The Mets Ended Their 12-Game Skid With Two Pitchers Heading to the Same Mound

Two pitchers walked to the mound at the same time. In a major league baseball game. In the ninth inning. With the lead on the line.

I genuinely had to read the ESPN report twice to make sure I understood what happened.

When you're snapping a 12-game losing streak — the longest the Mets have had since 2012 — you'll take the win any way it comes. Even if "any way it comes" means total bullpen chaos.

The Mistranslation

Here's what happened, according to ESPN. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reliever Huascar Brazobán he'd only pitch the ninth inning if the game stayed tied. The Mets then took the lead. Brazobán, apparently, didn't get that memo — because both he and closer Devin Williams started heading to the mound at the same time.

I can picture this scene and it's equal parts hilarious and horrifying. You've got two grown professional athletes in full uniform walking out to the same mound, looking at each other, and presumably realizing one of them is very confused. The Mets have been having a rough month, and somehow this is how they decide to close out a game.

But here's the thing about Brazobán — he was already in a hole before the confusion even started. In the 8th inning, ESPN reported he allowed a 2-run grand slam to Ryan Jeffers that tied the game at 7-7. Then Bo Bichette hit a go-ahead 3-run double to put the Mets back up. Brazobán recorded just one out before Mendoza pulled him. Williams came in, struck out two batters, and got credited with the win. He's now 1-1 on the season.

So the guy who caused the near-disaster in the eighth is also the guy who tried to walk out for the ninth despite being told to stay in the dugout. That's a rough night for Brazobán any way you slice it.

The Bichette Moment

Let's not bury the actual baseball story inside all the chaos, though. Bo Bichette hit a go-ahead 3-run double that put New York back in front after Brazobán gave up that grand slam. That's a massive swing moment — going from tied to leading by three in one at-bat.

Bichette has been a solid addition to this Mets lineup and that's exactly the kind of hit you need from a mid-lineup bat when your bullpen is actively melting down around you. ESPN's account of the inning makes it clear the game had real drama before anyone started confusedly walking to the mound — the Jeffers grand slam was a gut punch, and the Bichette double was the response. That's actually good baseball buried under a really weird story.

Final score: Mets 10, Twins 8. Williams recorded the win. The streak is over.

The Bigger Picture for NY

A 10-8 win ending a 12-game skid should feel purely celebratory. And it does — but there's stuff worth paying attention to here beyond the box score.

Francisco Lindor was placed on the injured list with a left calf strain. ESPN confirmed the news. Lindor is the Mets' heartbeat — their captain, their emotional leader, and one of the best shortstops in the game. Losing him for any stretch of time is a real problem, even if the lineup has enough depth to cover some of his production.

And Juan Soto, who had been out for 15 games with a right calf injury of his own, recently returned. Two calf injuries on the same team in the same stretch of the season. That's worth watching. The Mets are going to need both of those guys healthy if they want to actually compete in the NL this year, and right now the medical situation is unstable.

The bullpen situation has to be addressed too. Brazobán's performance — the grand slam, the confusion, the one-out exit — can't become a pattern. Mendoza needs to sort out his reliever roles and make sure the communication is crystal clear. "Mistranslation" is a funny word for it. A two-run grand slam and a pitching mound situation that belonged in a comedy sketch is less funny when it almost costs you a game you desperately needed to win.

The Bottom Line

The Mets are off a 12-game losing streak that was starting to feel like a crisis. They won, it was messy, and the chaos involving two pitchers heading to the same mound will be a story people are telling for years. But a win is a win, Devin Williams got the job done when it mattered, and the Bichette double showed there's still real offense in this lineup when it shows up.

Lindor on the IL is the storyline I'm watching most closely coming out of this one. The Mets need him. Soto coming back is a positive sign — but if New York can't stay healthy, the bullpen confusion will be the least of their problems. Right now, though? They ended the skid. I'll take it.