The New York Mets’ season of heartbreaks found yet another gut punch on Sunday. Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz’s scoreless streak came to a stunning end in a 7-6 walk-off loss to the Brewers. The Mets had built a five-run cushion, but they saw it evaporate late against the Brewers. It ended with Diaz surrendering a leadoff home run in the ninth to Isaac Collins.
Pitching for only the third time in two weeks, Diaz entered in the eighth and recorded the final out with the game tied. In the bottom of the ninth, the Mets closer made a mistake he had largely avoided since early June. Facing Collins, Diaz worked the count to 2-2 before leaving a slider right over the heart of the plate. The swing that followed sent the Brewers pouring out of the dugout in celebration, and sent the Mets to their seventh straight loss.
After the game, Diaz revealed the decision that haunted him most. Catcher Francisco Alvarez had called for a fastball, but Diaz shook him off. “I always want to throw my slider down in the zone and try to make him chase,” Diaz explained. “I just missed it. Francisco Alvarez was calling for a fastball and I shook him off. Next time I will follow him.”
That one pitch snapped an impressive run. Since June 6, he had gone 19 straight appearances without allowing an earned run. Edwin Diaz looked every bit like the dominant closer the Mets envisioned anchoring the bullpen. But with one poorly located slider, that streak was history.
The loss was particularly painful for a Mets team desperately seeking momentum. Their bullpen had been a rare stabilizing force during a brutal summer slide. But the collapse in Milwaukee underscored how quickly fortunes can shift in baseball. For Diaz, the lesson was clear. Sometimes trusting your catcher is the safer bet, especially in a game that demands precision under pressure.
As the Mets head home after another crushing defeat, they face the challenge of shaking off a game that slipped away in the most painful fashion. For the Brewers, the walk-off capped a comeback that could spark their own playoff push. The Mets are left wondering how many more gut punches they can withstand.