Aug 26, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh (16) reacts after striking out against the New York Mets during the eighth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
NEW YORK - Nine.
It's a number that represents a lot of things for the Phillies right now.
It could have been the lead they had in the NL East had they arrived in the Big Apple and imposed their will upon a Mets team who has not been good for the past couple of months.
It represents the inning in which they assumed they had a lock down closer after acquiring Jhoan Duran, and although he's only given up two earned runs in the month he's been here, it seems odd that a guy who can throw 103 mph actually has so much contact against him - and in his last three outing has allowed eight hits.
It's approximately the number of pitches missed by first-year umpire Willie Traynor, who was working just his 12th game behind the plate in a Big League game and tossed Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo who was barking at him as he walked off the mound after being pulled from the game.
It's pretty incredible that on an umpiring crew with C.B. Bucknor and Scott Barry, it's another ump that's emerged as the villain of the game.
It represents the number of runs the Phillies bullpen has allowed in the last two games against the Mets, re-opening some old wounds that the team thought it had put behind them with the additions of Duran and David Robertson and the return of Jose Alvarado.
But more than anything else, it's a number that is unfathomable when the Phillies play baseball at Citi Field - because that's how many consecutive losses they have in the Mets fun house - that is anything but for the Phillies.
And in the process, they have let a recently woebegone Mets team back in the NL East race.
The latest nightmare unfurled Tuesday, in a 6-5 Phillies loss that ended with the Mets getting four consecutive singles off Duran int he bottom of the ninth to walk it off.
But so much happened before that.
Let's start with the bottom of the first inning.
Juan Soto was the second batter of the game for the Mets, and as he is wont to do, pulled some shenanigans with the rookie ump behind the plate and it annoyed Luzardo.
Jesús Luzardo was NOT happy that Juan Soto was granted time out pic.twitter.com/Soweb6MDz0
Traynor never should have granted time, but did.
"When I think something's not fair I'll be sure to stick up for it," Luzardo said. "And what happened there ... I don't think it was right. I said my piece and we moved on from it It is what it is."
Luzardo said Traynor told him that he stopped in his windup which is why he granted the timeout. Luzardo insisted he didn't stop, but said he wasn't going to argue it further.
"There was no point," he said.
Then there was a foul ball at the plate, that Soto tossed away before J.T. Realmuto could grab it and throw it back to Luzardo, which ticked him off more.
Jesus Luzardo was NOT happy with Juan Soto tossing his foul ball pic.twitter.com/i1q7lX3pcl
And then there was the fact that there were three pitches that were all strikes that Traynor called balls.
Jesús Luzardo got in the face of home plate umpire Willie Traynor. Traynor granted time to Juan Soto after Luzardo was already in the windup.
Traynor missed three strikes that same at-bat. pic.twitter.com/NMLfUGp9uI
Luzardo ended up giving up a hit to Pete Alonso and then walking Mark Vientos before striking out Brandon Nimmo to get out of the inning.
He was fired up.
Exhibit A
(Via @aokstott) pic.twitter.com/SUIJkqfYla https://t.co/Hsokz0O3hz
What that video doesn't show you is he said something to Soto as he walked off the field.
Jesús Luzardo to @AntSanPhilly: “I’m not really an emotional guy. Pretty calm out there for the most part, just when I think something’s not fair, I’ll make sure to stick up for it.” pic.twitter.com/LPSav4ZWVT
He then settled in the next three innings. He gave up a couple hits and hit a batter, but came through it all unscathed.
Then came the fifth inning.
Going into the inning with a 2-0 lead, Luzardo started it off by hitting Met catcher Luis Torrens to lead off the inning. He then gave up consecutive singles to Francisco Lindor and Soto and then walked Starling Marte in another at bat where a couple of pitches that were strikes were called balls.
Manager Rob Thomson had seen enough... he saw the lead slipping away and needed to get Luzardo out of there. On the way out, Luzardo had some choice words for Traynor.
Jesús Luzardo to home plate umpire Willie Traynor as he exited: “Wake the fuck up. This isn’t the minor leagues.”
He was ejected, not that it mattered when he was already pulled.
pic.twitter.com/56I9CKMTVZ
Unsurprisingly, Traynor tossed him - from a game Luzardo was already removed from by his manager.
Stuff like this only seems to happen in this place.
Thomson handed the ball to Orion Kerkering, who a double to Alonso, a single to Vientos, a sacrifice fly to Nimmo and walkers Tyrone Taylor - a .206 hitter this season who somehow reached base on seven consecutive plate appearances in two games against the Phillies.
Again... only at Citi Field.
It looked like the game was going to get away from the Phillies but, to their credit, they clawed their way back in this one.
they scraped out a run in the sixth on three hits, with the RBI knock coming on an infield single by Edmundo Sosa.
And then in the eighth, one guy immune to the Murphy's Law outcomes for the Phillies in Citi Field - and likely because Harrison Bader played here for the Mets a year ago - knotted the score
Former Met Harrison Bader ties the game with a towering home run! 🍎
pic.twitter.com/FGbkueRxTX
Bryson Stott walked, stole second and third, but pinch hitter Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner both struck out against Mets closer Edwin Diaz.
In the top of the ninth, Kyle Schwarber hit a ball into the top row of the second deck in right field off Diaz - but it was foul.
Because, of course it was.
Diaz came back to strike out Schwarber, who has gone a week without a hit, and then struck out Bryce Harper, too, before getting Realmuto to ground out.
So came the bottom of the ninth. And in came Duran. And it didn't matter what he threw, the Mets hit it. Fastball. Splitter. It didn't matter. Because in Citi Field, suddenly, Duran's filthy pitches are negated by kryptonite.
Brandon Nimmo delivers a #walkoff hit for the @Mets! pic.twitter.com/QLbjWS7Ord
"He was probably just up in the zone," Thomson said. "It's a shame. That's going to happen."
Only at Citi Field.
Duran though had a different take.
"I felt good, you know," Duran said. "I threw the pitches where I wanted to throw it and they made contact and hit ground balls past the defense. They put the ball in a spot where there isn't anybody there. They had good luck today."
The Mets must have replaced the baseball doughnut in the on deck circle with a lucky horseshoe.
And just like that, the Mets are back within five games of first place. Yes, the Phillies have one more chance to slay the Freddy Kreuger impersonators in blue pinstripes and make this nightmare that has played on loop nine consecutive times finally come to a close and breathe a little easier with a six-game lead and 29 games to play.
But if the monster under the bed comes and gets them again, then the favorable math will diminish even more.
"I don't think anybody got into this locker room by doing math," Bader said. "Every game - win by 10, lose by 10 - it's one game and you just try to gather information from it. ... We got a lot of baseball left and it's always going to come down to the end, So I think we're just practicing for those big moments."
As long as they don't have to try to succeed in those big moments at Citi Field. Because if so, God help us all.
