The Mets have made a habit of winning Jacob deGrom’s starts during his historically dominant 2021 season.
Saturday, even though deGrom did not have his best stuff, they continued that trend with some help from another favorite trend: feasting on the Phillies’ bullpen.
After the Mets were gifted a fielding error and another meltdown by a Phillies reliever in the ninth inning, Michael Conforto hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly for the 4-3 win at Citi Field, sending the season-high crowd of 29,205 into a frenzy.
“The things we’re doing this year, they feel different to me,” Conforto said. “We haven’t even really gotten hot at the plate yet, which is a good sign that we’re in first place and we’re still coming back and scratching out wins without being particularly hot at the plate.”
It marked the fourth time in the first three games this series that the Phillies bullpen blew a one-run lead, two of them coming Saturday. The Mets (40-32) improved to 8-4 against the Phillies (35-39) this season, with five of those wins coming against a reliever.
Saturday, it was Hector Neris who coughed up a 3-2 lead that the Phillies had taken in the ninth inning off Edwin Diaz.
Pinch-hitter Travis Blankenhorn led off the bottom of the ninth by reaching on a fielding error by first baseman Rhys Hoskins before Billy McKinney drew a pinch-hit walk. Kevin Pillar, who had tied the game at two in the seventh inning with a solo home run off reliever Ranger Suarez, followed with an infield single to load the bases.
Luis Guillorme then tied the game at three by drawing a walk on a close 3-2 pitch. Francisco Lindor struck out next, but Conforto finished off the win with a fly ball to center field, hit just deep enough to score McKinney from third.
“It’s just the resiliency of this team,” Pillar said. “We never feel like we’re out of games. We always feel like we’re one hit or one at-bat away from getting hot. … We all believe in one another and I think that’s why we’ve been able to, when things don’t look very good offensively,… we still figure out ways to win games.”
In the midst of an historic season, deGrom delivered his worst start yet — though one most pitchers would settle for. The ace gave up two earned runs for the first time this season (in his 13th start) on three hits and one walk while striking out a season-low five over six innings. By the time deGrom left the game, with the Mets trailing 2-1, his ERA had risen from 0.50 to 0.69.
After his scoreless streak ended at 31 innings — tying his own career-high but falling short of R.A. Dickey’s franchise record of 32 ²/₃ innings — deGrom said he got out of whack mechanically and only had a feel for his fastball and slider. But he still turned in a strong start, especially after getting out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the sixth by only allowing a sacrifice fly.
“Jake is human, so these things are going to happen,” manager Luis Rojas said. “He threw the ball really well, gave us a chance to win and I’m glad the guys fought until the end for this big win today.”
Jose Peraza’s RBI double in the second inning had erased the Mets’ first deficit and Pillar’s home run in the seventh wiped out the second. Pillar was in an 0-for-16 skid before the game-tying blast off Suarez, who had relieved starter Zach Eflin.
The crowd roared for Pillar, but it was only a preview of what was to come in the ninth inning, when Conforto sent the Mets to their 40th win in 72 games — the quickest they have reached that mark since 2010.
“The more and more people you get in, the more it feels like a playoff atmosphere, even today,” deGrom said. “They were loud all day and it was fun to be a part of.”