NEW YORK – Mets right-hander Nolan McLean threw six solid innings on Friday, but the Red Sox ended up winning the game, 6-2, at Citi Field.
It was a game that was delayed 38 minutes because the Red Sox had multiple flight issues getting from Chicago to the Big Apple. Boston finally arrived at 5:00 p.m. ET.
But it wasn’t McLean’s fault that he was behind the 8-ball in the opening inning. Anthony Seigler led off the frame and hit a fly ball that left fielder Juan Soto couldn’t handle for a two-base error. Four batters later, the Red Sox had runners on first and third, when Masataka Yoshida doubled down the third-base line, scoring Seigler and Wilyer Abreu. Both runs were unearned because of the Soto error.
Boston had a chance to score more runs off McLean. In the fourth frame, it looked like Connor Wong scored on a single by Tsung-Che Cheng, but the call was overturned after replay showed that catcher Francisco Alvarez tagged Wong before he reached home plate after a throw from Carson Benge in right field.
In the fifth, the Red Sox had runners on second and third with one out, but McLean managed to get out of the inning after Romy Gonzalez struck out and Yoshida grounded out to end the threat.
McLean’s only clean frame occurred an inning later as he tossed a 1-2-3 sixth, but he exited still trailing and lost his sixth game of the season.
The bullpen faltered in the late innings. The Red Sox added to the scoring in the top of the seventh when reliever A.J. Minter allowed a two-run homer to Seigler. Two innings later, Abreu added a two-run tater off Cionel Pérez to make it a five-run game.