Soto’s grand slam in the fourth inning off veteran right-hander Charlie Morton gave the Mets a 6-3 lead, marking not only his 36th home run of the season but also the first time this year he’s gone deep with more than two runners on base. Soto later delivered a two-run triple off Drew Sommers in the sixth, breaking a 6-6 tie and giving the Mets an 8-6 advantage. Since August 1, Soto is batting .423 (11-for-26) with a 1.446 OPS with runners in scoring position, underlining his value in clutch moments.
The Mets’ offense was firing on all cylinders, but pitching remained a concern. Starter Sean Manaea struggled again, surrendering five runs on eight hits in just 3.2 innings, raising his ERA to 7.81 over his last six starts. Despite allowing double-digit hits for the fourth consecutive game, the Mets’ bullpen—led by Edwin Díaz, who notched his 25th save in 27 opportunities—managed to hold off a persistent Tigers lineup.
Detroit, who started the day with a 9.5-game lead atop the AL Central, jumped ahead early thanks to Jahmai Jones’ leadoff homer—his first of a four-hit game—and a two-run shot from Gleyber Torres in the third. The Tigers kept pace, tying the game at 6-6 in the fifth after a wild pitch by Ryne Stanek. However, defensive gems, including a critical diving catch by Cedric Mullins in the sixth, helped New York maintain their edge in the late innings.
From a statistical perspective, the game highlighted both teams’ contrasting strengths and weaknesses. The Mets’ hitters posted a +78.9% Win Probability Added (WPA), with Soto alone contributing +65.3% WPA, while their pitchers lagged at -28.9% WPA. For Detroit, the inability to contain Soto and capitalize on Mets’ pitching woes proved costly, despite a resilient offensive showing.
The victory allowed New York to maintain a four-game lead over Cincinnati for the final NL wild card spot. Looking ahead, the Mets will send rookie right-hander Nolan McLean (3-0, 0.89 ERA) to the mound against Tigers’ Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1, 4.32 ERA) in the next game of the series.
For further stats and breakdowns, visit the Mets vs. Tigers recap on ESPN and check out the detailed box score at Baseball-Reference.