The Phillies and Mets were tied 1-1 in the eighth inning with the bases loaded when the Mets pushed two runs across to take a 3-1 lead. Needing a reliever to hold the lead, the Mets called in a new arm from the bullpen. But the pitcher sprinted in at full speed, gasping for air by the time he reached the mound. J.T. Realmuto looked confused, and the moment quickly went from awkward to disastrous. Still out of breath, the pitcher couldn’t settle down, even stepping off once to recover. His first pitch was a ball at 91 mph, clearly not his best effort. Then, with one out and two men still on, he left a pitch over the plate and Todd Frazier crushed it for a three-run homer. That made it 6-1 and effectively shut the door on the Phillies.
After giving up the home run, the gassed reliever walked off slowly, clearly spent both physically and mentally. The Mets brought in another pitcher who jogged in at a reasonable pace and looked much more composed. It was a rough outing that stood out not just for the results, but for how avoidable the mess seemed. A lack of preparation and poor decision-making turned a close game into a blowout.