Huascar Brazoban's performance in the ninth inning on Sunday nearly led to a significant loss for the New York Mets against the Atlanta Braves, but the team ultimately escaped with a 10-9 victory. Brazobán, who had entered the final frame with a seven-run lead, surrendered five earned runs before Devin Williams closed out the game with the final two outs.
It is possible that rust played a role in Brazobán's outing, as he was pitching for the first time in eight days. Interim manager Andy Green acknowledged that pitchers can experience "waves of usage" throughout a season and that Brazobán had pitched frequently prior to this gap. "He has been used a ton, and then you have stretches where your situation doesn’t arise. He’s a guy that has been ridden all year," Green said.
Brazobán allowed four hits, a walk, and committed a throwing error on a pickoff attempt that allowed a run to score. He also gave up a grand slam to Drake Baldwin, marking the first home run he had allowed since June 2. His ERA rose to 3.00 following the performance.
Williams entered the game with the Mets leading 10-8 and recorded the second out by striking out Ozzie Albies. However, Matt Olson doubled and Michael Harris II followed with an RBI single. Mauricio Dubón then singled, putting the tying run at third and the winning run at second. Williams ultimately ended the threat by striking out Dominic Smith to secure the save.
The Mets also received strong performances earlier in the game from Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver, with Weaver extending his scoreless streak to 25 innings. "There’s a lot of good things to take out of this baseball game," Green stated. "We’re going to take the good out of it."