Mets stun Nats with 4 run 9th to win

*Photo from Newsday*

   The Mets were out of it a month ago. Now, they're right there. Michael Conforto shot a walkoff double to right field to cap a 4 run 9th inning to stun the Washington Nationals with a 7-6 win. The Mets now sit a half game back of the second wild card spot in the NL, tied with the St.Louis Cardinals. The Mets were 0-44 this season when trailing after 8 innings, until tonight. Todd Frazier said that ''You don't feel like you're out of a game when you're on a run like this. You can't really explain it to people."

   The scoring didn't start until the 4th inning, when Anthony Rendon tripled to right field to score Adam Eaton. Juan Soto followed that up with a two run shot to right field to put Washington ahead 3-0. The Mets tied it in the bottom half thanks to a two run homer by Pete Alonso and a solo shot by JD Davis. In the 7th, Rendon blasted a two run homer, and Trea Turner scored on a wild pitch in the 9th to make it 6-3 Washington. In the bottom of the 9th, with two men on base, Frazier blasted the game tying 3 run bomb to left field to tie it at 6. A few batters later, with two on and two out, Conforto shot the ball over Eaton's head in right field to seal the game.

   Both teams thought they had lost seasons at different times this year, but Citi Field felt like a playoff atmosphere on Friday night. This was one of the biggest games at Citi Field since the 2016 wild card game. Marcus Stroman said that ''The crowd brought it, I don't think they realize how much we feed off that and how much that kind of gets us going.'' Conforto said that ''We've always felt like we could compete with everybody in this division, we started the year that way and I think our confidence is just building with each win.'' 

   Game two of the series will take place on Saturday, and Patrick Corbin will get the start for Washington as they look to rebound. Corbin will make his 5th start against the Mets this year, and he has a 1-1 record this year against them. The Mets will go for the series win by sending Noah Syndergaard to the mound. He is 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA since the all star break, and hasn't allowed a homer since July 6.