Juan Soto leads Mets comeback with game-tying single in 7th to defeat Angels

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Jul 21, 2025

Published in Baseball

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NEW YORK — It’s tough to diagnose exactly what’s wrong with the Mets at the moment. The offensive problems have lingered for weeks with no clear answers, and even their best pitchers seem to be unable to get hitters out the way they did earlier in the season.

But the one thing they still have is resolve.

Down by three runs to the Los Angeles Angels in the bottom of the seventh, the Mets put together a three-run rally with Juan Soto driving in two with a single off right-hander Reid Detmers to tie the game. The Mets capitalized on an error in the eighth to score twice more, taking the first game of the series 7-5 on Monday night at Citi Field.

Left-hander Ty Anderson pitched into the seventh inning for the Halos, leaving the game with runners on first and second with no outs. Detmers came in to face the top of the order and beaned Brandon Nimmo to load the bases for the scuffling Francisco Lindor.

The clubhouse leader looked like an MVP candidate earlier in the season, but hasn’t looked like himself for the last month, hitting just over .200 in July and only .154 in the last two weeks. Still, he found a way to contribute, beating out a double play to score Francisco Alvarez. He then swiped second to put runners on second and third.

All Soto needed to do was put the ball in play. He poked a single right between the shortstop and second baseman to clear the bases.

Brooks Raley pitched a scoreless eighth to give the Mets a chance to win, and the Mets repaid him with two runs in the bottom of the inning to give him the win, his first since returning from a year-long Tommy John layoff (1-0).

Brett Baty drew a one-out walk from right-hander Jose Fermin (2-1) to bring up Alvarez. In his first game back from a 19-game Triple-A stint, the catcher uncorked a long double, sending center fielder Chris Taylor crashing into the wall in right-center. Baty held up at third, and the Mets pinch-hit for Luisangel Acuña with Ronny Mauricio as the Angels went to the bullpen for left-hander Brock Burke.

Mauricio hit a hard ground-ball right to Yoan Moncada at third, but his throw home was wild and forced catcher Logan O’Hoppe off the plate. Baty scored and Alvarez went to third. A fly-ball by Nimmo sent him home.

Edwin Diaz struck out the top of the order to shut the door and earn his 20th save.

Kodai Senga, making only his second start since returning from a hamstring strain, was restricted to only 70-75 pitches. Though his forkball got plenty of swings and misses, he also missed his location with it, walking three hitters.

The walks proved costly when they put a dent in his pitch count, but a third-inning walk issued to Mike Trout was even more costly. With two outs and two on, it extended the inning and gave the Angels a chance to build on their 1-0 lead. Taylor Ward doubled to left field to score Luis Rengifo and Trout, and an error by Lindor put him on third. Ward came home easily on a single by Jo Adell, and the Halos went up 4-0.

It was Senga’s last inning, with the Mets pulling him after 73 pitches, four earned runs, three walks and five strikeouts.

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