Curtis Granderson, Tyler Heineman and Austin Dean hit late home runs and the Miami Marlins rallied against Zack Wheeler to beat the host Mets, 4-2, on Thursday night.
Wheeler, a potential free agent pitching perhaps for the last time with the Mets, hit a run-scoring single to break a scoreless tie in the seventh inning.
Wheeler (11-8) had allowed only two hits until Harold Ramirez led off the eighth with a double and Heineman connected with one out for his first major league home run, tying the game at 2-2.
Granderson, who played for the Mets from 2014-17 and still draws warm ovations at Citi Field, followed with his fourth pinch-hit homer of the season.
The 38-year-old Granderson, who said earlier this week he hopes to play again in 2020, is batting .187 as a reserve for the Marlins.
Dean hit a solo homer in the ninth off Edwin Diaz.
Wheeler struck out 10 and walked none. His one-out single in the seventh put the Mets ahead, 1-0, and Brandon Nimmo added a sacrifice fly.
Jeff Brigham (3-2) recorded the final out of the seventh. Jose Urena earned his third save with a one-hit ninth.
A one-out double by Dean in the second provided the Marlins’ only baserunner through six innings against Wheeler, who has spent his entire seven-year career with the Mets.
Marlins starter Jordan Yamamoto allowed one hit and walked three while striking out a career-high 10 batters in six innings. He allowed two hits or fewer in six of his 15 starts this season.
Mets Manager Mickey Callaway said he and Jim Riggleman, the bench coach, had discussed batting Pete Alonso first over the weekend in order to give him additional chances to tie or break Aaron Judge’s single-season rookie home run record of 52. Alonso is one homer shy of matching Judge after striking out in all four plate appearances.
Callaway said his biggest concern is accidentally hurting Alonso’s chances by putting him into the unfamiliar spot atop the lineup.
Callaway said Riggleman had tried that in the past during his managerial stints.
“Sometimes, it puts you in a position where you’re kind of uncomfortable. So all of a sudden, you’re leading off and you’ve never done it before. And we don’t want Pete to feel that,” Callaway said.
“Now, I’m not saying if I talk to him after tonight that it’s not possible, because it could happen,” he said.