Andrés Chaparro’s 2-homer game lifts Nationals over Mets 6-4 in season finale

On the final day of the season, the Washington Nationals secured a 6-4 victory over the New York Mets in a thrilling game at Nationals Park. Andrés Chaparro delivered a stellar performance, hitting two home runs and leading the Nationals to an 11-game improvement to a 77-85 record, despite finishing fourth in the NL East. For the Mets, Francisco Lindor became the 300th career home run hitter, while Ronny Mauricio and Carson Benge contributed two and three hits respectively, including one multihit game and one with three or more hits.

The Mets, sporting a major league-record payroll of $358.4 million, finished 9 games below their 2024 mark of 83-79, marking their worst performance since the 2017 season. Manager Carlos Mendoza, who took over in June, was replaced by interim manager Andy Green, who signed a three-year contract through 2029. Despite a strong start, New York fell behind as Chaparro ignited the Nationals with his home runs in the third and fifth innings, a day after Juan Soto went 0 for 5.