Mets Unleash 10-Run 12th Inning to Demolish Nationals in Extras

There are meltdowns, and then there is what Paxton Schultz delivered in the top of the 12th inning on Monday night at Nationals Park. The Washington reliever didn’t just blow a save situation, he obliterated it in a way that will haunt the franchise for years to come. The New York Mets, trailing or tied through 11 innings, turned what should have been an ordinary extra-inning contest into an absolute bloodbath, scoring 10 runs in a single inning to pummel the Nationals 16-7.

This wasn’t just any 10-run inning, either. This was a Mets club record, a cathartic explosion of offense that validated every ounce of patience the lineup showed through what was admittedly a sloppy, back-and-forth affair. Carson Benge, who finished with three hits and three RBIs, started the carnage with a ground ball single. Then came Vidal Brujan’s nifty bunt single, followed by Brett Baty‘s two-run knock that made you wonder if the entire Washington bullpen had suddenly forgotten how to record an out. Marcus Semien capped the assault with an RBI single that felt more like a full stop on a sentence of incompetence.

Schultz’s Implosion Defines a Disaster

Schultz’s line tells the entire story of Washington’s Monday nightmare: 0.1 innings pitched, five hits, six earned runs, one walk. Six runs in one-third of an inning. That’s not a stat line, that’s a cautionary tale. The man was throwing to hitters who had fought through 11 innings of tedium and suddenly found themselves staring at fastballs they could actually hit. The Nationals’ pitching staff, which had held together reasonably well through the early innings, simply collapsed when it mattered most.

Baty and Bichette Carry the Load

If this game had a hero wearing blue and orange, it was Brett Baty. The third baseman went 2-for-6 with a mammoth 451-foot home run in the fourth inning that screamed off his bat at 111.2 miles per hour. His two-run single in the 12th only punctuated what was already a destructive performance. Bo Bichette, meanwhile, contributed his own dinger and three RBIs, proving once again that the Mets’ lineup is perfectly capable of overwhelming opponents when given the chance.

Huascar Brazoban, credited with the win after pitching two scoreless innings of relief, kept the Nationals off balance when it mattered. His ability to escape jams in both the 10th and 11th innings gave the Mets the breathing room they needed to eventually strike with overwhelming force. That’s pitching when it counts.

The Nationals simply didn’t have enough firepower to keep pace. James Wood went 3-for-6 and scored a run, and Joey Wiemer chipped in three hits and three RBIs, but it was all for naught once the 12th inning arrived. Washington never stood a chance once the Mets got rolling in extra innings.

This was a game the Nationals should never have let slip away, and one that the Mets will remember as a turning point in their season. When you can overcome everything a team throws at you through 11 innings and then destroy them with a 10-run explosion, you’re sending a message. The Mets sent it loud and clear on Monday night.