The Mets stunned the Phillies on June 22, 2025, launching seven solo homers in an 11-4 rout. Mick Abel faltered as Juan Soto & co. went deep in the loss.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a beautiful day for baseball at Citizens Bank Park, but it turned into an ugly afternoon for the Phillies. In a game that felt more like a home run derby than a pivotal divisional matchup, the New York Mets launched an astonishing seven solo home runs to rout the Phils 11-4, leaving fans stunned and the team searching for answers.
He just didn’t execute his pitches. Really left the ball out over the plate, and not up and out [of the strike zone].
Things started so promisingly. An Alec Bohm two-run double in the first and an Otto Kemp RBI double in the second staked the Phillies to an early 3-1 lead. The bats were alive and the crowd was buzzing. Then came the third inning. Starter Mick Abel completely unraveled, surrendering back-to-back-to-back solo homers to Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, and Juan Soto. Just like that, the lead was gone. The Mets never looked back, adding four more solo shots, including mammoth blasts from Jared Young (441 feet) and Francisco Alvarez (452 feet), turning the ballpark into their personal launching pad. While the Phillies' offense went silent after the fifth, reliever Joe Ross provided a small bright spot, tossing 2.2 innings of one-run ball to save the rest of the arms.
While the on-field product was a disappointment, some positive news emerged from the training room. Bryce Harper, on the mend with right wrist inflammation, took a significant step forward in his recovery by taking 20 swings off a tee. It's a crucial progression from the dry swings he'd been limited to. While the team insists there's no firm timetable for his return, seeing the two-time MVP swinging a bat again is a welcome sight for a team that could desperately use his firepower.
Harper's progress is encouraging, but the Phillies are still navigating a minefield of injuries. Key players like Aaron Nola (ribs) and Griff McGarry remain sidelined with no new updates on their potential returns. The front office was quiet on the transaction front today, with the last significant move being the acquisition of Nick Dunn on June 14. This roster is the one that has to get the job done for now, putting immense pressure on the healthy players to step up and weather this storm.
Today's loss was a gut punch, a painful reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in the NL East. The pitching staff has to find a way to keep the ball in the park, and the offense needs to deliver more consistently. With Harper inching closer to a return and a new series on the horizon, the Phillies have no time to dwell on this home run barrage. They need to flush it, refocus, and prove that Sunday's slugfest was an aberration, not the new normal.
