Mets Pull Out in Front Late in Extra-Innings Win

Jupiter, Fla. (July 17th, 2026) – The St. Lucie Mets picked up a 3-2 win in extra innings on Friday night in their first game back from the All-Star break. The Mets now take a 1-0 series lead in this short three-game series against the Palm Beach Cardinals.

Both teams got off to a hot start, with Palm Beach taking an early 1-0 lead off a solo home run from Sebastian Dos Santos. It was quickly an uphill battle for the Mets as they are just 16-34 when their opponent scores first.

But Randy Guzman, who returned to the lineup for the first time since going on the IL on June 9th, made his presence known. In his first at-bat back, Randy crushed a solo home run 108 off the bat, 374 feet to left field. Randy’s 10th home run of the season tied the game 1-1 in the top half of the 2nd.

After Palm Beach responded in the bottom of the 2nd with a manufactured run on a fielder's choice, the Mets looked to the long ball again to tie the game. This time it was Elian Peña who hit his 4th home run of the season, tying the game 2-2.

From there, it was a pitcher's duel to the end. Mets Starter Joel Lara finished the night with a line of 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, and 5 K. He was then followed by Zack Mack, who pitched 1.1 IP of shutout baseball and struck out two. Elwis Mijares took the bulk out of the pen, going 3 IP, giving up just two hits, no runs, and no walks while striking out three. Mijares would be credited with the win. Improving his record to 4-4.

This game would need to be decided in extra innings with the game still tied at two. The Mets used the inherited runner on second to their advantage, with Branny De Oleo putting down a sacrifice bunt to move AJ Salgado down to third, and then Chase Meggers hitting a sacrifice fly to bring home Salgado, giving the Mets a 3-2 lead.

The Mets turned the ball over to Miguel Mejias to close this one out in the bottom of the 10th. Mejias pitched a perfect final inning, striking out two and getting the final batter, Matthew Miura, to pop out, securing the win. Mejias would be credited with his second save of the season.

The Mets now improve to 7-13 (40-46), while the Palm Beach Cardinals fall to 12-9 (45-42) and gain a half of a game in the FSL East standings. St. Lucie takes a 1-0 series lead and will have a chance to get a series win on Saturday night. First pitch on Saturday is set for 6:30 PM EST at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.