NEW YORK -- Friday night formalized for 2022 what's become the near-yearly phenomenon for the Rockies over their history: the Coors Field hangover.

Colorado's 7-6 walk-off loss to the Mets at Citi Field, a could-have-been marquee win turned deflating defeat, was the Rockies' 41st loss on the road this season. With 22 road games left to play this year, they've sealed a losing record away from Coors Field.

In the Rockies' 30 seasons as a Major League franchise, they've had a losing record on the road 27 times. The Colorado playoff teams of 2009, '17 and '18 are the only ones to finish above .500 on the road.

This season, Colorado is 18-41 away from Coors Field, the worst road record in the Majors. Their winning percentage of .305 in such games currently stands as the lowest for any Rockies team except the 2014 team that finished 30 games below .500, and there are still eight more games to go before this road trip is over.

On top of that, half of the Rockies' remaining road games (11 of 22) are against the top dogs of the National League: Their five upcoming games are against the Mets and Braves, and their six games to end the season are against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

If there was going to be a loss to make the Rockies' road woes official for another year, it might as well have been Friday's defeat, in which the Rockies got close only to see a big win -- on the road, against a first-place team -- slip away.

"That was an emotional rollercoaster for both sides," manager Bud Black said. "That was a tough one."

The Rockies rallied once in the sixth inning, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game against Chris Bassitt. After the Mets retook the lead, Colorado rallied again in the eighth, sparked by Elias Díaz's clutch bases-clearing, go-ahead double off Mychal Givens with two outs and two strikes in the eighth inning.

"That was a big hit, in a big situation -- on the road, against Givens, who was throwing 97 mph," Black said. "That was a big, clutch hit for Eli."

The Rockies had the win at their fingertips. But their top relievers faltered. Carlos Estévez gave the lead back in the bottom of the eighth, allowing a game-tying double to Mark Canha, despite having two outs and nobody on after striking out the Mets' two best hitters, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso.

And closer Daniel Bard couldn't quite walk a tightrope in the bottom of the ninth, allowing two free baserunners via a walk and hit-by-pitch but nearly escaping after Sam Hilliard's diving catch in left field on Francisco Lindor's sinking line drive. However, Alonso grounded a two-out, 0-2 slider through the left side to win the game for New York.

As the Mets celebrated, Bard went to Díaz, his catcher, and draped his arm over his shoulder, and the two walked off the field together. 

Bard's words to Díaz, almost the hero, were simple: "He told me, 'I missed the pitch. Let's move forward.'"