Michael Conforto's 9th-inning homer leads Mets back from 6-run deficit, prevents Pirates sweep

The roles were reversed but for the second consecutive game, a six-run lead was blown and the Pittsburgh Pirates entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing the New York Mets after a home run.

After rallying from a six-run deficit for a walk-off win Saturday night, the Pirates failed to protect one Sunday afternoon and lost a chance at their first series sweep of the season.

Michael Conforto’s two-run homer in the ninth capped the Mets’ comeback for a 7-6 win before 17,837 at PNC Park. After winning the first two games of the series, the Pirates blew the finale. That they won four of seven consecutive games against the Mets, before and after the All-Star break, provided little consolation.

“It is frustrating,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “I’m happy that we put ourselves in a position to do that playing as well as we did against the team that’s leading the National League East. But to not finish it, especially after being up, it’s frustrating.”

The Mets (48-42) lost their top two players as shortstop Francisco Lindor (strained oblique) and ace pitcher Jacob de Grom (right forearm tightness) were placed on the 10-day IL. That didn’t stop them from scratching back after losing the first two games in the series.

It was an anticlimactic ending for the Pirates (36-57), who scored six runs in a first inning that featured a crazy play as Mets starter Taijuan Walker inexplicably swiped at a Kevin Newman dribbler down the third-base line and booted the ball to allow three runs to score on his error.

The Pirates hit Walker hard from the start as Wilmer Difo doubled to the left-field corner and scored on a Bryan Reynolds single to right for a 1-0 lead. Ben Gamel drew a walk, and John Nogowski hit a two-run double down the left-field line for a 3-0 lead.

After Walker walked Gregory Polanco and Michael Perez to load the bases, Newman swung at his 0-1 sinker. It was the equivalent of a bases-clearing bunt: The ball traveled 1 foot, according to Statcast, dribbling down the third-base line when, for whatever reason, Walker scooped the ball with his glove while it was in fair territory.

Walker booted the ball toward the home dugout, then turned back toward the field empty handed. Nogowski scored first, stepping over the ball as it rolled down the line. Pirates third base coach Joey Cora, stationed near home plate, frantically waved Polanco home while Walker had his back to the ball. Cora kept the windmill going, and Perez rounded third and slid safe at home before the Mets knew what happened.

“It definitely started in foul territory, and then I saw it kind of creeping its way back and I just took off running, thinking maybe what could happen, maybe this thing comes back,” Newman said. “As I’m running to first, I turned my head and saw him swat the ball in foul territory and everybody’s going crazy.”

Luis Rojas argued the call until home plate umpire Jeremy Riggs ejected the Mets manager. That’s when Rojas went ballistic, going face to face with Riggs and bumping his chest before first base umpire Dan Bellino intervened. Shelton was as surprised as anyone by the outcome.

“I’ve seen a play where it’s been a fair ball, and the pitcher made that move. I have never seen it with the bases loaded,” Shelton said. “There are a lot of freaky things that happened on that play.”

The Pirates led 6-0 with one out in the bottom of the first, but that lead didn’t last long as JT Brubaker allowed four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five in 3 2/3 innings. Brandon Nimmo drew his seventh of eight walks in the series to lead off the third, then scored on a single to right by Dominic Smith to cut it to 6-1.

Brubaker gave up back-to-back singles to Jonathan Villar and Tomas Nido to start the fourth before pinch-hitter Travis Blankenhorn blasted a 425-footer to right-center for his first major-league homer, a three-run shot that made it 6-4.

Chris Stratton replaced Brubaker and got out of two jams by stranding runners at first and second to end the fourth and fifth innings but left with Jeff McNeil at second base and two outs in the sixth. Austin Davis promptly gave up a double to Dominic Smith, and Polanco’s errant throw from right field allowed McNeil to score to cut it to 6-5.

The Pirates loaded the bases in the sixth, but Mets lefty Aaron Loup got Frazier and Difo on called strikes and Reynolds chased a changeup low and outside for the final out.

Richard Rodriguez (4-2) was looking to close out the game when he gave up a leadoff single to Smith. Conforto hit a 1-1 fastball 418 feet to dead center to give the Mets the go-ahead run.

Trevor May finished off the Pirates, striking out pinch-hitter Jacob Stallings, who hit the winning grand slam in Saturday’s 9-7 win, and getting Perez to ground out to end it for his second save.

“It was all over the place, one of those weekends you’ll probably not see very often with some of the things that happened,” Shelton said. “Our guys continued to play throughout. We just did not capitalize on the opportunity to get this game.”