Replay reverses HR in 9th to save Diaz; Familia saves comeback win for Mets

PHILADELPHIA — Jeurys Familia recorded his first save since 2018 on Sunday, getting the final out of the Mets’ 8-7 win against the Phillies after being called into emergency action after an ineffective Edwin Diaz left with an apparent injury.

His strikeout of Bryce Harper concluded a wild night at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies appeared to tie the game on Rhys Hoskins’ three-run home run with two outs in the ninth, the last of Diaz’s 28 pitches. But after a review, the umpires decided it was a double — the second game in a row a late, controversial call when the Mets’ way.

All of that overshadowed a dramatic six-run rally in the eighth inning, keyed by a meltdown from the Phillies’ Jose Alvarado — the reliever who incited the benches-clearing incident between the teams Friday.

So, what that a game-tying home run for the Phillies or no?

Yep, that was a home run (0)

No, but it was a sweet double (6)

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The game was already tied when he entered with one on and one out. He allowed a single to Jeff McNeil. He walked Francisco Lindor to load the bases. He walked Michael Conforto to force in the go-ahead run.

In came long reliever David Hale, who allowed a three-run double to Pete Alonso.

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The final tallies for Alvarado: three batters, three runs, zero outs.

David Peterson struck out eight over five innings of one-run ball, recovering nicely after a rough beginning. That brought his ERA down to 4.81.

His start looked like a potential disaster in the opening inning, when the first batter homered and the next two reached base, drawing a visit from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

But Peterson escaped without further trouble, thanks in part to J.T. Realmuto swinging and missing on a pitch that otherwise would have been ball four to create a bases-loaded, no-out situation. Jeff McNeil’s diving stop of Alec Bohm’s low line drive helped start a flashy double play to end the inning.

The average hit speed of Philly’s three batted balls that inning, including Andrew McCutchen’s leadoff long ball over the seats in center, was 105.2 mph.

Peterson settled in from there, scattering four hits and two walks — and no additional runs.

Phillies righthander Zach Eflin held the Mets to two runs in six innings, matching his shortest outing of the year. He struck out seven, walked none and allowed 10 hits.

That was an impressive showing for the new version of Eflin, who walks almost nobody and works through the middle innings far more often than he used to. He has a career-best 3.49 ERA. In his previous 11 starts against the Mets, they rocked him to the tune of a 5.21 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.

The Mets managed to win without two of their hottest hitters, Brandon Nimmo and J.D. Davis.

Nimmo has a bruised left index finger, Davis a sprained left middle finger — ailments they described as freak, unexpected issues that they had never experienced or even seen previously. Both occurred on swings over the weekend.

The Mets consider both players day-to-day. Manager Luis Rojas said the medical staff “feels pretty good” about their chances of staying off the IL.

“Absolutely it’s frustrating,” Davis said. “You’re swinging a hot bat, you’re seeing the ball well, you’re playing well. Of course you don’t want to be taken out of the lineup.”

Added Nimmo, who missed three games late last month due to a minor hip condition: “It’s extremely frustrating. I felt like it was going pretty well there and I was helping the team out.”