The Mets had to wait an extra 19 hours to get Jacob deGrom on the mound at Citi Field.
They waited a few more before finally mustering enough offense — in dramatic fashion — to avoid spoiling another one of his starts.
Jose Peraza hit a game-tying home run in the seventh inning to force an eighth inning, where Jeff McNeil delivered a walk-off, two-run single to lift the Mets to a 4-3 win over the Brewers in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon.
After Peraza took Josh Hader deep to tie the game at two, Edwin Diaz came on to pitch the eighth inning with ghost runner Jace Peterson starting on second. He retired the first two batters he faced but then lost command, walking a pair of batters to load the bases before hitting Christian Yelich to force in the go-ahead run.
The Brewers brought on Brent Suter to pitch the bottom of the eighth, and he began by hitting Dominic Smith to put runners on first and second. James McCann then worked a nine-pitch at-bat before walking to load the bases for McNeil.
McNeil, who has been mostly quiet since coming off the injured list last month, shot a single back up the middle to score Francisco Lindor and Smith, who beat the throw from center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
Peraza had made sure deGrom’s start didn’t go to waste, coming off the bench to drill home run off Hader with one out in the seventh inning to tie the game 2-2. Hader entered the day 20-for-20 in save opportunities and had not allowed a home run this season.
DeGrom struck out 10 over seven innings but allowed two solo home runs that almost left him with the loss.
Brewers stud right-hander Corbin Burnes limited the Mets to just one run on six hits over 5 ²/₃ innings before Devin Williams got out of a bases-loaded rally in the sixth inning to keep the 2-1 lead intact.
Luis Urias did what just three batters had ever done before in deGrom’s career and took him deep to lead off the game. The Brewers third baseman turned on a 99 mph fastball and crushed it for a no-doubter into the left-field seats.
But the Mets came right back to tie the game in the bottom of the first inning against Brewers stud right-hander Corbin Burnes. Nimmo continued to be a sparkplug atop the lineup since returning from the IL, leading off with a double to the gap. He came around to score on Lindor’s bloop single, tying the game 1-1.
After Urias’ leadoff shot, deGrom locked in and retired the next 13 Brewers in a row. That stretch included his 1,500th career strikeout — the second-fastest pitcher to reach that threshold, one game behind Yu Darvish (197) — getting Willy Adames looking at a 100 mph fastball on the black in the fourth inning as he struck out the side.
Jace Peterson snapped the stretch with one out in the fifth inning, cracking another solo home run off deGrom to put the Brewers up 2-1.