Mets Put Up 19 Runs To Become MLB's First To 20 Wins

 

Citi Field. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets rolled to a 19-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday evening to become the first team in Major League Baseball to reach 20 wins.

With a record of 20-9, they are a touch ahead of the three powers in the west, surprising San Francisco Giants, who are 19-10, and the Los Angeles Dodgers (18-10), and San Diego Padres (17-11) for National League supremacy. the Mets have a 4 1/2 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies (15-13) in the N.L. East.

This win caps the toughest weekend of the season for the Mets. The Nationals stunned them with a 5-4 walk-off win on Friday night, and then after the Mets notched a 2-0 shutout win Saturday evening, they came back from 7-1 down to stun the Mets with another walk-off win, 8-7.

The Mets got off to an early lead in the top of the second inning, backed by two players who made their season debuts. Francisco Alvarez got an RBI double, followed by a Jeff McNeil sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 Mets in the top of the second inning.

McNeil then led off the top of the fifth with a solo home run, his first of the year, to make it 3-0.

In the sixth, Jesse Winker and Mark Vientos each drew walks off Washington starter Trevor Williams to open the frame before the Nats turned to left-hander Colin Poche for Brandon Nimmo. 

After taking a pair of pitches out of the strike zone, crushed one to right-center field for a three-run homer to give New York a 6-0 lead. 

The following inning was when the Mets really blew it open, taking no chances after Sunday.

Cole Henry entered for Washington for the top of the seventh, and he opened it by hitting Francisco Lindor with a pitch. He then allowed a double to Juan Soto before Pete Alonso got an RBI single to make it 7-0.

Winker drew another walk to load the bases, and after Mark Vientos struck out, Nimmo blasted one to right-center field, this time for a grand slam. That made it 11-0 Mets.

That wasn't all for the Mets left fielder, as he laced a two-run double in the eighth to make it 13-0. 

Nimmo went 4-for-6 with two home runs and an astonishing nine RBI. He is now hitting .218, with six home runs and 21 RBI.

The nine-RBI day ties a Mets franchise record set by Carlos Delgado on June 27, 2008, at old Yankee Stadium in game one of a two-stadium doubleheader.

It was Nimmo's seventh multi-home run game, with the last one coming on April 8, 2004 at the Atlanta Braves. It was his second career grand slam, with the first coming on June 8, 2023, also in Atlanta.

Mets starting pitcher Griffin Canning got the win to improve to 4-1, with a 2.61 ERA (earned run average) on the season. He threw five shutout innings, scattering forums hits and three walks, while striking out five. This also was his 100th career start.

The Mets' 19 runs marked the sixth time in franchise history they have hit that plateau, with the last time coming on August 16, 2018 in Philadelphia. 

In April, the Mets are now 18-7, with those 18 wins setting the team record in the month, surpassing the 16 wins in 2002 and 2006. They have a chance to set a new National League mark for wins in April, with two shots to pass the record of 19.