The Mets turned a shaky start into a 10-2 rout of the Tigers on May 14, 2026, in New York City, erasing an early deficit and then pulling away once Detroit’s pitching and defense began to unravel. Dillon Dingler put the Tigers ahead with a second-inning home run, but the lead did not last long in a game that quickly shifted toward New York.
Detroit built a 2-0 advantage in the second inning after Wenceel Pérez singled, Gage Workman doubled and Spencer Torkelson drove in Pérez. But the Mets answered in the bottom of the second when A.J. Ewing walked in his first-ever major-league plate appearance, a small moment that fit into a much bigger afternoon for New York.
The Mets tied it in the bottom of the third after putting runners on the corners and getting another single to bring home the equalizer. They then went ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out double-single combination that pushed the Tigers into another turn through a pitching staff already under strain.
Jack Flaherty was done after 3 2/3 innings, charged with six hits, three runs, three walks and two strikeouts. Tyler Holton came in to face Juan Soto in the fourth inning, but the change did not stop the Mets from extending their lead. By then, the Tigers’ defense had helped keep the door open, and the Mets kept walking through it.
The result mattered because the Mets had been terrible so far before this game, while Detroit arrived in New York after leaving Kansas City bruised and with more question marks. The matchup ended up looking less like a test of strength and more like a game in which the Mets took advantage of shaky pitching and putrid defense to bury a club that could not slow the slide once it started.
That left the Tigers with a familiar problem and the Mets with a cleaner answer for one night: when a weak lineup gets enough chances against wavering pitching, the margin can disappear fast. Francisco Alvarez leaves Mets game with apparent right leg injury added another concern around New York, but it did not change the story of this one — the Mets found life early enough to turn a tight game into a blowout.
