Benge walk-off single in 10th gives Mets 3-2 win over Tigers, atones for earlier misplay

NEW YORK (AP) — Rookie Carson Benge delivered his first big league walk-off hit, a 10th-inning single that atoned for a first-inning misplay and lifted the Mets past the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Wednesday night after New York star Juan Soto left the game with an ankle injury.

New York trailed 2-0 in the first after Benge dropped Dillon Dingler's catchable fly ball near the right-field warning track, which fell for a double, and Riley Greene followed with a two-run single off Christian Scott.

Tyrone Taylor had an RBI grounder in the second off Framber Valdez, who made his first start since a five-game suspension for intentionally hitting Boston’s Trevor Story with a pitch. Bo Bichette tied the score with a bloop RBI single in the seventh against Kyle Finnegan.

Soto was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh, four innings after he fouled a pitch off his right foot. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said X-rays were negative and Soto was day to day.

Benge, who debuted on opening day, hit a sharp one-out single to center off Drew Anderson (1-1) easily scored automatic runner A.J. Ewing, who made his own debut Tuesday. Benge had been thrown own out at the plate by shortstop Zack Short on a delayed double steal for the final out of the seventh as catcher Dillon Dingler applied the tag.

Brooks Raley (1-1) walked Matt Vierling with two outs in the 10th before he retiring Wenceel Pérez on a flyout.

Scott gave two runs and struck out five in 4 2/3 innings. He is winless in 13 major league starts, tying Colorado's Jon Gray in 2015 and '16 for most consecutive starts without a win opening a big league career.

Valdez allowed two runs and struck out seven.

Tigers RHP Keider Montero (2-2, 3.18 ERA) opposes Mets RHP Nolan McLean (1-2, 2.78 ERA) on Thursday.

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

New York Mets' Carson Benge (3) hits a walk-off RBI single during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Mets' Carson Benge (3) celebrates with New York Mets' Luis Torrens after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Mets' Carson Benge, center, is dunked with gatorade after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Mets' Carson Benge (3) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Mets' Carson Benge (3), right, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off RBI single during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Republicans will hold their first-ever national convention ahead of November's midterm elections, an unusual event aimed at boosting turnout in races that will decide whether the party maintains control of Congress.

The convention will be held in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10.

Although both major parties traditionally hold blockbuster conventions during presidential campaigns, Trump has long floated the idea of a similar gathering this year to focus voters' attention on a sprawling collection of House and Senate races.

If Democrats regain control of either chamber, they will be empowered to block Trump’s agenda and launch investigations into his administration for the final two years of his term.

Republicans have only slim majorities in Congress, and the party in power normally loses ground in the midterms. And without Trump on the ballot, Republican leaders worry that it could be hard to galvanize their voters.

Trump hopes the convention would help change that dynamic, and he’s been talking about it since last year. He floated in a social media post that Republicans would use the event “to show the great things we have done since the Presidential Election of 2024.”

“We will also have lots of Great Entertainment — It will be a RALLY like none other!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing the convention details.

The Democratic National Committee considered hosting a similar midterm convention but ultimately rejected the idea. An expensive soiree could have strained the DNC’s finances, which are struggling with lackluster fundraising and millions in debt.

Democrats have said the GOP convention will be a chance for them to tie Republican House and Senate candidates to Trump, whose approval rating is underwater.

Locating the convention in Texas places a spotlight on the state’s Senate race, which pits Democratic nominee James Talarico against Republican nominee Ken Paxton.

Paxton is the state attorney general who, with Trump’s backing, defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn in a primary earlier this year. Republican Senate leaders fear that Paxton’s history of scandals — including an extramarital affair, an impeachment and a securities fraud case that did not lead to a conviction — could undermine his candidacy and turn a winnable race into a drain on party resources.

It also highlights the aftereffects of Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push that began in Texas, an effort to secure more seats for Republicans in this fall’s elections.

The Republican National Committee began laying the groundwork earlier this year, voting at its winter meeting in January to make such an event possible by amending procedures centered around quadrennial presidential nominating conventions.

Democrats considered holding a similar gathering ahead of the midterms but tabled the idea. However, the party did hold such conferences in the 1970s and 1980s.

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP. Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper contributed.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a presidential memo to the EPA on pollution control in vehicles, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)