From a breath-taking bid at history to a back-breaking defeat.
The Mets lost a no-hitter, then a lead and then a game in the brutal eighth and ninth innings of a 3-1 loss to the Cubs at Citi Field on Monday night.
The Mets (14-14) have dropped two straight series and opened this one first with drama and then disappointment. A crowd of 25,046 lived by every pitch as Luis Severino’s flirtation with history was not to be.
The no-hit bid and the lead were gone in a dramatic eighth inning, but the Cubs won the game in the ninth.
Severino allowed a game-tying run in the eighth and passed the ball to typically unhittable Edwin Diaz, who could not keep the game tied.
Former Yankee Mike Tauchman doubled, and with two outs Diaz threw a 3-1 fastball to Christopher Morel, who hammered the go-ahead home run deep into the left-field seats.
Suddenly Cubs fans could be heard — clearly — at a Citi Field that had been rocking with Mets fans minutes earlier.
The Mets put two on to bring the potential game-winning run to the plate in the ninth. But Chicago closer Hector Neris struck out DJ Stewart and pinch-hitter Brett Baty to escape.
The Mets totaled just four hits against Cubs pitching — led by 7 ¹/₃ strong innings from former Yankee Jameson Taillon — and only scored in the first, when Brandon Nimmo led off with a home run.
The game was not supposed to be about Mets hitting, though. For most of the game, it felt as if Severino could pull a Johan Santana.
Severino took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and finished with eight strong innings in which he allowed one hit and one soft run while striking out five and walking two.
The no-hit bid and the lead were gone in the dramatic eighth.
Severino walked Michael Busch to lead off the frame and fell short of history against Dansby Swanson, who sent a broken-bat liner into center for a clean hit that led to a standing ovation for Severino, whose job was not done.
With first and second and no out, Matt Mervis hit a sharp ground ball to Pete Alonso, who tried to start a double play that ended with Severino covering first base.
But Mervis beat the throw from second — and crashed into Severino’s arm on the way, the pitcher knocked to the grass and appeared to be in pain.
He remained in after a warmup pitch and got the result he wished for: Nick Madrigal hit a ground ball to third base, where Joey Wendle had subbed in for defensive purposes.
Wendle could have gone for the out at home but tried for the inning-ending double play, which the Mets could not turn in time because the ball was hit too softly, Madrigal beating out the fielder’s choice to tie the game at 1-1.
That was the break the Cubs sought and one they took advantage of.
