Syracuse toasts the 2024 season with a walk-off, 5-4, ten-inning win over Charlotte in the season finale

Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets finished their 2024 campaign in style, capturing a walk-off, 5-4 win over the Charlotte Knights on a sunny Sunday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium. The Mets won their last three games of the season and the final series of the season, taking four out of six games from the Knights. Syracuse also finished with a sterling 43-32 home record at NBT Bank Stadium during the 2024 season.

Syracuse (78-71, 32-43) opened the scoring yet again in the bottom of the first inning as the electric speed of Jett Williams helped to create a run. Williams worked a walk to start the inning, raced to third base on a bloop single from Drew Gilbert, and then Williams scored on a sacrifice fly from Brett Baty to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

Charlotte (68-79, 35-38) answered in the top of the second. Michael Chavis worked a out-out walk, moved to second on a Rafael Ortega single, and then Chavis scored on a mistake by the Mets. Canaan Smith-Njigba grounded into what appeared to be an inning-ending double play, but the relay throw back to first from Williams was errant, allowing Chavis to score all the way at second and knot the game up, 1-1.

The Knights took the lead in the top of the fourth. A one-out double from Oscar Colás put a runner in scoring position for Charlotte. Ortega brought Colás home with a two-out, RBI single to cap off a very solid week and give the Knights a 2-1 edge. Ortega, the former Syracuse Met, had a great week against his old team with hits in each of the five games that he played at NBT Bank Stadium this week.

The Mets didn’t even trail for a half inning, roaring right back in front in the bottom of the fourth. First, a pair of walks put two runners on base with one out. Then, JT Schwartz brought them all home with a booming, three-run home run onto the roof of the Salt City Deck past the right-field fence, giving Syracuse a 4-2 advantage. Schwartz finished his 2024 campaign strong with hits in each of his final three games and two home runs in this last week of the season.

After a four-inning Mike Vasil start, it was in the hands of the Mets bullpen. The first four pitchers were excellent. Tyler Zuber, Matt Gage, Shintaro Fujinami, and Max Kranick each pitched one scoreless inning, sending the Mets into the top of the ninth with a 4-2 lead. Luis Moreno came into the game looking to earn the save, but the Knights battled down to their final three outs of the season. A Michael Chavis walk and a Rafael Ortega single put two runners on base with nobody out. Then, a Smith-Njigba RBI groundout got Chavis home to make it a 4-3 game with just one out still remaining in the inning.

The Mets then summoned Wilkin Ramos out of the bullpen to try and save the game. A walk put runners on first and third with one out. Adam Hackenburg then hit a chopper to second base against a drawn-in infield. Brett Baty fielded and came up firing to home plate, but Ortega beat the throw home to tie the game, 4-4. To Ramos’ credit, the next two batters went down in order to keep the game knotted up at four into the bottom of the ninth.

After the Mets went scoreless in the bottom of the ninth, the game entered extra innings. Ramos came back into the game and received a little defense help from his friends. As Colson Montgomery struck out, the free runner at second base, Tim Elko, tried to steal third. Hayden Senger, the Mets catcher, threw a strike to third base to nab Elko and give the Mets two outs and nobody on base for Charlotte in the top of the tenth in one fell swoop. A strikeout after that sent the game tied into the bottom of the tenth, setting the stage for the Mets walk-off win.

With Drew Gilbert as Syracuse’s free runner at second base, Baty led off and moved Gilbert to third with a groundout to second base. Luke Ritter then came to the plate and played hero, hitting a chopper on the middle of the infield that was good enough to get Gilbert home from third base and hand the Mets a 5-4 win in the last game of the 2024 season.