CINCINNATI — An important second in crucial recreation of the season this far got here within the backside of the sixth inning. The Mets held a one-run lead over the Cincinnati Reds, who had two on with one out. Ryne Stanek, a right-handed fireballer whose fireballs have been getting hit arduous as of late, got here in to face the center of the order.
Stanek received out of the inning in dramatic trend, and the Mets went on to win 5-4 on Friday night time at American Household Ballpark. The Reds (70-71) are 6.0 video games behind the Mets within the NL Wild Card standings, and received the primary sequence 2-1 at Citi Subject in July. The Mets (76-65) want a sequence win to make sure that Cincinnati received’t be capable of knock them out of that third spot.
“Every game is important, regardless of who we were playing,” stated supervisor Carlos Mendoza. “I’m glad that we were able to get the job done.”
To not be outdone, nearer Edwin Diaz additionally received out of a bases-loaded jam within the ninth, utilizing a mid-inning shoe change and a stellar play by second baseman Luisangel Acuña. Whereas Stanek inherited two runners, this jam was Diaz’s personal creation. Hayes led off with a single, Diaz then issued back-to-back walks to McLain and Friedl.
It was about then that Diaz realized he was unable to plant his left leg after throwing the ball. It was slipping down the mound, affecting his supply and follow-through. He figured it was simply dust he would wish to scrape out of his cleats, however when he picked up his left foot to test, he realized the entrance spike had fully damaged off. With out that spike, he had no grip when his toe landed within the dust.
He got here off the mound and instructed the umpires he wanted to alter cleats. It was an unprecedented transfer, however a staffer retrieved a spare pair from his locker and returned for him to alter them each on the sphere.
“I always land with the front part, I think when it broke, I was slipping on the mound,” Diaz stated. “After I changed, I started feeling better. Started preparing myself a little bit better.”
With a greater really feel for his fastball, the right-hander then struck out Noelvi Marte and Elly De La Cruz.
“I’ve never seen that,” Stanek stated. “That was one of the wilder things I’ve seen. Then to come back and punch out Elly right there was an extreme level of confidence and focus that he had to have right there to kind of go through all that, and then get back up and just go right back. It was spectacular.”
The Reds despatched out pinch-hitter Gavin Lux within the DH spot, who lined one down the appropriate facet. The group exploded, however the ball was simply barely foul. The Mets caught a break.
At 2-1, Diaz threw Lux a slider. He scorched it practically 95 MPH off the bat previous a diving Pete Alonso. The group was already on edge after that final foul liner, and so they, predictably, exploded as soon as once more. However Luisangel Acuña made a diving cease and Diaz was already midway over to first base to cowl for Alonso. Acuña fired a bullet proper at Diaz’s chest for the ultimate out.
“I was sitting here talking to [Tyler] Rogers when it happened, and I go, ‘Well, if anybody can get out of this, it’s Sugar,’” Stanek stated. “I was like, ‘If anybody can punch a couple tickets to get out of this, it’s going to be him. So, yeah, he definitely didn’t make it easy, but it was one hell of a Houdini.”
Coming off a sequence win this week in Detroit in opposition to the Tigers, the Mets noticed left-hander David Peterson a three-run lead within the first inning, and went up 4-1 within the third when Mark Vientos homered off of left-hander Andrew Abbott (8-6). The Reds received one again within the backside of the inning, and a two-out double by Juan Soto within the high of the fourth gave the Mets an insurance coverage run.
That run proved essential.
Cincinnati got here again once more within the backside of the fourth, taking three runs off Peterson to come back inside one run of tying. Peterson received by means of the fifth, however after placing two on within the sixth, the Mets went the conservative route by going to the bullpen for Stanek, who posted a 12.38 ERA final month.
It was a daring determination by Mendoza, but it surely paid off.
“We keep saying that the stuff is right there,” Mendoza stated. “He was capable of execute. He elevated a fastball right now. He received chases with the slider. For him to come back in there and shut it down, it was large.
Stanek has now gone scoreless in his final six outings.
“Anytime you can go out there and help out your boy, and save a couple runs and keep the score there is great, and you feel good about it,” Stanek stated. “It was definitely a good one, especially after kind of how some of the year has gone.”
Stanek bridged the hole to Brooks Raley, who handed the ball off to Rogers, after which lastly, it was Diaz’s flip for the theatrics. Diaz picked up save No. 26 on the season, crediting it to Acuña.
“He saved the game for me,” Diaz stated.
Initially Revealed: September 5, 2025 at 10:00 PM EDT
