Tylor Megill dominates, Mets’ bats explode as they sweep doubleheader over Phillies

Kodai Senga has been a good influence on the Mets beyond just his Rookie of the Year-caliber numbers. Right-hander Tylor Megill adopted Senga’s forkball grip over the summer and threw the pitch in a game for the first time Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Mets 4-3 win in the first game of a twin bill.

Megill turned in a season-best performance with 7 1/3 innings, thanks, in part, to the pitch he’s calling an “American Spork.”

“It’s the off-brand version,” Megill said, referring to Senga’s infamous “ghost fork.”

The Mets swept the twinbill with an 11-4 win in the second game. Rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez hit two home runs, including his first career grand slam.

After a week of rain and rain-related storylines, the Mets were finally able to play a game without incident. It was a game that mattered little for both teams. The NL East was decided long ago with the Atlanta Braves clinching the title for the second year in a row, and the Phillies (89-72) having clinched the top NL Wild Card playoff spot earlier in the week. The Mets (74-86), of course, were officially eliminated from playoff contention last week in Philadelphia.

But playing quality baseball still means something for the Mets, especially for a pitcher like Megill.

“It’s fantastic being able to finish strong,” Megill said. “It’s been a hell of a year for me. Grinding up and down. Some success but a lot of failure. Being able to come back and figure things out and make a strong finish, it gives me a lot of confidence and allows me to go into the offseason with a lot of positives.”

Megill (9-18) was the star. In his final performance of the season, the right-hander went deeper than he had all year, carrying a scoreless outing into the eighth inning. Megill gave up back-to-back singles before getting the first out and being replaced by Brooks Raley.

The expectations around Megill were high this season and he struggled to perform. He was even demoted to Triple-A at one point. All year, the Mets tried to figure out why Megill and his left-handed counterpart David Peterson had regressed.

But Megill limited the Phillies to one earned run on four hits, walked two and struck out seven Saturday. He has worked to get his ERA under 5.00 and did exactly that, lowering it to 4.70.

This was the debut for the splitter, so Megill didn’t go heavy on the pitch. But the 6-foot-7 righty says he has large enough hands that spread out adequately enough to be able to throw the pitch, so he’ll work on it this winter with the hope that it becomes viable.

“I’ve got the fingers, they spread out really far, so it’s just natural for me,” Megill said. “I’ve been telling [Senga] before each of like the past three or four starts, ‘I’m going to throw it, I’m going to throw it.’ Going up early was big, it allowed me to get the confidence to throw it.”

Taijuan Walker (15-6) was tagged for four earned runs in a seven-inning outing. The Mets scored three runs in the first inning and Omar Narvaez made it 4-0 in the second with a leadoff homer, only his second round-tripper of the season, helping give Megill enough of a cushion to be able to use the “spork” ball.

He came off the field to an ovation from the fans.

“I think the depth of our rotation is going to be in good shape next year,” said manager Buck Showalter. “It’s just a matter of Megill taking the next step.”

Left-hander Jose Quintana had a shaky start in the late game, allowing four runs (three earned) over four innings. Quintana, who started the season on the injured list after a cancer scare and bone graft surgery during spring training, finished his first season with the Mets 3-6 with a 3.57 ERA. Other than his last two starts, he proved to be solid and reliable, and the rotation depth will be in better shape — as Showalter asserted — if Quintana pitches similarly next season.

Left-hander Michael Plassmeyer made his MLB debut for Philadelphia in the second game. It was forgettable for Plassmeyer, but memorable for Alvarez, who snapped an 0-for-23 slump with his first homer of the night.

The rookie catcher, who struggled at the plate over the final two months of the season, hit a two-run shot in the second inning and a grand slam in the third to bring his total to 25 on the season. Next year, he’s hoping for even more.

“I think I can do better than that,” Alvarez said, conducting an interview in English for the first time this season.

Francisco Lindor hit No. 31 in the 4th inning and Ronny Mauricio went 2-for-4 with a double. The Mets did some damage against the rookie, taking 10 runs (nine earned) on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings to hand him his first Major League loss (0-1).