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New York Mets suffer a devastating loss after a controversial rain delay
(Kathy Willens/AP) Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia blew the save
The New York Mets suffered a brutal loss on Thursday thanks to a controversial rain delay.
Up 7-5 in the top of the ninth, with two outs and one strike, the Mets were two strikes away from a series win over the Padres, keeping them right in the middle of the hunt for the NL Wild Card spot.
However, as rain came down, the umpires called a rain delay that lasted 44 minutes.
Mets fans were obviously displeased:
Are they seriously STOPPING this game with two outs in the 9th inning? SERIOUSLY!!!??? #Mets
— Jason Radowitz (@Jason_Radowitz) July 30, 2015
When the game resumed, the Padres Derek Norris, who went down 0-2 in the count, singled, followed by a single from Matt Kemp to put two runners on base. Justin Upton then hit a three-run homer to put the Padres up 8-7.
Afterward, there was another rain delay lasting two hours and 52 minutes. The delay was so long, people started to wonder whether the game would be canceled, in which case the Mets would have won as the score would have reverted back to the last full inning, which in this case would have been the eighth inning.
Instead, play resumed, and the Mets went down in three batters and lost the game, falling to 52-50, four-and-a-half games back of the Wild Card.
Between this and the non-trade that brought a player to tears, it was a rough 24 hours for the Mets. Making matters worse, the Mets had been leading 7-1 before a grand slam from Norris in the seventh inning that brought the score to 7-5, setting up Upton's home run.
Though their season is far from over, this was a big win that slipped through their fingers. The Mets now enter a crucial series with division-rival Washington Nationals, who lead the NL East by three games.
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