Young's two center-field plays lift Nationals past Mets 3-2

Jacob Young’s two sensational plays in center field helped the Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 3-2 at Citi Field on Sunday, a result that plunged the Mets deeper into a frantic wild-card scramble late in the regular season. Young’s leaping grab in the fifth inning and another over the fence in the ninth preserved the Nationals’ lead and sealed a victory that left New York tied with Cincinnati for the final National League wild-card spot.

The game’s decisive blow came in the second inning when Nasim Nuñez homered off Sean Manaea for a two-run shot that put Washington ahead. The Mets chipped away, with Cedric Mullins delivering an RBI single in the second and Francisco Lindor homering in the sixth to cut the deficit to one, but the visitors could not match the Nationals’ pitching late. Jake Irvin worked effectively in the start and Mitchell Parker, making his first big league relief appearance after years as a starter, struck out to close out the game and record the save, according to team reports.

Young’s defense became the headline. In the fifth, Brett Baty launched a deep fly to center and Young slammed into the wall; the ball popped out of his glove but rebounded...