Soto's milestone homer leads Mets past Nationals 12-6

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto hit a three-run homer during a six-run fourth inning that vaulted the New York Mets to a pivotal 12-6 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

The Mets, who trailed 4-1 after three innings, began the night with a two-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third NL wild card.

Francisco Alvarez had a tying two-run double and Francisco Lindor hit the go-ahead run-scoring single before Soto’s career best 42nd home run of the season. Soto had 41 homers for the Yankees last season before signing a record $765 million contract with the Mets.

Lindor finished with three hits and three runs while Brandon Nimmo had a two-run single in the eighth. Pete Alonso, Starling Marte and Luisangel Acuña had an RBI apiece.

CJ Abrams homered and had three RBIs for the last-place Nationals.

Brooks Raley (2-0), the third of seven Mets pitchers, retired all three batters he faced. Brandon Sproat, one of three rookies in the New York rotation, allowed four runs in four innings.

Washington's Andrew Alvarez (1-1) gave up six runs, four earned, in 3 1/3 innings.

Soto’s homer snapped a tie for third place with Todd Hundley (1996) and Carlos Beltrán (2006) on the Mets’ single-season home run list. Alonso hit 53 homers as a rookie in 2019 before going deep 46 times in 2023.

The teams combined for four errors. Lindor advanced a base three different times on errors by Nationals outfielders Dylan Crews and James Wood. The comeback win for the Mets was their biggest since Aug. 25, when they overcame a three-run deficit in a 13-3 win over the Phillies.

Mets RHP Nolan McLean (4-1, 1.19 ERA) makes his seventh career start on Saturday, when he opposes Nationals RHP Cade Cavalli (3-1, 4.76).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Washington Nationals' CJ Abrams, right, celebrates with Jacob Young after they score on a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Luisangel Acuña slides past Washington Nationals' CJ Abrams, left, to steal second base during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Mets' Juan Soto runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Washington Nationals catcher Jorge Alfaro, left, watches as New York Mets' Juan Soto hits a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — William Nylander, who leads the Maple Leafs in scoring, went to the locker room late in the first period of Toronto's Thursday night game against the Vegas Golden Knights with a lower-body injury.

Teammate Oliver Ekman-Larsson also left the ice in the first, but returned for the second period.

The Maple Leafs said that Nylander would not return to the game.

He entered the game with a team-leading 30 assists and 46 points. Nylander added to those totals with a goal and an assist against the Golden Knights.

His overtime goal gave the Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory at Colorado on Monday night to end the Avalanche's 17-game home winning streak.

The 11-year veteran has been an ironman for the Maple Leafs, having appeared in all 82 games each of the past three seasons and in 81 games in 2021-22. However, he had just returned to action Saturday after missing six games with a lower-body injury.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, left, celebrates with right wing William Nylander after his goal in overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)