NEW YORK — Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals spent much of the night annoyed at plate umpire Jerry Meals. They never really figured out how to handle Matt Harvey or Wilmer Flores, either.
The new fan favorite at Citi Field, Flores hit a leadoff home run in the 12th inning to lift the New York Mets over the Nationals, 2-1, on Friday in the opener of a pivotal series between the top teams in the National League East.
Harvey took a shutout into the eighth inning, and the Mets pulled within two games of first-place Washington.