The Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets played a tight game on Monday, which saw catcher Francisco Alvarez strike out swinging on three away balls to end the ball game.
The pitching units from both sides had their way for most of the game as only one run was scored on the night, which came in the second inning when Nick Castellanos drove in Max Kepler with an RBI single to right field.
The Mets had several opportunities throughout the game to tie the score. However, what happened in the ninth inning has to be the one that will make them regret.
Mets' Francisco Alvarez had a brain-fade moment to hand Phillies a 1-0 win
With Jhoan Duran on the mound, the Mets started the inning with a single from Pete Alonso, followed by a one-out double from Mark Vientos to load the second and third bases. A potential single could have led to a win as both runners were in scoring position.
Jeff McNeil first stepped in. Duran put him on the defensive by making the count 0-2. McNeil held tight and made the count 2-2. After hitting the fifth pitch for a foul ball, he struck out swinging. This at-bat was understandable since McNeil tried his best.
However, the following at-bat was awful. Duran kept it far away from Francisco Alvarez's at-bat on all three pitches on which the Mets catcher was taking a massive swing. It resulted in a three-pitch swinging strikeout as the Mets ended up on the losing side of a 1-0 game. One fan already calling the at-bat as "one of the worst" in MLB history.
Potentially the worst AB in MLB history from Francisco Alvarez…pic.twitter.com/VZmyZMAcJv
— Bookit Sports (@BookitHQ) September 9, 2025
With the win, the Phillies solidify themselves at the top of the NL East leaderboard. They hold a comprehensive 8.0 game lead over the second-placed Mets, who are holding onto the final wildcard spot. If the Mets continue to miss out on such opportunities, they might have to concede their wildcard spot to either of Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants or Arizona Diamondbacks.