Mets ride late heroics into series finale vs. Blue Jays

The New York Mets ended 2024 with the understanding that the identity they built during a surprising run to the National League Championship Series wouldn't carry into 2025.

Then again, maybe it has.

The Mets will look to build on another dramatic win and complete their first sweep of the season on Sunday afternoon when they host the Toronto Blue Jays.

Left-hander David Peterson (1-0, 3.00 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis (1-0, 3.00).

The Mets earned a 3-2 walk-off victory Saturday night. Jesse Winker laced a two-run triple in the eighth before Francisco Lindor lofted the game-winning sacrifice fly an inning later.

The victory marked the second time in the last three games that the Mets have completed a late comeback by scoring the winning runs in their final at-bat. Pete Alonso hit a game-tying, three-run homer in the eighth inning Wednesday before New York scored twice in the 11th and held off the host Miami Marlins 6-5.

Last season, the Mets overcame a 24-35 start and clinched a wild-card berth when Lindor hit a go-ahead, ninth-inning homer in game No. 161, an 8-7 win over the Atlanta Braves. New York was two outs from elimination in Game 3 of the NL wild-card series three days later when Alonso hit the two-run homer in the ninth inning of a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Mets then posted two comeback wins over the Philadelphia Phillies in a four-game NL Division Series before falling to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.

"It reminds me that we have a group of guys that are going to compete, that are going to fight," Lindor said Saturday night.

The Blue Jays took a 2-0 lead on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s RBI double in the fifth inning and Bo Bichette's run-scoring single in the sixth.

But Toronto, which was blanked for the first time this season in Fridays 5-0 loss, missed a chance to add to the lead in the seventh when Alejandro Kirk hit into an inning-ending double play. Mets closer Edwin Diaz allowed consecutive one-out singles to Bichette and Guerrero in the ninth inning before striking out Anthony Santander and Andres Gimenez.

"Had our chances tonight, didn't work out," Toronto manager John Schneider said.

The Blue Jays got some good news after the game when George Springer, who left the contest after he crashed into the right field wall trying to catch Winker's game-tying triple, was diagnosed with lower back spasms. Springer is hitting .379 over the first nine games of the season.

Peterson earned the win last Monday, when he allowed two runs over six innings as the Mets beat the Marlins 10-4. He is 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in two career starts against the Blue Jays.

Francis also earned the win last Monday by allowing two runs over six innings in the Blue Jays' 5-2 victory over the Washington Nationals.

He had a memorable first outing against the Mets last Sept 11, when Francis carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning before Lindor hit a leadoff homer. Francis ended up without a decision as New York stormed back for a 6-2 victory.

--Field Level Media