Daylen Lile's Inside-the-Park Home Run Lifts Washington Nationals Over New York Mets in 11 Innings – Game Recap & Highlights (Sept. 20, 2025)

Saturday, September 20th, 2025

Washington Nationals Triumph Over New York Mets in Extra Innings Thriller

Daylen Lile delivered a dramatic inside-the-park home run in the 11th inning to propel the Washington Nationals past the New York Mets, 5-3, in a thrilling contest at Citi Field. With a runner on first and one out, Lile sent a 2-2 sinker off the center-field wall. The ball ricocheted away from Cedric Mullins, giving the speedy Lile ample time to dash around the bases and slide home safely, breaking the deadlock in extra innings.

PJ Poulin closed out the victory by retiring the Mets in order in the bottom of the frame, sealing his first career save with a called third strike to end the game against Juan Soto.

The Nationals' win snapped a six-game losing streak for the club and ensured they would not reach the 100-loss mark this season. Meanwhile, the Mets’ playoff hopes took a hit as they began the day with a narrow lead over Cincinnati for the final National League wild card spot. New York has now dropped 10 of its last 14 games.

Rookies Shine on Both Sides

Lile, who notched his seventh home run of the season, enjoyed a standout performance with three RBIs and a single, bringing his batting average to .377 over his last 20 games. Sauryn Lao earned his first major league win for Washington, pitching a scoreless inning and stranding the automatic runner at third base. Nationals starter Cade Cavalli worked five shutout innings to set the tone early.

For the Mets, rookie Nolan McLean allowed three runs—only one of them earned—across five innings. Costly defensive miscues by Juan Soto in right and Pete Alonso at first base contributed to Washington’s early runs, and McLean was also hurt by a pair of wild pitches.

Mets Rally Falls Short

New York's bats came alive late, as pinch-hitter Mark Vientos delivered a two-run double in the eighth to cut the deficit, and Juan Soto tied the game 3-3 with a ninth-inning RBI single. The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the ninth but could not capitalize, as Jose A. Ferrer struck out both Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte to send the game to extra innings.

Key Moment

The pivotal moment arrived in the 11th inning when Lile’s inside-the-park home run broke the tie and gave Washington the lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Mets had the bases loaded, but were thwarted by Ferrer’s clutch strikeouts to avoid a walk-off defeat.

Key Stats

Daylen Lile’s two-run inside-the-park homer marked the first for the Nationals in extra innings and the first at Citi Field since July 2017. The loss means New York remains winless this season when trailing after eight innings, and Juan Soto was charged with his first error of the year.

Up Next

The series concludes with Mets left-hander Sean Manaea (2-3, 5.40 ERA) returning from the paternity list to face Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin (8-13, 5.76 ERA) in New York's final regular-season home game.

In summary

The Washington Nationals earned a hard-fought extra-innings win over the New York Mets behind Daylen Lile’s electrifying inside-the-park homer. The Nationals snapped a six-game skid and avoided a 100-loss campaign, while the Mets’ playoff chase took another blow. Key contributions came from rookies on both teams, and defensive lapses proved costly for New York. The two clubs will square off again for the final home game of the regular season at Citi Field.

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