Gabriel Arias launched a three-run home run and then provided a game-ending sacrifice fly in the 10th inning on Monday evening as the traveling Cleveland Guardians overcame the New York Mets with a final score of 7-6.
The Guardians took a 5-0 lead in the first game of a three-match interleague series and have secured five wins out of the last six. The Mets suffered their sixth loss in seven games.
New York relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (3-2) deliberately issued a walk to Jose Ramirez at the start of the tenth inning. David Fry executed a sacrifice bunt, and third baseman Brett Baty's attempt to throw out a base runner at second missed its target, sending the ball into the outfield. This allowed automatic run scorer Daniel Schneemann to cross home from second base, with Ramirez advancing to third.
Ramirez reached base without difficulty after Arias hit a deep fly ball to right field.
Cade Smith (4-4) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and escaped a bases-loaded situation in the ninth inning. Baty recorded a sacrifice fly in the tenth against young pitcher Nic Enright, who secured his initial save.
Fry and Carlos Santana each recorded RBIs with single hits, as Steven Kwan and Brayan Rocchio both collected two hits individually for the Guardians.
Pete Alonso batted 4 out of 5 times, hitting a home run and driving in four runs for the Mets, as Mark Vientos contributed a sacrifice fly. Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto both recorded two hits each.
The two teams managed only five hits over the first five scoreless innings, then experienced a wild last four innings.
Kwan started the sixth inning with a hit, then Sean Manaea struck out Angel Martinez with a pitch, after which Fry and Santana each recorded run-scoring hits without recording an out. Arias then hit his eighth home run of the season.
Lindor fanned as the inning opened in the bottom half against Slade Cecconi but got to first base after a wild pitch. Rocchio made an error fielding Soto's ground ball, allowing Alonso to hit a three-run home run into left-center. Alonso now has 251 career home runs, just one short of the team’s all-time mark set by Darryl Strawberry.
The Mets scored a tie in the eighth inning after starting with four consecutive hits against Hunter Gaddis. Alonso's hit narrowed the lead to 5-4, just two batters before Vientos' game-tying sacrifice fly.
Manaea surrendered five runs on seven hits without issuing any walks, fanning three batters across 5 2/3 innings. Cecconi yielded three runs (two of which were earned) off four hits and one base-on-balls, recording six strikeouts in six innings pitched.
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