Benge breaks Mets rookie hits record held by Alonso in New York's 10-3 win over Phillies

NEW YORK (AP) — Carson Benge had three hits to break Pete Alonso's Mets season rookie record, homering along with Francisco Alvarez as New York again prevented the Philadelphia Phillies from gaining ground in the NL wild card race with a 10-3 win Saturday.

Benge raised his hits total to 156, one more than Pete Alonso in 2019.

Alec Bohm had a pair of run-scoring singles and Bryce Harper delivered a sacrifice fly for the Phillies (85-70), who entered Saturday tied with the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres for the three NL wild cards, five games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Alvarez’s three-run homer off Andrew Painter (3-10) put the Mets ahead for good in the fifth.

Benge doffed his cap to an ovation from the crowd of 37,468 following the record-breaking hit, an RBI infield single in the eighth.

Painter and Mets starter Christian Scott both attended Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Scott was in the class of 2018 and Painter in the class of 2021.

Painter allowed four runs and four hits with seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, leaving him with a 5.59 ERA.

Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio each had an RBI in the sixth and the Mets added four runs in the eighth off Orion Kerkering. Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette all had RBIs before Benge’s milestone hit.

Kerkering has given up nine runs in 4 1/3 innings over four appearances this month.

Lindor went 0 for 4 and remained at 299 career homers.

Jefry Yan (2-1) got four outs in relief of Christian Scott, who gave up three runs and struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings. Scott has allowed four runs or fewer in all 32 big league starts.

RHP Jonah Tong (2-1, 3.43 ERA) starts the Mets’ home finale Sunday against Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez (17-6, 2.93 ERA). Rain is forecast.

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Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter reacts after giving up a home run to New York Mets' Carson Benge during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

New York Mets' Carson Benge, right, hugs announcer Steve Gelbs as he gets doused with Gatorade after breaking the Mets rookie season record for hits in New York, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

New York Mets' Carson Benge, right, reacts after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

New York Mets' Carson Benge, right, hugs announcer Steve Gelbs, left, as he gets doused with Gatorade after breaking the Mets rookie season record for hits in New York, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

The powerhouse Southeastern Conference will have at least two top-10 teams lose in Week 3.

It could be three if No. 10 Alabama doesn’t beat pesky Florida State.

Kentucky stunned No. 9 Texas A&M on the road Saturday, winning 31-21 behind three transfers: quarterback Kenny Minchey, running back CJ Baxter and safety Jordan Castell.

Minchey, a Notre Dame transfer, completed 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He connected on his final 11 throws. Baxter, a former Texas standout, ran for 87 yards and two scores. Castell, a three-year starter at Florida, finished with a team-high 13 tackles and an interception.

“I’m not shocked,” first-year coach Will Stein said on the field afterward. “This is how these guys practiced every single day. This is what Kentucky football is supposed to look like. So proud of our guys coming on the road, the eye of the storm. How freaking cool is this? Let’s go!”

Stein, 36, replaced longtime Kentucky coach Mark Stoops in December and became the third first-year Wildcats coach to beat a top-10 team — first since Joker Phillips in 2010.

“We knew it was going to be a bar fight, a fistfight, old school,” Stein said. “We were the tougher team tonight. That’s how we won the game.

“This is what we wanted, BBN. Let’s freaking go!”

No. 7 LSU and eighth-ranked Ole Miss will finish later Saturday and provide another top-10 loss.

Alabama led Florida State 26-21 at halftime, rallying after trailing 21-6 early in the second quarter. It was an eye-popping deficit for a Crimson Tide team that shockingly lost at home to the Seminoles to open last season.

Lane Kiffin was wildly booed long before he arrived at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday for the LSU-Ole Miss game.

Kiffin appeared remotely on ESPN's “College GameDay," and Mississippi fans still angry about how he left the Rebels for LSU late last season greeted him with a chorus of expletive-laced chants. It was a clear sign of what Kiffin and the Tigers should expect when they play at Ole Miss later Saturday.

“I really appreciate you guys gaslighting them with this,” Kiffin said from the team hotel.

It was the latest in a growing buildup for the first top-10 matchup between No. 7 LSU and eight-ranked Ole Miss since 1962.

It started when Kiffin left the Rebels to take the LSU job and a $91 million contract just as the team he had coached for six years was days away from its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Kiffin wanted to stay through the playoff, but Ole Miss moved on to coach Pete Golding and advanced to the CFP semifinals. LSU finished 7-6, capped by a loss in the Texas Bowl.

The off-field storylines haven't stopped since. Kiffin's comments about whether Black players could be recruited to Ole Miss, lawsuits alleging Ole Miss transfers owe big money for reneging on their NIL deals and LSU’s now-abandoned defiance of rules against rostering former pro players have only brightened the spotlight for this one.

LSU threw another wrinkle into the mix by saying midweek that quarterback Sam Leavitt was “doubtful” to play, sparking immediate fan accusations of gamesmanship. He's been upgraded since and is expected to start.

Kiffin himself acknowledged there could be “hatred” in the stands Saturday. Security has been dramatically increased as authorities expect 100,000 people in Oxford, a town whose school-year population of about 25,000 is virtually all students.

The winner improves to 3-0 on the season — and gets savory bragging rights.

There is a good one in the ACC: No. 16 SMU at No. 23 Louisville, the league leaders in total offense featuring SMU's Kevin Jennings (402.5 yard per game) and Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz (375.0).

Both are eager to keep pace with No. 5 Miami, which beat Wake Forest 33-20 on Friday night as Darian Mensah completed 30 of 34 passes, including his first 24 attempts, for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

In the Big 12, two of the favorites opened league play with a terrific game Friday night in Lubbock, where No. 13 Texas Tech held on for a 28-26 win over No. 22 Houston. Cougars QB Conner Weigman came up just short of a 2-point conversion in the final minute, a play that went to the Big 12 replay review room — the broadcast audience was able to watch and listen to the analysis — before it was upheld.

There also are several intriguing matchups pitting 2-0 teams that can be best viewed as measuring stick games, including Virginia Tech at Maryland, Mississippi State at South Carolina and these:

— Florida at Auburn. Gators QB Aaron Philo, who will make his first road start, has completed 76% of his passes with five touchdowns. Byrum Brown, who has been new Auburn coach Alex Golesh's starting QB for all or part of four seasons, was a 1,000-yard rusher last year.

— No. 25 Virginia vs. West Virginia in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Mountaineers, 2-0 for the first time since 2018, are playing their border-state rival for the first time since 2002.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

Kentucky players celebrate a field goal by kicker Adam Zouagui (88) during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Kentucky head coach Will Stein celebrates after his team beat Texas A&M in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Kentucky's CJ Baxter Jr. (1) and Ty Bryant (14) celebrate after an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)