Rookie Jackson Merrill cracked a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday, lifting the San Diego Padres to a 3–2 comeback win over the visiting New York Mets and a split of the four-game series between National League post-season contenders.
Merrill got a 2–0 count against Mets closer Edwin Diaz (5–2) and lined a hanging slider an estimated 379 feet into the right-field seats for his 19th homer. It was the All-Star’s second career walk-off blast and marked the sixth time he’s homered to tie or give San Diego the lead in the eighth inning or later.
