CHICAGO (Interstat) — In a game that saw momentum swing violently and a dominant starting performance nearly unravel, the New York Mets weathered a furious Chicago Cubs rally to secure an 8-5 victory on Thursday afternoon at a sun-drenched Wrigley Field.

The Mets, improving to 82-77, built an eight-run lead behind the power of Brett Baty and the early strikeout prowess of rookie right-hander Nolan McLean, only to see the Cubs, now 89-70, claw back with a five-run outburst capped by a Seiya Suzuki three-run homer. The win gave the Mets a series split after the teams traded lopsided results in the first two games.

McLean (5-1) earned the win despite a final line that belied his early dominance. He racked up a career-high 11 strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings but was charged with all five Cubs runs on five hits, including two of Suzuki’s home runs. The Mets’ bullpen, specifically Brooks Raley and Edwin Díaz, slammed the door shut over the final three innings, with Díaz notching his 28th save.

The loss went to Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (9-8), who was chased after just 3 2/3 innings, surrendering six runs on seven hits as the Mets’ offense jumped on him early and often.

New York set the tone immediately against Imanaga, manufacturing two first-inning runs without the benefit of a hit that left the park. Francisco Lindor worked a leadoff walk, advanced to third on a Pete Alonso double, and then scored on a peculiar play. Mark Vientos popped out to Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson in foul territory, but Lindor alertly tagged and sprinted home, a call that was upheld after a Chicago challenge. Brandon Nimmo followed with an RBI single to plate Alonso.

Lindor extended the lead to 3-0 in the third inning, launching a solo home run, his 30th of the season, deep into the left-field bleachers.

The Mets broke the game open in the fourth. After two quick outs, Nimmo and Luis Torrens singled, bringing Baty to the plate. The Mets’ third baseman connected on a towering fly ball that just cleared the wall in left field for a three-run homer, his 18th of the year, stretching the lead to 6-0 and ending Imanaga’s afternoon.

Chicago got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Suzuki took McLean deep for the first time, a solo shot to left-center field. The Cubs added another run in the fifth on a solo homer from Swanson, his 24th, making it 6-2.

New York responded in the top of the sixth, seemingly restoring order. Nimmo singled for the third time, and after a flyout, Baty added another single. Tyrone Taylor then ripped a two-run double to the gap in left-center, pushing the Mets’ advantage back to six runs at 8-2.

The comfortable lead vanished quickly in the bottom of the sixth, turning McLean’s stellar outing into a struggle. After a strikeout, Ian Happ walked and Moisés Ballesteros lined a ground-rule double, putting two runners in scoring position. Suzuki then stepped up and delivered the biggest blow of the game for Chicago, crushing his second homer of the day, a three-run blast to nearly the same spot as his first, suddenly slicing the deficit to 8-5 and electrifying the crowd of 38,465.

McLean was removed after the homer, having seen his command waver dramatically in the inning. The Mets’ bullpen, however, provided immediate stability. Raley entered and was overpowering, striking out the side in the seventh inning. Tyler Rogers worked a perfect eighth, setting the stage for Díaz in the ninth.

Díaz allowed a leadoff single to Carson Kelly but induced a sharp flyout from Pete Crow-Armstrong. The game ended when Swanson grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, Lindor to Luisangel Acuña to Alonso, sealing the hard-fought victory for the Mets.

Beyond the key offensive performances from Baty and Suzuki, the Mets received strong relief work. Raley’s three-strikeout inning in the seventh was critical in halting the Cubs’ momentum, while Drew Pomeranz provided 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for Chicago to keep the game within reach.

The result defied the pregame projections from Interstat, which gave the Cubs a 55.2 percent probability to win based on its ELO system, though the Mets had been installed as a 1.5-run favorite on the betting line. The total of 13 runs sailed well over the posted over/under line of 7.5.

Both teams now head into their final series of the regular season. The Mets travel to Miami for a three-game set against the Marlins beginning Friday, while the Cubs remain at Wrigley Field to host the St. Louis Cardinals in a pivotal three-game series starting the same day.