Amazin' Meltdown: Mets' errors spark Phillies rally in 8th - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Brett Baty hesitated getting the ball out of his glove. Josh Walker failed to throw the ball over the plate. Jeff Brigham threw his baseballs directly at Phillies hitters.

Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner couldn't escape the wild ones, and the Phillies sluggers were plunked in consecutive at-bats.

The Mets simply couldn't get out of their own way in a fundamental breakdown in the eighth inning that turned almost comical — at least for Phillies fans — as they choked away a sure thing.

The final tally, for those keeping score at home, the Phillies walked three times, were hit twice, reached on an error and had just one hit in a 10-batter, four-run eighth inning that set off a 7-6 win over New York on Sunday.

«Crazy one,» Turner said «Kind of weird. Lot of fun.»

Even by the Mets' sometimes-feeble standards throughout their history, that was an amazin' meltdown.

«I'm not sure if I've seen it before,» Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. «The chances are unlikely, I think.»

Leading 6-3 in the eighth, Walker allowed the first three batters to reach base and was yanked for Brigham (0-2). Brigham got Alec Bohm to hit a tailor-made double-play ball to Baty, but he hesitated, and a low, short-armed throw to second pulled Jeff McNeil off the bag to make it 6-4.

«That play needs to be made 10 times out of 10,» 23-year-old Baty said. «That cost us the game, cost us the series.»

Wild, yes.

The Mets were just warming up.

With new life, Brandon Marsh walked with the bases loaded and it was 6-5. Brigham then plunked Schwarber on his left knee, which tied it at 6-all as another sellout crowd of 42,901 went wild as the rally stretched another batter. Brigham then buzzed Turner with consecutive pitches before finally drilling the