There are wins, and then there are wins that feel like the team owes you an apology afterward. The Mets-Marlins game Friday night at Citi Field was the second kind. New York coughed up a lead, watched Owen Caissie launch a no-doubter to tie it in the 8th, and only escaped because somebody finally remembered which dugout was the home side.
The pregame mood at Citi Field was already weird — Mr. Met showed up in a 'NOT MR. MET' hat and a 'Davey' nameplate, the world's least convincing disguise.
Caissie's swing was the moment the whole vibe shifted. 397 feet, 103.4 off the bat, and a 7-7 tie that had Mets fans staring at the bullpen door like it was a horror movie.
Caissie's 397-foot blast that knotted the game in the 8th.
Frank Fleming was not having a great evening. The bullpen usage, Baty's effort, the defense — every inning gave him a fresh thing to scream into the timeline about. His Carlos Mendoza review came in roughly as warm as you'd expect after watching a 7-run lead disappear into the late innings.
Tank's verdict on the Mets' skipper after the bullpen kept handing the Marlins life.
An absolute masterclass masterpiece game in horrendous bullpen management by Carlos Mendozeoff tonight
And then, somehow, the Mets got the last word. Extras, Pete Fairbanks throwing 98, an 0-2 count, and a walk-off swing that turned a frustrating night into a 9-7 escape. The on-screen graphic credited the hit to a Mets player wearing No. 1 — whoever it was, the building exploded.
The walk-off that bailed everyone out in the 10th.
Wins are wins, even the ugly ones. But if you're keeping score at home: Caissie announced himself, the bullpen needs a long talk, and Citi Field got the kind of night that ages everyone in section 130 by about a decade. On to the next one.