WASHINGTON (AP) — There was no question this rat was for real. So, too, are these New York Mets.
A critter scurried through the outfield grass just before James McCann’s sacrifice fly drove in the go-ahead score during a three-run sixth inning Tuesday night, Jeff McNeil contributed two RBIs and a key throw to the plate, and Carlos Carrasco nearly pitched into the eighth again, helping the Mets beat the Washington Nationals 4-2.
“During a game, I’ve seen birds, cats, everything but rats. First time,” said Nationals right fielder Juan Soto, last year’s NL MVP runner-up.
The sight of a creature drew gasps from some spectators, cheers from others, in an announced crowd of 21,955 at Nationals Park, where fans were encouraged to bring their dogs to the game.
“The rat was lucky it was Pups in the Park tonight and not Cat-urday!” team spokeswoman Jennifer Mastin Giglio joked in a text message.
The episode brought to mind one from a year ago — May 8, 2021, to be exact — involving a Mets club on the way to a disappointing 77-85 finish: McNeil and Francisco Lindor got into an argument during a game after they combined to flub a grounder. Soon after, Mets players rushed into the tunnel near the dugout.
Here was Lindor’s explanation that day: “I was like, ‘I’ve never seen a New York rat.’ So we went down, sprinting. I wanted to go see a New York rat, and (McNeil) got mad at me and was like, ’It’s not a rat, it’s a racoon.’”
Hmm. Regardless, this time, there was no doubt what was going on — even McNeil confirmed, “That was a rat” — during an eventful top of the sixth.
It began with the last-place Nationals ahead 2-0 thanks to Maikel Franco’s RBI double — McNeil’s relay easily beat Yadiel Hernandez as he tried to score from first —…
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