OK, not that kind of perfect game. You probably would have heard about it by now.
But the Mets — because, if there even is a “because,” baseball season is about ebbs and flows, and the sport is essentially and elementally maddening and perverse — played a game Tuesday night that was pretty much near perfect, from the starting pitching and a spot of relief to the hitting and baserunning and the defense.
Yes, the same Mets who staggered through the summer with problematic dominoes falling and seemingly every game containing some land mine you knew was destined to go off under an orange and blue foot. Why? See above.
None of that angst was needed against the Nats. David Peterson [1] — who uncharacteristically collapsed against the Braves last time out [2] — was electric against Washington, commanding all of his pitches and carving up the Nats, with poor James Wood [3] looking particularly helpless. (Wood is in one of those downturns that comes with the cat and mouse of pitchers adjusting to young hitters and vice versa; it’s all part of a hitter’s progression but still no fun to be in.)
The sixth inning was the most impressive, to me: After surrendering a leadoff double, Peterson fanned Brady House [4] on three changeups at the bottom of the zone, only to get tagged for a Jacob Young [5] single on a non-sinker that moved runners up to first and third. No worries: Peterson tormented Wood with sinkers and sliders, fanning him with one low and away that he couldn’t touch, then got CJ Abrams [6] to hit a harmless fly ball to center. Inning over, minor threat dispensed with; Peterson wound up going eight with just one run surrendered.
On the other side of the ball, the Mets went ham on poor Jake Irvin [7] and a parade of relievers, with homers from Mark Vientos [8], Brett Baty [9], Juan Soto [10] and Jeff McNeil [11] — a power display that was particularly welcome amid word that Francisco Alvarez [12] sprained the UCL in his thumb and will sit idle for about two weeks, then see if he can play through pain the rest of the way. It’s no secret that Vientos is key to the rest of this confounding season, but also potentially notable is that Luis Torrens [13] looked better than he has in some time, hitting in tough luck before collecting an eighth-inning double.
A quartet of home runs generally speaks for itself, but the most reassuring AB was the one that started the scoring: In the third, with one out and runners on first and second, Brandon Nimmo [14] worked the count to 3-1 against Irvin. Irvin left a fastball in the middle of the plate, but Nimmo was looking for a ball he could drive instead of a walk, and he drove this one over the infield, scoring Francisco Lindor [15] and sending Soto to third — and then hurried into second when the Nats indulged in a little fantastical thinking and tried to nab Soto at third. Controlled aggression at the plate, followed by alert baserunning? That will work.
Was everything perfect in Met Land? No, of course not — Pete Alonso [16] looked lost at the plate and Lindor struck out three times. But a good offense can withstand a couple of cylinders misfiring; on this night, the Mets were every bit the good offense [17] we’ve constantly heard about but only witnessed in fits and starts. That will work too.