Mets survive dramatic ninth inning in Atlanta and beat Braves 10-9
The New York Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves 10-9 in an MLB regular-season game played on Sunday, July 5, 2026, at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. According to MLB's official scoreboard, the matchup ended with 12 hits for each team, with three Mets errors and one Braves error, and the final score does not reflect how close the game came to a complete turnaround. New York led 10-3 in the top of the ninth inning after adding five runs that, at that moment, seemed like enough protection. Atlanta, however, responded with six runs in the bottom of the same inning, put the tying runner on third base and the winning runner on second, but Devin Williams ended one of the most dramatic finishes of Sunday's schedule with a strikeout against Dominic Smith.
The game began at 12:30 local time in Atlanta, and ESPN reported that the contest was also marked by a rain delay. According to MLB.com, the win was credited to Nolan McLean, his sixth triumph of the season, while the loss went to Martín Pérez, and Williams recorded his 13th save. For New York, which according to the official MLB scoreboard had a 37-53 record after the game, the victory was important primarily because it broke a run of negative impressions and brought at least partial relief after a difficult period. For Atlanta, which stood at 52-36 after the matchup, the loss meant a missed opportunity to continue its rise after two consecutive victories in the series against a divisional rival.
Braves opened strongly, but the lead did not last long
The first inning hinted at a game with plenty of traffic on the bases and weak rhythm control on both sides. According to MLB's summary of key plays, the Mets already took the lead in the top of the first inning through Bo Bichette's run-scoring hit, but Atlanta immediately responded in the bottom half. Drake Baldwin opened the home team's attack by reaching base after being hit by a pitch, Ozzie Albies then doubled to right field, and Michael Harris II brought in two runs with a single for the Braves' lead. After an error on a pickoff attempt, Mauricio Dubón added another RBI single and Atlanta went ahead 3-1.
Such a start could have turned the game toward the home team, especially because McLean looked vulnerable in the first minutes of his outing. MLB.com states in its Mets report that the right-handed starter hit the first batter, allowed Albies' early double and then two important singles. Still, the key moment for New York came already at the end of that same inning, when McLean forced Atlanta's hitters into a double play and thereby stopped further damage. That detail did not erase the poor start, but it changed the dynamics of his performance: from the second inning onward, the Mets had enough time to regain the lead.
New York did so very quickly. In the top of the second inning, A.J. Ewing hit a solo home run, his fifth of the season according to MLB's summary, and then Francisco Lindor tied the game at 3-3 with a single. Juan Soto then, with a two-run effect in the same play, brought two runners across home plate, so the Mets turned it around to 5-3. ESPN particularly highlighted Soto's two-run play in its report as the moment with which New York took the lead, and MLB's game summary confirms that this attack set the framework for most of the contest.
McLean recovered after a poor entrance into the game
The Mets' most important individual contribution came from the mound. McLean, according to MLB.com, after giving up three runs in the first inning, managed to stabilize his outing and calm the Braves' offense until the start of the seventh inning. The Mets' official club report states that after the double play that ended the first inning, he retired 16 of the next 19 batters, up to Austin Riley's single at the start of the seventh inning. In total, he allowed three runs, two of them earned, with five strikeouts and 96 pitches, and his season ERA after the outing stood at 3.73.
Such a turnaround in performance was especially valuable because the Braves, after the first inning, remained without a real response for a long time. Battery Power, a site that follows Atlanta, stated that the home team was scoreless for seven consecutive innings after the initial surge, which opened space for New York to control the middle of the game. Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver then, according to the same report, worked clean stretches out of the Mets' bullpen and held the margin until the ninth inning. New York did not play a clean defensive game, as confirmed by the three errors from the official scoreboard, but until the finish it managed to hide those weaknesses with better execution in key offensive moments.
For Atlanta, an additional problem was Martín Pérez's exit. MLB.com states in its Braves report that the left-handed starter left the contest after Juan Soto's 92-mile-per-hour line drive hit him in the left forearm at the start of the fifth inning. X-rays were negative, but according to the same report, a CT result was awaited, and it was expected that Pérez could miss at least several weeks. Pérez finished the contest with five runs allowed, four of them earned, on six hits over 4 1/3 innings, so his injury opened an additional question about Atlanta's rotation depth ahead of the continuation of the season.
Mets' five runs in the ninth turned into the decisive cushion
Entering the ninth inning, the Mets led 5-3, and then seemingly settled the question of the winner. According to MLB's play summary, Tyrone Taylor opened the key attack with a solo home run against Carlos Carrasco for 6-3. Bo Bichette then doubled for two more runs and increased it to 8-3, and Jared Young brought in two more runners with a single for 10-3. At that moment, New York had a seven-run lead, and Atlanta needed a finish on the edge of a historic comeback in order to return to the game.
Carrasco, according to MLB.com's Braves report, allowed five runs on five hits in the ninth inning, and precisely those five runs proved decisive. Had the Mets not capitalized against him, the finish would have had a completely different outcome. Braves manager Walt Weiss stressed in MLB's club report that Atlanta at that point did not have enough available high-leverage options in the bullpen, noting that through seven innings the team could "chase the game," but that in the late phase the strongest options had been used. That assessment explains why Carrasco remained in a situation that quickly slipped out of control.
In a statistical sense, New York's five runs in the top of the ninth inning looked like insurance. In an emotional sense, they proved to be the difference between a win and one of the toughest losses of the season. The Mets entered the bottom of the ninth with a 10-3 lead, but Huascar Brazobán failed to close the game calmly. Atlanta kept reaching base, the pressure quickly increased, and each subsequent contact by the home hitters brought the feeling that a seven-run lead was no longer a safe margin.
Baldwin's grand slam launched the final charge
According to MLB's summary, the Braves in the bottom of the ninth first reduced the deficit after a throwing error in a play in which Dubón scored. Then Drake Baldwin hit a grand slam, his 15th home run of the season according to MLB, and the score suddenly dropped to 10-8. Battery Power stated that it was Baldwin's first career grand slam, as well as only his second home run in 16 games after returning from the injured list. That hit completely changed the atmosphere at Truist Park and brought Atlanta back from a situation that just a few minutes earlier had looked almost lost.
After Baldwin's hit, the Mets were forced to turn to Devin Williams, but that move did not immediately stop the surge either. Matt Olson doubled, then advanced after a wild pitch, and Michael Harris II brought in another run with a single for 10-9. Mauricio Dubón then singled to left field and further raised the tension: Atlanta had the tying runner at third base and the potential winning runner at second, with two outs. Dominic Smith then stepped to the plate against Williams, but the Mets closer found enough control and ended the game with a strikeout.
MLB's summary stated that this was the first major league game since September 3, 2019, when the Mets and Washington Nationals met, in which both teams scored at least five runs in the ninth inning. Battery Power additionally emphasized that, had Atlanta managed to complete the comeback, it would have been the first case since 2000 in which an MLB team overcame a deficit of seven or more runs in the ninth inning and won. Those details give a broader frame to the finish: it was not merely a chaotic ending to one game, but a scenario that happens extremely rarely in modern MLB.
Impact on the standings and continuation of the series
For the Mets, the victory had a double meaning. In terms of results, according to the official MLB scoreboard, it brought them a 37-53 record and stopped part of the negative pressure surrounding the team in a season below expectations. Psychologically, however, the way the victory was achieved leaves room for caution. New York at one point had a seven-run lead in the final inning, yet still had to defend a minimum margin with runners in scoring position. ESPN emphasized in its report that the Mets almost squandered a large lead, and MLB's club report for New York described the finish as a late threat that Williams had to stop with the tying and winning runners in scoring position.
For the Braves, the loss was painful because it came after a finish that first looked lost, then almost saved, and in the end still remained only a dramatic failed comeback. Atlanta, according to the official scoreboard, remained at 52 wins and 36 losses, but missed the opportunity for a third consecutive victory, which Battery Power notes as a streak the team had not achieved for a month. Additionally, Pérez's condition could have consequences beyond the game itself, because a possible move to the injured list would further burden the rotation and bullpen during a period when teams are approaching the summer portion of the schedule and the All-Star break.
In the series against the divisional rival from the National League East, the Mets' Sunday victory broke Atlanta's run after the Braves' earlier wins. Amazin' Avenue before the game listed the starting lineups and noted that New York entered the matchup with Nolan McLean as the starter, while Atlanta began with Martín Pérez. That pitching matchup ultimately marked the entire contest: McLean survived a poor first inning and led New York toward victory, while Pérez, after early problems and an injury, left the game before Atlanta got the chance for a complete comeback.
The Mets thus took from Atlanta a victory that will be worth the same in the standings as any other, but it will be remembered for the way it almost disappeared in the final inning. The Braves showed that even from a large deficit they can produce an attack capable of changing a game in a matter of minutes, but Dominic Smith's final strikeout left New York on the winning side. In a sport in which even a big lead can melt away through a few bad pitches and a few hard contacts, this game served as a reminder of why the ninth inning in baseball rarely allows premature relaxation.
Sources:
- MLB.com – official scoreboard of the New York Mets - Atlanta Braves game, score by innings, records, winning and losing pitcher, and saves (link)
- MLB.com Game Story – summary of key plays, including runs in the first, second, and ninth innings, and the note on the rarity of both teams scoring five or more runs in the ninth inning (link)
- MLB.com Mets – report on Nolan McLean's outing and the finish in which the Mets defended the victory (link)
- MLB.com Braves – report on Martín Pérez's injury, the state of Atlanta's bullpen, and the context of the loss (link)
- ESPN – game report and confirmation of the final score, rain delay, and key elements of the Mets' victory (link)
- Battery Power – analysis of the finish from Atlanta's perspective, including Baldwin's grand slam, the failed comeback, and the broader context of the series (link)
- Amazin' Avenue – game preview with starting lineups, start time, and broadcast information (link)