Thursday, October 1, 2026
73 ° Clear
73 ° Clear
It seemed like a scene out of a cheesy horror film as Philadelphia's Center City skyline disappeared from view due to smoke from recent wildfires in Eastern Canada.
The conditions forced Major League Baseball (MLB) to move up the start time of Thursday night’s contest by an hour in an effort to combat deteriorating conditions. When all was said and done, the oversized scoreboard at Citizens Bank Park read more like a Hollywood comedy script with the New York Mets defeating the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1.
New York catcher Francisco Alvarez hit a solo home run in the second inning to stake the Mets to an early 1-0 advantage. The contest stayed that way into the sixth inning when All-Star Kyle Schwarber blasted a ball to right field that hit the top of the fence above the blue IBX.com banner before bouncing back into the field of play. While it was reviewed for a potential home run, the call on the field stood, and Schwarber was ultimately stranded on second base after Brandon Marsh struck out to end the inning.
Nola re-entered for the seventh frame after dealing 90 pitches over the first six innings, a decision that did not turn out well for Philly. The 33-year-old starter allowed back-to-back home runs to Brett Baty and Alvarez to steal the runs (and momentum) right back from the Phillies after extending their lead to 3-0.
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“I take him out too early… I leave him in a little too long,” interim manager Don Mattingly said with a slight chuckle during his postgame comments about his handling of Nola’s outing. “You really take each game for what it is. I think if he was struggling in the sixth, then I would’ve been more proactive. I felt good about him right there.”
Jonathan Bowlan trotted out of the bullpen to get out of the inning. New York rookie A.J. Ewing doubled down the left field line to tack on a late run in the ninth to finalize the crooked numbers in a 4-1 loss for the Phillies.
Philadelphia’s record slips to 54-44 following the defeat, while New York improves to 41-57. Both teams will enjoy a scheduled off day after battling through the tricky weather conditions on Thursday night. The second contest of the three-game set is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Phillies All-Star Jesus Luzardo is receiving the ball for the first time since his appearance in the Mid-Summer Classic earlier this week.
