Often for the Mets, the first six innings of a game tend not to matter. It’s not as if the Mets are bad early in games. (They’re not.) It’s just that from the seventh inning onward, they turn into a juggernaut.

The Pirates are among MLB’s worst teams, but with their great equalizer on the mound for six innings Monday night they stood a chance against the Mets.

Pete Alonso lofted the walk-off sacrifice fly Monday night for the New York Mets, who edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 in the opener of a three-game series.