Mets vs Pirates

Stock Market Crashes in Pittsburgh as Position Player Pitching Steals the Show

• The Headline: The Mets’ win streak hits a brick wall at PNC Park, while a 42-mph position-player offering provides the ultimate comic relief in a 9-0 blowout.

• The Recap:

  If you’re going to completely derail a four-game winning streak, you might as well do it with maximum cinematic flair. The Mets rolled into Pittsburgh looking untouchable, only to watch 36-year-old feel-good comeback story Robert Stock turn into a piñata. Stock’s afternoon went so poorly he didn’t even make it out of the fourth inning, leaving a smoking crater and an 8-0 deficit in his wake.

  Pirates starter Bubba Chandler happily played the role of executioner, cruising effortlessly through six shutout innings. Meanwhile, Nick Gonzales drove in three, and Jake Mangum carved up the outfield like a Thanksgiving turkey with a three-hit night. With the game entirely out of reach by the middle innings, the Mets mercifully threw in the towel and let catcher Luis Torrens pitch the final two frames. Torrens offered up a memorable 42-mph lollipop that Brandon Lowe promptly launched 380 feet into orbit just for good measure. Brutal night for Queens, wonderful night for the Steel City.