost of the seventh aft Jose Butto enactment 2 connected with 2 out. The Mets brought successful Diaz to look Kyle Schwarber and the apical of the order, if helium reached base. This was intelligibly wherever manager Carlos Mendoza felt the leverage was the highest. The person is technically the pitcher a manager calls successful the highest-leverage innings.

It’s 1 of those moves that makes a manager look bully if it works, and angers a fanbase if it doesn’t. It’s what Buck Showalter did with Diaz successful Game 2 of the 2022 Wild Card series. It worked 2 years ago, and it looked arsenic though it would enactment this clip too.

Schwarber battled the right-hander for 7 pitches, moving the number afloat earlier checking his plaything connected a slider successful the dirt. Alvarez blocked it, portion the umpires called Schwarber out, saying helium went astir for onslaught 3.

But past the Mets went down successful bid successful the apical of the eighth and with 1 out, Diaz walked Harper and gave up a azygous to Castellanos. With the number full, Bryson Stott drilled a shot to the nonstop close spot successful close tract helium needed to successful bid to nonstop location some runners. The Phillies took a 5-4 pb and the Mets pulled Diaz for right-hander Tylor Megill.

J.T. Realmuto sent a chopper to Vientos astatine 3rd base. He squared to propulsion home, but helium dropped the shot connected the transportation and Stott came location safely.