Francisco Alvarez hits go-ahead homer in Mets' thrilling back-and-forth win over Cubs

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Sep 23, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, the Mets showed they aren’t willing to go down without a fight.

There were three lead changes and two ties before Francisco Alvarez hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the top of the eighth. A 9-7 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field keeps the Mets' playoff hopes alive for at least another night.

The Cincinnati Reds (80-77) practically gifted the Mets (81-76) their spot back in the NL wild-card standings with a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Their loss and the Mets’ win moved the Mets back into third place in the wild-card standings with a one-game lead.

However, if the Mets are going to make the playoffs, they likely can’t pitch David Peterson again this week. The left-hander imploded early, giving up five earned runs in fewer than two innings to put the Mets in a 5-1 hole.

The bullpen was nearly emptied in the first game of a six-game road trip through Chicago and Miami. Peterson, who was such a huge weapon for the Mets last season, has posted an 8.42 ERA over his last nine starts, and went only 1 1/3 innings against the Cubs. His next start would be Sunday against the Marlins in the regular-season finale.

The Mets erased a five-run deficit to tie the game in the fifth innin before going ahead in the sixth with Brandon Nimmo’s three-run homer. The Cubs (88-69), the wild-card leaders who already punched their ticket to the playoffs, came right back to tie.

Then, in the top of the eighth with one on and two out, Alvarez took a 3-1 fastball from left-hander Caleb Thielbar and drove over the ivy and into the left-field seats. Alvarez’s 10th home run of the season was quite possibly the most clutch one anyone in a Mets uniform has hit all season.

Edwin Diaz pitched two innings for the save, retiring the side quickly after the Mets took the lead for a final time.

There were sloppy errors and misplayed balls from both teams.

Peterson allowed a single and a stolen base in the bottom of the first inning, and with two outs, he walked cleanup hitter Carson Kelly. A fly ball by Carlos Santana sailed over Juan Soto’s head in right field for a double. The misplayed ball cost the Mets two runs, and the Cubs took a 2-1 lead.

It grew to 5-1 in the second. The Mets brought in Huascar Brazobán, who gave up a run of his own in the fourth to make the score 6-1.

Jeff McNeil made two consecutive errors in the fourth to give the Cubs an insurance run.

However, it was clear that some of the mistakes and misplays were the result of the Mets trying too hard. The Reds and Diamondbacks own the head-to-head tiebreakers over the Mets, making for some extremely thin margins.

They used that frustration against Mike Soroka and Taylor Rogers in the top of the fifth.

The Mets scored three times in the fifth to cut the Chicago lead to 6-3 before the Cubs went to the bullpen for Rogers, the brother of Mets reliever Tyler Rogers. The left-hander came in to face Nimmo (2 for 5, home run, three RBIs), who took him deep to right field to even the score.

The Mets went ahead in the sixth after a double from McNeil, and a single from Francisco Lindor (2 for 5, home run, three RBIs) after a pitching change in the top of the sixth. But Tyler Rogers couldn’t hold the inherited runner on in the bottom of the inning, and the game was tied once again, 7-7.

Cubs starter Cade Horton was removed after three innings with back tightness. The Mets managed only one run off of him on two hits.

Neither team looks ready for the playoffs, but the Mets made it known that they’re also not ready to give up.