For one inning, it looked like the Braves were about to pick up exactly where they left off after Saturday’s offensive explosion against the Mets. By the end of the afternoon, they had nearly authored one of the wildest comebacks baseball has seen in years. Instead, Atlanta was left wondering what might have been after falling 10-9 to New York in a game that featured a stunning nine-run ninth inning.
Atlanta wasted little time grabbing the early advantage. After Drake Baldwin was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the first, Ozzie Albies doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Michael Harris II followed with a one-out single that plated both runners and gave the Braves a 2-1 lead. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt helped create another opportunity, and Mauricio Dubón delivered an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-1.
Mets Take Control After Fast Braves Start
That fast start suggested another big offensive afternoon was coming after Saturday’s 14-3 victory. Instead, the Braves’ bats disappeared.
Mets starter Nolan McLean recovered quickly after the rocky opening inning, allowing just five hits and three runs, only two of them earned, across six innings. He struck out five while walking one and limited Atlanta to only two hits over the remainder of his outing. The Mets bullpen kept the pressure on, with Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver retiring every batter they faced before Huascar Brazobán took over in the ninth.
While Atlanta’s offense went quiet, New York steadily built its lead. Martín Pérez ran into immediate trouble, allowing a first-inning run before the Mets erupted for four more in the second. The first five hitters reached during the inning as New York surged ahead 5-3.
Pérez Injury Adds to Atlanta’s Concerns
To Pérez’s credit, he recovered after the rough stretch, retiring nine consecutive batters. His afternoon ended abruptly, however, when a line drive off the bat of Juan Soto struck him on the left forearm in the fifth inning. Pérez exited after 4 1/3 innings, having allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits. The immediate concern shifted from the score to the severity of the injury and what it could mean for Atlanta’s already tested starting rotation.
The Braves bullpen largely answered the challenge after Pérez’s departure. Tyler Kinley escaped the fifth, Danny Young and Dylan Dodd each delivered scoreless innings, and Carlos Carrasco, recalled earlier in the day, worked a clean eighth. Everything unraveled in the ninth, though, as Carrasco surrendered five runs on five hits, giving the Mets what appeared to be an insurmountable 10-3 cushion.
Braves Rally Falls One Hit Short
Then came one final surge. Atlanta opened the bottom of the ninth by putting its first four hitters aboard. Baldwin, one day after receiving his first All-Star selection, launched the first grand slam of his major league career, trimming the deficit dramatically and energizing the home crowd.
The rally kept growing. Matt Olson doubled, advanced on a wild pitch, Michael Harris II beat out an infield single, and Dubón lined another hit to left. Suddenly, the tying run stood on third base while the winning run reached second with two outs.
The Mets were forced to summon closer Devin Williams, who allowed three hits before finally ending the game by striking out Dominic Smith.
The comeback fell one hit short, but it nearly produced history. It marked the first major league game since 2019 in which both teams scored at least five runs in the ninth inning. Had Atlanta completed the rally, it would have become the first team since 2000 to erase a deficit of seven or more runs in the ninth inning and win.
Instead, the Braves were left with a frustrating defeat that snapped their two-game winning streak and denied them their first three-game winning streak in a month. After showing resilience in the final inning, they now turn their attention to Monday night, when Reynaldo López takes the mound as Atlanta tries to salvage the four-game series and avoid settling for a split.
