The New York Mets experienced a dramatic collapse Friday night, losing 6-4 to the Chicago White Sox after blowing a four-run lead and surrendering a walk-off home run. Pitcher Sean Manaea was on track for a victory, holding a substantial lead into the sixth inning, but three consecutive home runs by the White Sox tied the game.
The decisive blow came in the ninth inning when Jake Rogers hit a walk-off homer against Mets reliever Jefry Yan, sealing the loss for New York. Yan walked Colson Montgomery with two outs before Rogers ended the game.
Yan had a premature celebration after what he believed was a strikeout of Montgomery with an 0-2 count, but the pitch was ruled a ball. "Jefry will learn not to jump before the play is over," interim manager Andy Green said. "That is something he is still working through. I think the emotions of the moment got him there and then he settled in nicely." Yan, however, stated his early celebration did not affect his performance.
Manaea's outing was a departure from a recent string of solid performances that had helped revive his season. He had allowed four earned runs in his previous start against the Nationals, pitching 6 1/3 innings. Despite the recent struggles, president of baseball operations David Stearns had praised Manaea's work ethic and progress this season.
Mets initially took a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI single from Marcus Semien, part of a three-hit frame. Their lead extended to 4-0 in the fourth inning when Brett Baty hit a two-run double, aided by a misplay in right field. Bo Bichette added to the lead with his 13th home run of the season in the fifth inning.
However, the momentum shifted drastically in the sixth when Miguel Vargas launched a two-run homer, followed by back-to-back home runs from Randal Grichuk and Colson Montgomery, which tied the game. It marked the second time this season the White Sox achieved three consecutive home runs.
Relievers Nate Lavender and Daniel Duarte provided solid innings for the Mets' bullpen. Lavender pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, extending his streak without allowing a run, while Duarte lowered his ERA to 0.82 with two outs in the eighth. Both have been noted standouts in the Mets' bullpen since the trade deadline.