Nothing was settled for six innings. The Mets and Royals traded runs in a chaotic back-and-forth that reached 9-9 after five, and the game felt like it could go either way. Then the seventh inning happened, and Kansas City made it simple: seven runs, a lead that never came back, and a 16-12 final that sent the Royals to their third straight win.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 19 | 3 |
| NYM | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 0 |
The Mets had their own offensive standout in A.J. Ewing, who went 4-for-4 with a home run, 3 RBI, and scored 4 runs. His second-inning homer to right — 402 feet, with Luis Torrens aboard — pushed the New York lead to 5-2. Ewing also singled home a run in the fourth as the Mets built what looked like a comfortable cushion. Juan Soto added a three-run homer to center in the fourth, a 415-foot shot that scored Torrens and Ewing and stretched the lead to 9-4 at that point. Soto finished 1-for-5 with 3 RBI on the night.
The Seventh Inning
Salvador Perez's double to center scored Thomas to give Kansas City a 10-9 lead — the go-ahead run — and the Royals never looked back. Nick Loftin followed with a two-run homer to left-center, and the inning kept building. A walk scored Collins, Bobby Witt's fielder's choice brought home Massey, and Lane Thomas capped the seven-run frame with a two-run double to left that scored Tolbert and Witt. Thomas finished the night 3-for-4 with 4 RBI, and Tyler Tolbert went 5-for-6 with a homer and 2 RBI. Loftin contributed 3 hits, a homer, and 2 RBI.
The Mets' pitching had no answer. Starter Seth Lugo lasted 4.1 innings, allowing 9 runs — 6 earned — on 9 hits. The home bullpen covered 8 innings and allowed all 16 runs. Kansas City's own bullpen was steadier: five relievers combined for 4.2 innings and 3 runs, with Beck Way earning his first win of the season after 0.2 scoreless innings. The Mets had opened the game with three runs in the first on a sequence of throwing errors by the Royals, but Kansas City's offense eventually overwhelmed whatever advantage that early gift provided.
Bo Bichette reached 1,000 career hits in this game, a milestone achieved at Citi Field on July 7. Kansas City improved to 38-54 and extended their winning streak to three. The Mets fell to 38-54.