Braves score nine runs in fourth to stun Mets in one of season’s best wins

NEW YORK – One wouldn’t believe it unless they watched it unfold. The 2025 Braves, mired in so much inadequacy, seemed torpedoing towards another lifeless loss until a seismic shift occurred over the course of just three outs.

The Braves were down 6-0 after three innings. Their starter Carlos Carrasco, recently acquired to eat innings, was full; he consumed just two.

“I was thinking I was going to have to fire up (utilityman) Luke (Williams to pitch) again,” manager Brian Snitker said.

The offense, meanwhile, had been markedly improved in the second half but still isn’t striking fear in pitchers like it’s 2023. And the Mets had All-Star southpaw David Peterson starting - on National Left Handers Day, nonetheless.

Lo and behold, the Braves summoned the spirits of seasons past. They concocted a nine-run fourth inning that concluded with boos so thunderous that the earlier storm, which delayed the game 95 minutes, felt feeble.

When the chaos subsided, the Braves had defeated the Mets 11-6 at Citi Field in a victory that easily ranks among the season’s finest. And the result dealt a blow to the reeling Mets, who’ve lost 12 of 14 and are clinging to the National League’s final wild card spot.

“It was nice - we were dead in the water there real quick, got behind the 8-ball then came roaring back,” Snitker said. “These guys have been doing it. They’re not looking at the standings or anything. They’re trying to win a game. And it’s really good to see.”

The Braves have had an assemblage of awful losses. They have 28 one-run defeats. They’ve blown leads. They’ve seen rallies squandered. This hasn’t just been a poor season in the win-loss column; it’s often unfolded in excruciating fashion.

The memorable wins are much fewer, which must make Wednesday so sweet. What a delightful surprise.

“We didn’t get down on ourselves,” outfielder Michael Harris II said. “We knew we had to do the little things to (cut into) the lead.”

As for the anatomy of this borderline miracle: The Braves sent 12 to the plate in the fourth. They had four hits and drew five walks. They had two extra-base hits that produced seven runs. Peterson faced seven hitters before he was mercifully removed.

Catcher Sean Murphy walked twice, including the first one that started the madness. Outfielder Jurickson Profar had a bases-clearing double, his third hit of the evening already. Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna had his first of two hits, a single, before homering in the sixth.

The grandest highlight: Outfielder Michael Harris II, a changed hitter in the season’s second half, had two hits in the frame. The Braves had pulled within 6-5 before Harris blasted a go-ahead grand slam off reliever Reed Garrett.

It was the Braves’ largest single-inning scoring total since scoring 11 in the second inning of a Sept. 9, 2020 game against the Marlins. It’s the 13th time this season a team has scored nine or more runs in one frame.

Harris’ second career slam capped a nine-run explosion. What a turnaround for the Braves’ hometown centerfielder. After hitting .210 with a .551 OPS in the first half, he’s hit .366 with a 1.078 OPS in the second half. Harris has been among the most productive players in the majors.

“I felt good right before the break in St. Louis, then I knew over the break I had to continue to work on what I was feeling and try to better what I was trying to do,” Harris said. “Coming out of the break, I made sure I was working on what I needed to work on and it’s getting me results in the game.”

Harris continued: “Hopefully I can roll into next year with the same confidence and mojo that I have right now, do this for a whole season instead of a half or a certain period. It’s motivating to go into the offseason and feel good. Hopefully I can finish the season like this and head into the offseason.”