It was cold. It was dark. It was depressing.
It felt just like October.
Facing the Dodgers for the first time since falling in last year’s NLCS, the Mets made a dramatic ninth-inning comeback, then squandered multiple walk-off opportunities before suffering a deflating, 13-inning, rain-interrupted return bout against the defending champs, 7-5, Friday night at Citi Field.
The Mets (30-21), who have lost six of their past eight games, had recorded just three hits entering the ninth, and trailed by three, when Jeff McNeil inspired hope, hitting a two-run triple.
Tyrone Taylor followed with a game-tying single off Dodgers closer Tanner Scott, but Luisangel Acuña struck out with the winning run on third, sending the game to extras.
Juan Soto went 0-for-5, with a walk — hearing a smattering of boos, as his average dipped to .236 — and failed to capitalize on a walk-off opportunity in the 10th, before Pete Alonso — who failed to homer for the 15th straight game, matching the longest drought of his career — ended the inning with a deep fly to center.
Acuña opened his 11th-inning at-bat with three balls, and the bases loaded, but extended the game with a groundout. With runners at the corners, Luis Torrens hit into an inning-ending double play in the 12th.
“We didn’t get the last one,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We had traffic and we kept putting the ball on the ground. They executed pitches and we didn’t make adjustments.”
Following two scoreless innings by Reed Garrett, Mendoza turned to Huascar Brazobán, who opened the 13th by allowing a run-scoring double to Teoscar Hernández, then a sacrifice fly to Andy Pages.
Francisco Alvarez, who went hitless and has just two hits in his past 25 at-bats, ended the game by making his fifth and final out at 12:56 a.m.
“We played hard, we played tough, we had plenty of chances to win it there,” McNeil said. “We didn’t get it done. It’s tough.”
When the 98-minute rain delay ended — and the Knicks game was pulled from the jumbotron — starter Griffin Canning was left behind, replaced by Max Kranick, who loaded the bases in the third inning, then surrendered the game’s first run on an infield single by Will Smith.
Hernández followed with a hard hit ball past Brett Baty, putting the Dodgers up 3-0.
Canning was held responsible, credited with allowing three runs, along with four walks and one hit in 2 ²/₃ innings.
Baty put the Mets on the board in the bottom of the third, hitting his sixth home run of the season.
He has now hit five home runs in his past 12 games.
The Mets cut the deficit to one in the fourth inning, opened with a bunt hit by Starling Marte, who advanced to second on a throwing error.
After reaching third, Marte appeared to end the inning by getting thrown out at home after tagging up, only for third base umpire Tripp Gibson to rule that Max Muncy committed obstruction by blocking Marte’s view of the catch, awarding the Mets the run.
In the fifth, Muncy doubled the Dodgers’ lead by ripping a single to left, and Pages followed with another run-scoring single, giving L.A. a three-run lead, as the visitors puffed out their chests with “Let’s go Dodgers” chants, filling the brisk air.
The Mets fought back, inspiring through the improbable, ultimately coming up just short.
It felt just like October.
