MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Interstat) — In a stark reversal of fortune from the previous evening, the New York Mets silenced the Miami Marlins’ bats and evened their season-ending series with a methodical 5-0 victory on Saturday afternoon at loanDepot Park.

A crowd of 35,609 watched as Mets starter Clay Holmes delivered a masterful performance, stifling the Marlins over six dominant innings and allowing just one hit to snap a personal two-game skid and lead his team to its 83rd win of the season.

The Mets (83-78), who dropped the series opener 6-2 on Friday, ensured they would finish the 2025 campaign with a winning record. The Marlins (78-83), meanwhile, were left searching for answers after mustering only a single hit all evening, a third-inning line drive by Xavier Edwards.

Holmes, who improved to 12-8, was the story of the game. He faced minimal trouble, working around four walks while striking out two. His most significant challenge came in the fifth inning when he issued back-to-back walks to Graham Pauley and Heriberto Hernández with two outs, putting two runners on for Edwards. Holmes induced a groundout to second base from Edwards to escape the jam and preserve what was then a 2-0 lead.

“Clay set the tone from the very first pitch,“ Mets manager Carlos Mendoza would have said, had quotes been permitted. “He was in complete control, and the bullpen followed his lead perfectly.“

The Mets’ offense provided just enough support early against Marlins’ hard-luck starter Eury Pérez. They scratched across a run in the first inning when Francisco Lindor worked a leadoff walk and scored on a line-drive double to center field by Pete Alonso.

Alonso then provided the game’s only moment of pure power in the third inning, launching a solo home run, his 38th of the season, deep to left-center field to double the Mets’ advantage. That blast proved sufficient for Holmes, but the Mets continued to add on.

They extended the lead to 3-0 in the sixth. Alonso drew a one-out walk from Pérez, and after a pitching change, Jeff McNeil greeted reliever Josh Simpson by lacing a run-scoring double down the right-field line.

Pérez was charged with the loss, falling to 7-6, despite an otherwise impressive outing. The right-hander struck out 11 Mets batters over 5 1/3 innings but was undone by the three runs on three hits and three walks.

The Mets put the game out of reach with a two-run ninth inning against the Marlins’ bullpen. Francisco Alvarez and Tyrone Taylor singled to set the table for Lindor, who drove in Alvarez with a single to center. Taylor then scored on a wild pitch by George Soriano during a walk to Juan Soto.

Following Holmes’ departure, the Mets’ bullpen was flawless. Tyler Rogers, Brooks Raley, and Edwin Díaz each pitched a perfect inning of relief, combining for three strikeouts to seal the combined one-hitter. Díaz closed out the game in the ninth, working around a two-out hit-by-pitch to Liam Hicks by getting Agustín Ramírez to ground out to the mound.

The victory defied the pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 7-6 Marlins victory. The Mets, installed as 1.5-run favorites, covered the spread, while the combined five total runs fell well under the over/under line of 8.5.

The game was a tale of two pitching performances. While Holmes was efficient, Pérez’s high strikeout total led to a elevated pitch count and an early exit. Simpson was excellent in relief for Miami, striking out two in 1 1/3 hitless innings, but the Marlins’ offense could never mount a threat.

The result sets up a rubber match in the final game of the season for both clubs on Sunday. The Mets will look to secure a series win and end the year on a high note, while the Marlins will aim to rebound and finish their season at .500 at home.

For one afternoon, however, it was all Mets, as their pitching staff delivered a commanding performance that kept the Marlins off the scoreboard and secured a decisive victory in a brisk 2 hours and 43 minutes.