NEW YORK _ A pitching duel here Saturday turned into a late-inning game of shotmaking.
Padres third baseman Yangervis Solarte ended Jacob deGrom's shutout bid, which previously had been a budding no-hit bid, with a game-tying home run. New York Mets pinch-hitter Kelly Johnson boomed a drive that center fielder Travis Jankowski ran down for a 400-foot sacrifice fly. With the Padres down to their last out in the ninth, first baseman Wil Myers re-tied the score with a laser into the left-field seats.
Following a one-inning lull, the crowd at Citi Field erupted. In the bottom of the 11th, with runners on the corners and one outs, Wilmer Flores redirected a Brandon Maurer pitch for a hard grounder up the middle. Ryan Schimpf cut it off in front of the second-base bag and, with a runner charging toward home, fired toward the plate. The throw veered wide of the target, however, and Neil Walker scored the winning run in a 3-2, walk-off victory.
For six innings, it looked as if the Padres had run up against a buzzsaw. Their struggles were especially pronounced. As deGrom cut through their lineup, the visitors committed almost as many errors as they had baserunners.
San Diego starter Jarred Cosart gamely attempted to provide a remedy. The right-hander made his third start for the Padres his best. He navigated a trio of defensive miscues and induced 12 groundouts. He didn't allow a hit after the second inning.
After not making it out of the fourth in his Padres debut, then allowing five runs in as many frames, Cosart finished with six innings of one-run ball. The only damage against him came in the first, when he issued a leadoff walk, uncorked a wild pitch and surrendered an RBI single.
Cosart nearly dueled deGrom to a draw, which would've been something to behold.
Like Cosart, deGrom walked the first batter he faced. Unlike Cosart, deGrom immediately bore down, inducing a double play. He proceeded to strike out each of the next four Padres.
When he retired the side, again, in the third and the fourth, it marked 10 consecutive hitless innings for San Diego. In Friday's 8-6 victory, the Padres blitzed the Mets with four home runs before going silent from the top of the fourth and on.
Schimpf, who accounted for two of those four homers, bested deGrom with a one-out single in the fifth, but the interruption was temporary. deGrom got Jabari Blash to ground into a double play, ensuring he had faced the minimum through five.
In the seventh, deGrom reached two outs and threw an 0-1 change-up down in the zone. Solarte, who'd struck out looking and popped out, took a two iron to the pitch. A 385-foot homer hurtled over the fence in right, tying the score at 1-all.
deGrom walked off the mound after seven innings. He'd allowed just one run on three hits. He'd struck out nine.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Mets answered Solarte's blast. Flores reached on an infield single. Reliever Jose Dominguez issued a walk and faced two on, no outs. A sacrifice advanced both runners. With one out, Johnson redirected a full-count heater with a loud thwack. Jankowski, who had been positioned a long way from the warning track, pulled off a running, over-the-shoulder basket catch at the dirt.
The crowd still cheered. Flores jogged home as the go-ahead run.
In the bottom of the ninth, one of the game's best closers took the mound. But with two outs and the count 1-1, Jeurys Familia elevated a sinker.
Myers, who'd bounced into a double play and twice struck out looking, ripped a 428-foot shot to left-center. The crowd sat, stunned. Myers had his 23rd home run of the season and his second game-tying or go-ahead homer with his team down to its last out. (With the Padres trailing by a run, Myers swatted a three-run homer June 10 at Colorado.) No other major leaguer has more than one.
Padres right-hander Brandon Morrow, who hadn't pitched in the majors since May 2, 2015, reappeared in the bottom of the eighth and retired the side.
