The Philadelphia Phillies reclaimed first place in the National League East with a 10-2 win over the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night.
Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on RBI singles from Otto Kemp and Brandon Marsh before the Mets tied the score in the sixth on back-to-back homers by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil off Taijuan Walker, who took over after Zack Wheeler pitched five scoreless innings.
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However, the Phillies pulled away with six runs in the seventh, ignited by the first five batters getting hits against Mets reliever Reed Garrett. Marsh and Trea Turner led off the frame with doubles, scoring one run, followed by Kyle Schwarber drawing a walk and Alec Bohm hitting an RBI single.
Garrett was yanked for Justin Garza, but the hit parade continued for Philadelphia. Nick Castellanos drove in Schwarber with a single and J.T. Realmuto walked. That set up the most exciting and visually amusing play of the game.
Bryson Stott hit a deep drive to left-center field, barely missing a home run that hit high off the wall. Bohm scored, then was followed by Castellanos and Realmuto running in a single file, looking like they rode a toboggan into home plate.
Both runners eluded Luis Torrens' tag, each slapping the plate with their left hands to score. Had Castellanos run any slower or Realmuto any faster, there might have been a pile-up near home plate that resulted in an out. Instead, the Phillies boosted their lead to 8-2.
"Rounding third base, in my head, I was like, 'We're either going to both be out or both be safe,'" Realmuto said to MLB.com's Paul Casella after the game. "Luckily, we both snuck in there."
"I think I was smiling the whole time," he added. "Like I said, it's one of those plays you never really prepare for, so it was fun to be a part of."
The Phillies added to their lead in the eighth on a two-run homer by Castellanos, finishing with a 10-2 win and reclaiming first place in the NL East for the first time since May 19. The Phillies stayed in first until May 31 amid a four-game losing streak that knocked them from the top spot.
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Philadelphia has won three in a row and nine of their past 11 games. Meanwhile, the Mets have lost seven consecutive games, losing what was a 5.5-game lead on June 13. It's the team's longest losing streak since 2023.
“This is not good,” said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, via The Athletic. “This is not good at all. But it’s adversity that we’re going to have to go through at some point of the year. It’s just, we want to get away from it as fast as we can. It’s a tough moment in the season.”
Both teams are back at it on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET. Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA) starts for the Phillies, while Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80) goes for the Mets.
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