NEW YORK — Carson Benge reached first base and lifted both arms triumphantly after delivering the game-winning hit for the New York Mets in extra innings, marking his second walk-off RBI in just five days.
A collision between Yankees players Anthony Volpe and Max Schuemann behind the pitcher’s mound allowed Marcus Semien to score the deciding run on Benge’s two-hop grounder, as both defenders tumbled to the ground after Schuemann had fielded the ball.
“Once it went over the pitcher’s head I kind of knew,” Benge said.
The dramatic victory came after Tyrone Taylor launched a crucial three-run blast off All-Star closer David Bednar with two outs in the ninth inning, followed by Benge’s walk-off hit one frame later, as the Mets shocked the New York Yankees 7-6 on Sunday to capture two games of their three-game Subway Series at Citi Field.
“He’s like 20 years old, hitting a bunch of walk-offs,” the 32-year-old Taylor said as he walked by the 23-year-old Benge to address the postgame media scrum.
The comeback snapped a streak of 91 straight losses for the Mets when behind after eight innings, dating back to Pete Alonso’s three-run homer off Devin Williams that sparked their victory at Milwaukee in the deciding Game 3 of their 2024 NL Wild Card Series.
The injury-depleted Mets (20-26) reached 10-5 in May despite playing without injured regulars Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr., while the Yankees (28-19) finished a disappointing 2-7 road trip before returning home for seven games against AL champion Toronto and AL East-leading Tampa Bay.
“Guys are playing tough and making the plays they need to but just coming up a little bit short,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said. “We’ve got to have a short memory, move on and get ready … because we’ve got a big division opponent coming in.”
Called up from the minors on Tuesday after shortstop José Caballero suffered a broken finger, Volpe contributed a go-ahead two-run single and drew a bases-loaded walk for his first RBIs this season. His production helped the Yankees establish leads of 5-1 in the sixth and 6-3 in the seventh, positioning them for what would have been their first series victory at Citi Field since 2018.
Benge and Bo Bichette opened the ninth with back-to-back singles against Bednar. After Juan Soto grounded into a forceout and Mark Vientos struck out, Taylor connected on a first-pitch hanging curveball that traveled 404 feet, barely staying fair inside the left-field foul pole.
“I didn’t know it was going to stay fair,” Taylor said. “I kind of waited there to see if it would.”
Taylor’s teammates surrounded him in the dugout celebration, as he beamed while still wearing his wraparound sunglasses and received the team’s ceremonial orange construction helmet and matching hi-visibility vest.
Earlier in the contest with the score tied 1-1 in the fifth, Taylor entered as a pinch hitter with two outs and runners on the corners but was denied by center fielder Trent Grisham, who made a spectacular diving catch. Taylor also lined out to Schuemann near the left-field warning track in the seventh.
Those near-misses convinced Benge that Taylor was destined for a clutch hit in the ninth.
“I kind of blacked out for him,” Benge said. “I had a feeling. I didn’t tell him but I had a feeling, and to be able to see that was so sick.”
Bednar suffered his second blown save in 12 opportunities and now carries a 4.95 ERA. He has surrendered runs in six of his past nine outings.
“Overall it’s unacceptable, especially in that spot,” Bednar said. “It’s just very frustrating.”
Williams (3-1), now pitching for the Mets, induced Austin Wells to ground into an inning-ending double play in the 10th.
Tim Hill (0-1) took over for Bednar to start the bottom half, and A.J. Ewing advanced Semien, the automatic runner, to third base with the first sacrifice bunt of his professional career. The Yankees positioned Schuemann from left field to create a five-man infield, and Luis Torrens — whose pinch-hit two-run double had narrowed the gap in the sixth — was struck by a pitch.
Benge’s chopper hit off home plate and bounced high before settling between the mound and second base. Schuemann, stationed to the right of second, caught the ball on a short hop and prepared to throw to catcher Austin Wells when Volpe crashed into his right shoulder, sending Schuemann stumbling.
“A no-man’s land there,” Volpe said. “We’re both just trying to make a play on the ball.”
Semien had reached the halfway point to home when Schuemann secured the ball. Once Schuemann regained his footing, throwing home was futile.
“With Timmy on the mound, it’s more than likely going to be a ground ball in that situation,” Schuemann said. “It’s just one of those things that we’re both going to be aggressive to that baseball no matter what. We both want to make a play.”
The Mets claimed their second consecutive victory despite committing a costly fielding error that allowed a run to score. Bichette moved over from shortstop but let Grisham’s sixth-inning popup in shallow left field bounce off his glove, one day after Benge dropped Cody Bellinger’s fly ball for his second defensive mistake in right field during the homestand.
“We get down. We get punched in the face. We get back up,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Today was a perfect example when, like I said, we didn’t play our best game and we still are able to shake hands at the end.”
