Young's sensational catches lead Nationals to 3-2 win that damages Mets' playoff chances

Sep 21, 2026, 05:24 pm

NEW YORK -- — Jacob Young made a pair of sensational catches in center field to prevent extra-base hits Sunday as the Washington Nationals hung on and handed the New York Mets a costly 3-2 defeat.

The Mets, who have lost 11 of 15 and are 35-52 since mid-June, dropped into a tie with the streaking Reds for the final National League wild card. Cincinnati, which beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0, holds the tiebreaker over New York.

With the Mets down 3-1, Brett Baty led off the fifth inning with a long fly to center against Jake Irvin (9-13). Young initially made a twisting, leaping catch, but lost the ball as he crashed into the wall. As the ball was falling toward the ground, a stumbling Young kicked it back up into the air — hacky-sack style — and gloved it a second time for a circus catch.

Young made an even more timely catch when he leaped and reached over the left-center fence to rob Francisco Alvarez of a tying homer leading off the ninth.

Francisco Lindor homered leading off the sixth for the Mets, but Mitchell Parker escaped a two-on, one-out jam. Making his first major league relief appearance after 59 starts, Parker threw the final 3 2/3 innings to earn the save in relief of Irvin, who entered 0-8 with a 9.00 ERA in his previous nine outings.

Daylen Lile scored on Lindor’s throwing error at shortstop in the second, when Nasim Nuñez hit a two-run homer off Sean Manaea (2-4), reinstated from the paternity list before the game.

Cedric Mullins had an RBI single in the second, when his sinking liner eluded a sliding Lile, who exited with a bruised left knee.

Manaea gave up four hits and struck out three in three-plus innings.

Key moment

Nuñez’s homer was his third this month after he went his first 74 big league games without one.

Key stats

The Nationals won their second series over the Mets in a month. … The Mets finished 49-32 at home and drew 3,182,057 fans to Citi Field this season — their most ever at the ballpark, which opened in 2009.

Up next

LHP MacKenzie Gore (5-14, 4.00 ERA) starts Monday as the Nationals continue their final road trip against LHP Chris Sale (5-5, 2.35) and the Atlanta Braves.

After a day off, LHP David Peterson (9-6, 3.98 ERA) pitches Tuesday for the Mets at Wrigley Field against Chicago Cubs rookie Cade Horton (11-4, 2.66).

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