Carson Benge Lays Out for Diving Catch in 5-1 Mets Win
carson benge changed the last inning with one dive. The New York Mets rookie right fielder laid out for a spectacular catch in the bottom of the ninth against the Los Angeles Angels on May 3, 2026, and the play likely saved a run.
Benge At The First Base Side
Vaughn Grissom sent a line drive down the first base side with one out and a runner on first. Benge got to it, caught it cleanly, and turned a dangerous final frame into an out that kept the Angels from building momentum in a 5-1 game.
Benge spoke after the game in simple terms. “I dove still not knowing,” he said. “But I know I was going to try to make a play for my guys.”
Mets Close Out Angels
The catch came in a game the Mets won 5-1, their 12th victory of the season. It also helped New York take two of three from Los Angeles, a series win the club had not had since it beat the Minnesota Twins in two games on April 23.
Clay Holmes carried the earlier innings for New York. He allowed one run on four hits and struck out six, and his ERA moved to 1.69 after the game. That left the ninth inning to Benge’s defense, not to another late Angels push.
The play drew its own reaction in the booth, where Gary Cohen called it “pulchritudinous,” and Todd Zeile was left speechless after the word. For the Mets, the value was simpler than the language around it: a rookie right fielder made a run-saving catch in a close late-game spot, then watched the club finish off a series win it had been waiting to secure since April 23.
