Brandon Nimmo went from sore ribs to sticking one in the Braves’ gut.
Absent from the starting lineup after leaving the previous day with intercostal discomfort, Nimmo entered Sunday’s game as a pinch runner and later made a highlight reel defensive play in left field.
But he saved his best for last.
“If we weren’t sure enough I was OK, we are now because Francisco [Lindor] just about sucked the air out of me when he hugged me,” Nimmo said after blasting a two-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning that gave the Mets a 4-3 victory over the Braves at Citi Field.
Manager Carlos Mendoza was initially resolved to give Nimmo the entire night off and then evaluate him on Monday.
But Nimmo felt good as he took swings in the batting cage to test the ribs before the game and summoned Mendoza to watch him. The team’s trainer, Joe Golia, also watched along with hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes.
At that point Mendoza was already committed to his lineup for the night, but told Nimmo to be ready for the later innings.
“I guess you can say he’s healthy, right?” Mendoza said.
Jeff McNeil’s bunt single leading off the ninth against A.J. Minter ignited the winning rally.
Tomas Nido sacrificed McNeil to second before Nimmo cleared the fence in right-center to begin the victory celebration.
The Mets avoided getting swept three games by their chief NL East nemesis, a day after the Braves carried a combined no-hitter into the ninth inning against them.
“We needed this one,” McNeil said. “We’re grinding, everyone on this team is grinding right now. We’ll take any win we can get and it’s a big one.”
Nimmo’s first big moment was in the eighth, when he chased Matt Olson’s drive to the warning track in left and leaped, with the ball sticking in the heel of his glove for the first out.
Nimmo had entered as a pinch runner for DJ Stewart an inning earlier.
Nimmo said his catch on Olson’s drive was a good test for his ribs.
“You are moving back and twisting, and it felt good so that was a great first test and get it out of the way right away,” Nimmo said. “I wouldn’t have gone out there if I didn’t feel we were good to go.”
In the ninth, it was “pure elation and excitement,” according to Nimmo, as he watched his shot clear the fence.
“You are out of your mind — the adrenaline is making the hair on the back of your neck stand up,” Nimmo said.
Luis Severino pitched five innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
It was a second straight five-inning start for Severino after taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Cubs.
Jared Kelenic’s homer in the second gave the Braves a 1-0 lead.
The former Mets first-round pick — who played at Citi Field for the first time in this series — hammered a 96 mph four-seamer from Severino over the right-field fence for his second homer of the season.
Pete Alonso’s RBI single tied it 1-1 in the third. Stewart and Lindor singled against Bryce Elder to start the rally before Alonso hit a shot along the third-base line that brought in the run, continuing his recent uptick following a 1-for-32 skid.
Marcell Ozuna’s RBI single in the sixth put the Mets in a 2-1 hole. Severino walked Zack Short leading off the inning and surrendered a single to Olson.
Reed Garrett replaced Severino and allowed the go-ahead single to Ozuna before striking out the next three batters.
Alonso’s RBI double in the sixth tied it after Lindor doubled leading off the inning.
But with nobody out, the Mets failed to bring in Alonso as J.D. Martinez was retired before reliever Aaron Bummer struck out pinch-hitter Tyrone Taylor and got McNeil on a soft comebacker.
Ronald Acuña Jr. was picked off first base in the fifth and seventh innings to stifle potential Braves rallies.
Acuña singled in the fifth and was picked off by Severino.
In the seventh, he walked and was picked off by Garrett.
Short walked leading off the eighth against Adam Ottavino and stole second before Ozuna slapped an RBI single that put the Mets behind 3-2.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on not getting swept,” Nimmo said. “Today was really special and to be able to come from behind there at the end makes it even better.”