WASHINGTON (AP) — Carson Benge led the New York Mets to another extra-inning victory, hitting an RBI single and a two-run double during a 10-run 12th inning in a wild 16-7 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.
New York became the first National League team to score at least 10 runs in an extra inning since the 1919 Cincinnati Reds broke loose for 10 in the 13th inning at Brooklyn.
The Nationals made four errors and left 19 runners on base,
but kept it close until falling apart in the 12th. Paxton Schultz (0-1) retired his first hitter on a sacrifice bunt, but the next six reached base, starting with Benge's infield single off Schultz's glove that put the Mets up 7-6.
Benge scored on Vidal Bruján's bunt single with the bases loaded, Brett Baty added a two-run single and Marcus Semien's RBI single made it 11-6.
By then, things had gone so horribly awry that Washington moved infielder Jorbit Vivas to the mound and put designated hitter José Tena in the field. There was clearly some confusion over whether that would be allowed, with Schultz coming back onto the field at one point, but umpires eventually let the Nats make the move. A.J. Ewing hit an RBI single and Benge added a two-run double off Vivas.
New York improved to 6-4 in extra-inning games, the most any major league team has played this season. The Mets, trying to climb out of an early hole, have won six of seven overall — with three coming in extras. Benge came through with the go-ahead swing in all three.
Schultz received his first career decision in his 27th big league appearance.
Baty and Bo Bichette homered for New York, which led 5-3 before the Nationals scored in the seventh and eighth. Both teams got a run in the 11th.
Huascar Brazobán (3-1) worked through a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the 10th to keep the game tied. After the Mets took a 6-5 lead in the 11th, he allowed an RBI infield single to Joey Wiemer that tied it, but after a double by Vivas put runners on second and third with two outs, the Nationals couldn't push across the winning run.
Baty's 451-foot homer in the fourth cleared the center-field fence and ricocheted off a taller wall that's part of the batter's eye.
Nolan McLean (2-2) starts for the Mets against Washington's Foster Griffin (4-2) on Tuesday night.
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