Sean Manaea delivered his strongest performance of the season on Sunday, striking out 11 batters over seven innings to lead the New York Mets to an 11-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The dominant outing, which featured fastballs at 95 mph and limited hard contact, evoked reminders of the $75 million contract the Mets gave the left-hander. Manaea's start was his fourth consecutive outing of at least six innings, allowing two earned runs or fewer. Since May 10, he has pitched to a 3.39 earned run average, bringing his season ERA to 4.13. He did not issue a walk during Sunday's game, completing seven innings on 91 pitches.

Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, August 9, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Manaea began the season in the bullpen after a lackluster spring but has recently shown the form of a solid middle-of-the-rotation option. He is signed through the next season. The Pirates' only run against Manaea came in the third inning when former Mets prospect Jake Mangum homered. Offensively, the Mets amassed 11 runs. Bo Bichette led the charge with a 5-for-5 performance, driving in three runs. Luis Robert Jr. and Francisco Alvarez also contributed with home runs. Robert Jr. hit a two-run homer in the third inning, his fifth of the season. Alvarez added his 13th homer in the fifth inning. The Mets established an early lead with two runs in the first inning. Carson Benge delivered an RBI single, and Robert Jr. followed with a sacrifice fly. The team extended their lead to 5-0 in the third inning when Robert Jr. homered and Marcus Semien added an RBI single after a Jared Young triple. The Mets broke the game open in the fourth, scoring four runs. Bichette cleared the bases with a double, and Young contributed an RBI single to make the score 9-1. The victory marked the Mets' fifth win in their last six games and secured their second series victory of their current three-city road trip. The team improved to 5-1 in their last six games.