Tylor Megill rebounds to back Mets to win over lowly White Sox (2024)

CHICAGO — Tylor Megill could have passed for a ’62 Met in the early part of Friday’s game, but by the time his night ended, all was forgiven.

Simply, Megill got his act together against a White Sox team that has a chance to be MLB’s worst ever and gave the Mets a chance to win.

Megill pitched into the sixth inning and the Mets won 5-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field for their fifth victory in eight games on this three-city road trip.

The White Sox, who are challenging the ’62 Mets for all-time futility — that team established an MLB record with 120 losses — fell for the 38th time in 42 games.

The White Sox need a 12-14 finish to avoid losing 120 games.

Those numbers aren’t important to these current Mets, who are fighting for the postseason.

This latest victory allowed the Mets to remain three games behind Atlanta for the NL’s third wild-card spot.

Megill, in his third stint this season with the Mets, was recalled Friday from Triple-A Syracuse to take Paul Blackburn’s rotation spot.

Blackburn was placed on the injured list last weekend after he was hit on the right hand by a line drive and suffered a contusion in San Diego. Blackburn is expected to miss only one additional start.

“I want to go out and help this team in any way possible,” Megill said. “We’re in a playoff hunt.”

Megill has frustrated team officials by working deep into counts, driving up his pitch count.

That same pitcher was on display during the first two innings on this night before he got rolling, retiring 10 straight batters into the sixth.

“I thought after the first couple of innings he settled down, made pitches and gave us a good outing,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.

The Mets received strong relief, with Adam Ottavino, Reed Garrett, Phil Maton and Edwin Diaz combining to pitch the final 3 ²/₃ innings scoreless.

It was the third straight day on which Diaz was used — the first time this season the right-hander has taken on that kind of workload.

Megill was removed after Gavin Sheets reached on a one-out single in the sixth.

Overall, the right-hander allowed one earned run on five hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 5 ¹/₃innings in which he threw 97 pitches.

“The sinker has been a big play lately,” said Megill, who has worked to refine the pitch in the minor leagues. “I am able to throw it with ease.”

Andrew Benintendi delivered an RBI double in the first that brought in the game’s first run.

Megill walked Nicky Lopez leading off the game for the White Sox and threw a first-pitch cutter that Benintendi jumped on with one out.

Megill loaded the bases in the second on two singles and a walk but escaped by retiring Luis Robert Jr.

In the third, Benintendi singled leading off the inning, but that was the last White Sox base runner until the sixth.

Included in that stretch was Megill striking out the side in the fifth.

“When he got out of that bases-loaded [jam], it gave him a little bit of confidence,” Mendoza said. “He trusted his stuff and let the defense do their job, and the fact we scored [runs] helped.”

The Mets won a replay challenge in the top of the second that allowed the inning to continue with the tying run scoring.

Harrison Bader was initially ruled out at first base to complete an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play with the bases loaded.

Upon further review, he was safe and Jesse Winker’s run counted.

Winker and J.D. Martinez singled in succession against Jonathan Cannon to start the rally before Jeff McNeil’s walk loaded the bases.

Martinez’s two-run homer was the big hit in the third, when the Mets scored three times to go ahead 4-1. Winker doubled in Pete Alonso, who started the rally with a walk.

Martinez followed with a shot over the left-field fence for his 16th homer of the season and second in five games.

Tyrone Taylor had a highlight reel play in the eighth, when he ran toward the right-field foul line and kept going, up into the netting that extends above the retaining wall to grab Robert Jr.’s pop-up.

Taylor’s full weight was supported by the net as he suspended above the seats.

McNeil had a similar circus catch when the Mets last played a series in this ballpark in 2019.

Francisco Lindor doubled in the ninth, and Brandon Nimmo’s single moved him to third before Mark Vientos’ sacrifice fly gave the Mets their fifth run.