Home at last: Mets return to Citi Field from 2-week odyssey and prep for pivotal Game 3 vs Phillies

NEW YORK (AP) — It was a two-week odyssey for the New York Mets that would've put even Homer on pins and needles at the edge of his seat.

Big Apple to Atlanta. Consecutive rainouts caused by Hurricane Helene. Fly north to Milwaukee for the weekend.

Back down to Atlanta for one day and a makeup doubleheader. Back up to Milwaukee for the Wild Card Series. East to Philadelphia for two more playoff games.

And now — finally — back home at Citi Field for a pivotal Game 3 against the rival Phillies on Tuesday in a best-of-five NL Division Series that's tied 1-all.

“Feels like we’ve been on the road forever,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.

Along the way: Five crucial wins, three thrilling comebacks, two champagne celebrations — and 3,566 miles round trip.

Star shortstop Francisco Lindor said he'd never experienced a road trip that intense.

"Incredible. I think you could write a book. You could make a movie,” Mendoza said Monday as both teams held workouts at Citi Field.

When the Mets left town Sept. 22 following a Sunday night victory over Philadelphia, their stated goal was to wrap up a National League wild card and last long enough in the postseason to play in Queens again this year.

No easy task, they certainly knew. And with all the emotional highs they've enjoyed lately, it's easy to forget the Mets are just 5-6 overall since their last home game.

But here they are.

“We've had to go through a lot of things just to get here,” said left-hander Sean Manaea, scheduled to start Game 3 against Aaron Nola, with slumping Alec Bohm back in Philadelphia's lineup.

“We just keep believing, and we’re here. All we have to do is get our foot in the door and let’s see what happens. We’re at that point. It’s been a crazy ride.”

Manaea's voice was scratchy — he said probably the result of his reaction to Pete Alonso's go-ahead homer in the ninth inning Thursday night at Milwaukee that saved New York's season in the Wild Card Series clincher.

The Mets rallied late again to win their NLDS opener Saturday, only to see NL East champion Philadelphia turn the tables with a dramatic comeback in Game 2.

“We've been on the good side and now on the bad side. Incredible week. But that’s what makes baseball such a beautiful sport,” Mendoza said. “Hopefully we continue to write our own story.”

Now, the Mets get to pack their own ballpark Tuesday and play in front of a friendly crowd for the first time this October.

“I expect it to be crazy,” Manaea said. "This place can definitely be rocking. The last couple of games we had here were pretty amazing.

“We’ve all been talking about what this place is going to be like,” he added. “There’s definitely a sense of rejuvenation. The road can be crazy, but I’m looking forward to feeding off that energy.”

Nola (14-8, 3.57 ERA) has made a whopping 28 career starts against the Mets, going 10-9 with a 3.46 ERA — including 6-6 with a 3.28 mark in 14 outings at Citi Field.

“Pretty cool place to pitch,” he said. “I feel like I’ve had some good games and bad games here. I just always thought it was a beautiful ballpark. I always liked coming here.”

The right-hander threw a four-hit shutout with eight strikeouts and no walks May 14 in Queens, but New York tagged him for six runs and six hits over 4 1/3 innings during an 11-3 loss in Philadelphia on Sept. 13.

“I feel like I’ve thrown just about everything to a lot of them,” Nola said. “They’ve seen all my pitches, they’ve seen what I have, and I’ve seen what they have. It’s all about executing as best as possible against them, throwing the right pitch at the right time and really just trying to get them out any way possible.”

Alonso has batted .320 against Nola in 54 career plate appearances with five home runs and a 1.050 OPS.

Manaea faced Philadelphia in relief during the 2022 NL Championship Series with San Diego and took the loss in Game 4, giving up five runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings.

“It’s a thing of the past. It obviously wasn’t a very good outing,” he said. “I’m not the same pitcher I was then; they’re not the same (as) they were then, as well.”

It will be Lindor’s first game at Citi Field since Sept. 8.

A contender for NL MVP, he injured his back Sept. 13 in Philadelphia and played only one inning over the next 10 games before returning to the lineup two weeks later in Milwaukee.

“I'm in a good spot. It feels good,” Lindor said in the clubhouse. “I’m excited for it."

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

Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos (8) celebrates with Bryce Harper after hitting a home run against New York Mets pitcher Luis Severino during the sixth inning of Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper, left, and Nick Castellanos celebrate after scoringon a two-run triple hit by Bryson Stott during the eighth inning of Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the New York Mets, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

New York Mets pitcher Edwin Díaz looks out of the dugout after being pulled during the eight inning of Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos celebrates with teammates his one-run single against New York Mets pitcher Tylor Megill during the ninth inning to win Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos reacts after hitting a one-run single against New York Mets pitcher Tylor Megill during the ninth inning to win Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper follow through after hitting a two-run home run against New York Mets pitcher Luis Severino during the sixth inning of Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

New York Mets' Pete Alonso reacts after hitting a home run against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher José Ruiz during the sixth inning of Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

New York Mets' Mark Vientos celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez during the third inning of Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A court order that says hospitals cannot federally be required to provide pregnancy terminations when they violate a Texas abortion ban will stay for now, the Supreme Court said Monday.

The decision is another setback for opponents of Texas’ abortion ban, which for two years has withstood multiple legal challenges, including from women who had serious pregnancy complications and have been turned away by doctors.

It left Texas as the only state where the Biden administration is unable to enforce its interpretation of a federal law in an effort to ensure women still have access to emergency abortions when their health or life is at risk.

The justices did not detail their reasoning for keeping in place a lower court order, and there were no publicly noted dissents. Texas had asked the justices to leave the order in place while the Biden administration had asked the justices to throw it out.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the decision “a major victory.”

The Biden administration argues that a federal law, called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, requires emergency rooms to provide abortions if a pregnant patient’s health or life is at serious risk, even in states where the procedure is banned. The law only applies to emergency rooms that receive Medicare funding, which most hospitals do.

The Supreme Court decision comes weeks before a presidential election in which Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has put abortion at the center of her campaign, attacking Republican challenger Donald Trump for appointing judges to the high court who overturned nationwide abortion rights in 2022.

“I will never stop fighting for a woman’s right to emergency medical care — and to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade so that women in every state have access to the care they need,” Harris said on social media Monday evening.

Texas' abortion ban has also been a centerpiece of Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred ’s challenge against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cuz for his seat.

At a campaign event over the weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, hundreds of Allred’s supporters broke out in raucous applause when he vowed to protect a woman’s right to an abortion. “When I’m in the Senate, we’re going to restore Roe v. Wade," Allred said.

At a separate event the same day, in a nearby suburb, Cruz outlined a litany of criticisms against Allred, but didn’t bring up the abortion law.

Katie Glenn Daniel, the state policy director of SBA Pro-Life America, applauded the Supreme Court decision and pointed to data showing Texas doctors have been able to provide an average of about five abortions per month to save a patient's life or health.

Still, complaints of pregnant women in medical distress being turned away from emergency rooms in Texas and elsewhere have spiked as hospitals grapple with whether standard care could violate strict state laws against abortion. Several Texas women have lodged complaints against hospitals for not terminating their failing and dangerous pregnancies because of the state's ban. In some cases, women lost reproductive organs.

In asking the Supreme Court to toss out the lower court decision, the administration pointed to a similar case from Idaho earlier this year in which the justices narrowly allowed emergency abortions to resume while a lawsuit continues. At the time the Idaho case began, the state had an exception for the life, but not the health, of a woman.

Texas said its case is different, however, because the law provides some exceptions if a pregnant patient's health is at risk.

Texas pointed to a state Supreme Court ruling that said doctors do not have to wait until a woman’s life is in immediate danger to provide an abortion legally. Doctors, though, have said the Texas law is dangerously vague, and a medical board has refused to list all the conditions that qualify for an exception.

Marc Hearron, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, said doctors in Texas got no clarity from the Supreme Court on Monday.

“The health care crisis is ongoing,” Hearron said. “Patients are going to continue to suffer.”

Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California at Davis who has written extensively about abortion, said there remains much uncertainty for doctors in Texas, who could risk life in prison for performing abortions.

“I think we’re going to continue to see physicians turning away patients, even patients who could qualify under the state’s exceptions, because the consequences of guessing wrong are so severe and the laws are not that clear,” Ziegler said.

The Texas case started after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, leading to abortion restrictions in many Republican-controlled states. The Biden administration issued guidance saying hospitals still needed to provide abortions in emergency situations under a health care law that requires most hospitals to treat any patients in medical distress.

Texas sued over that guidance, arguing that hospitals cannot be required to provide abortions that would violate its ban. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the state, ruling in January that the administration had overstepped its authority.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a post on X, “Reproductive rights are under assault in this country and women’s health and lives remain in danger from the chaos and confusion caused by overturning Roe.”

Stengle contributed to this report from Dallas. AP reporters Amanda Seitz in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City and Aamer Madhani in Washington also contributed to this report.

Supreme Court lets stand a decision barring emergency abortions that violate Texas ban

Supreme Court lets stand a decision barring emergency abortions that violate Texas ban

FILE - The Supreme Court building is seen, June 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)