WASHINGTON -- A few cheering fans caught the attention of Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez as he finally began his nightly debrief with reporters.

"Thank you for staying," Martinez said.

They couldn't have been blamed for leaving early. No doubt, they're glad they didn't.

Kurt Suzuki capped the largest ninth-inning comeback in Nationals franchise history with a game-ending, three-run homer, helping Washington score seven runs in its final at-bat to stun the New York Mets 11-10 Tuesday night.

"With the at-bats everyone was putting on that inning, I didn't want to kill the rally," Suzuki said. "I wanted to come through just like everyone else was."

Mets relievers Paul Sewald, Luis Avilan and Edwin Diaz pitched through the meltdown, retiring just one batter while Washington rallied for its 20th win in 26 games. The Nationals/Expos franchise had never won a game after trailing by at least six runs in the ninth or later.

"It's been a crazy year," said Nationals veteran Ryan Zimmerman, who hit a two-run pinch double during the rally. "That's the only way to sum it up. For me, for the team, for everyone. It kind of fits into the narrative, I guess."

New York led 10-4 after scoring five runs in the top of the ninth. Wilson Ramos extended his hitting streak to 26 games and Pete Alonso crushed his 44th homer to put the Mets in position for a win over the current leaders in the National League wild-card hunt.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway lifted reliever Seth Lugo after he retired all three hitters he faced in the eighth. Lugo routinely gets six outs per outing, but Callaway said he thought the lead was safe enough to go deeper into the bullpen.

"We had a six-run lead," Callaway said. "Major league pitchers got to be able to hold that."

Sewald allowed four hits to his five batters, including Trea Turner's RBI double and Anthony Rendon's RBI single. Avilan allowed a single to load the bases, and then Diaz (1-7) relieved and allowed a two-run double to Zimmerman followed by Suzuki's blast.

"It kind of just seemed like a bad dream," Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo said. "I don't know. That's hard to do even in a Little League game I feel like, come back from [six] runs down in the bottom of the ninth against guys throwing 99 mph. I don't really have words for it."

Suzuki pointed into the home dugout before rounding first base, pumped his fist at second and was swarmed by teammates at home plate. It was his 16th homer of the season.

"The difference was that that team didn't let up at any moment," Diaz said through an interpreter. "I was throwing my pitches. I thought I was executing my fastball, my slider and it just happened to be that he got me. He was waiting on that pitch and he hit it out."

Javy Guerra (3-1) retired the only batter he faced to end the Mets' ninth.

Washington is the first team to allow five or more runs in the top of the ninth and get even more in the bottom of the inning for a walk-off win since the Red Sox on June 18, 1962, against the Washington Senators, according to Stats LLC.

New York's five-run ninth was aided when Turner forgot how many outs there were and passed on a possible double-play grounder with one out, instead throwing to first.

The game began as a duel between the most recent NL Cy Young Award winners. Washington's Max Scherzer allowed four runs and five hits while striking out seven in six innings, the longest of his three starts since coming off the injured list last month.

New York's Jacob deGrom was in firm control for much of his outing, which ended abruptly in the eighth after Rendon's infield single and Juan Soto's two-run blast to right-center pulled Washington within 5-4. In seven-plus innings, deGrom yielded four runs while striking out six.

WASHINGTON -- They are what we thought they were. The Washington Nationals' see-it-to-believe-it, come-from-way-behind-way-late, 11-10 win over the New York Mets wasn't a swing game. It didn't transform the pennant race. It didn't alter the fate of the free world as we know it. It didn't reverse the destiny of an entire organization. What it did do, however, was serve as an affirmation that a pair of NL East rivals are pretty much what we thought they were.

Let's start with New York, which entered Tuesday's game in D.C. with little to no hope of playing beyond September. Despite a white-hot stretch in which the Amazin's resurrected the ghost of their 2015 forefathers by winning 21 of 26 to become wild-card contenders, they've come crashing back to earth recently. By the time the extended Labor Day weekend officially concluded, the Mets had just a 7.5% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. Although they weren't technically toast, they certainly seemed toast-ish. After Tuesday's miraculous meltdown, it could very well be time to bust out the knife and butter.

"When I came in here, I didn't really know what just happened," center fielder Brandon Nimmo said from the visiting clubhouse after his team scored four runs in the top of the ninth to extend its lead to 10-4 but then blew it by allowing a seven-spot in the bottom half, the last three runs coming courtesy of Kurt Suzuki's walk-off, three-run bomb against closer Edwin Diaz. "It kind of just seemed like a bad dream. That's hard to do even in a Little League game, I feel like, to come back from seven runs down in the bottom of the ninth against guys throwing 99 mph. I don't really have words for that."

Forget about words: There are barely numbers for that. Through Monday's games, home teams were 0-274 when trailing by six-plus runs entering the bottom of the ninth inning. The past five years, MLB teams were 4-1,321. Washington was 0-63 in the past decade.

In other words, the odds of the Nats doing what they did on Tuesday were roughly equivalent to the odds of Satan needing to use the defroster in his Satanmobile. Then again, these are the 2019 Mets we're talking about.

For all the goodness that has emanated from Queens this season, there has been plenty of badness. Despite Pete Alonso's epic rookie season and Jeff McNeil's solidifying his status as one of the game's best all-around hitters and J.D. Davis' becoming a cult hero and Jacob deGrom's making a serious run at a second consecutive Cy Young award, it has been hard to not focus on the things that haven't gone well. From rookie GM Brodie Van Wagenen tossing chairs during a meeting with coaches to pitcher Jason Vargas getting into a shouting match with a reporter, there has been plenty of weirdness.

But perhaps the most dysfunctional thing about the Mets this season has been the bullpen. Following the surprising offseason acquisition of Diaz, a dominant closer who was an All-Star in 2018, New York's relief corps was expected to be better. Instead, it has been one of the worst in the league. Including the latest fiasco, the Mets' pen has a 5.15 ERA, fourth-highest in the majors. Mets relievers have now blown 25 saves and are in danger of breaking the franchise's single-season record (29). Still, nobody could have predicted what went down in the District on Tuesday -- except maybe the home team.

"The boys fought. What can I say about these guys, honestly?" said manager Davey Martinez, whose club began the day having scored more ninth-inning runs than any other team in baseball, then went out and added to that cushion. "All year long, they've been down, down, down, and they come right back."

Clearly, Martinez was talking on a micro level about Washington's propensity for erasing in-game deficits. But it applies on a macro level: Back on May 24, the Nationals were 19-31 and looked like they were finished. Thanks to a 59-28 record since then (best in the majors), they're now at the top of the wild-card race and have a 99% chance of making the playoffs.

"Think positive, that's all I can tell you," said Martinez, who could barely conduct his postgame news conference because fans in the VIP club at Nats Park, which shares a glass wall with the media room, kept interrupting him with raucous cheers. It's a dynamic that hardly anyone could have imagined four months ago, when local talk radio was filled with callers demanding Martinez's job.

"If you let this game go like this, it's not going to be good," Washington's skipper said, making a roller-coaster gesture with his hand, which then turned into a flat line. "Just stay right here, and we'll be fine."

That isn't to say the Nationals don't have issues. The only reason they were in a big hole entering the bottom of the ninth was because their bullpen, which has been the worst in the NL all season, allowed five runs in the top half to turn a one-run game into what looked like a laugher.

It wasn't all the relievers' fault, though: With one out and a man on first, shortstop Trea Turner fielded a double-play grounder but threw to first because he thought there were two down -- the kind of "little things" mistake that was the norm for the Nats earlier in the season.

A couple hours before that, Max Scherzer -- Washington's ace and would-be wild-card starter -- got pummeled during a four-run fourth inning that suggested he has a ways to go before he's back to his usual Cy Young self.

"Obviously, there's things I can sharpen up," Scherzer said. "An outing like today, as much as you want to beat yourself up for it, was a step forward."

Of course, it's a whole lot easier to avoid self-flagellation when your teammates pick you up -- when they do the unthinkable and come from way behind way late in see-it-to-believe-it fashion.

"We've just got great chemistry," Scherzer said. "Got great mojo. We've really gelled together, watching this team come together and just playing good baseball. We have fun together, we all pull for each other, and it's a real treat to come to the park and compete with these guys. We've got a real good team."

In other words, the Nationals are who we thought they were.

FERNLEY, Nev. — World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Fernley 95A Speedway officials have reached a mutual decision to cancel the event on Sept. 15.

“Extenuating circumstances have unfortunately led us to canceling this year’s event in Fernley,” said World of Outlaws COO Tom Deery. “After much discussion and thought, we believe this is the best decision to make at this time.”

“We were looking forward to bringing the World of Outlaws to the Reno market, but in the end it’s just not right to do so at this point,” said Fernley 95A owner Dan Simpson. “We are excited about our weekly events in September and October and look forward to a bright future at Fernley 95A Speedway.”

Land speed racer Danny Thompson dropped by The Ralph Sheheen Show to share his thoughts on chasing land speed records, one of which he set in 2018 using his famous father’s 50-year old Challenger II at an average speed of 448.757 mph.

Thompson’s father, legendary car builder and racer, Mickey Thompson, set records from the Bonneville Salt Flats, to various drag strips, and even at the Indianapolis 500.

Catch this week’s full episode on SPEEDSPORT.com or listen to the audio podcast on popular apps like iTunes, SoundClould, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio and more.

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – Don Schumacher Racing drivers Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown, Leah Pritchett, Ron Capps, Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan and Tommy Johnson Jr. will help kick off the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show as special guests for the Grand Opening Breakfast on Dec. 12.

Offered exclusively for PRI Show attendees, the event features a live talk show-style program served up alongside a catered breakfast to some 3,000 industry professionals in the Indiana Convention Center’s Sagamore Ballroom just prior to the start of the three-day trade-only Show.

Emcee Ralph Sheheen of SPEED SPORT will lead a lively and entertaining discussion with the DSR team that is expected to include personal stories and accomplishments on and off the race track.

“It is an honor to have all seven Don Schumacher Racing drivers join us at the Breakfast and help kick off another amazing PRI Show,” said Karin Davidson, PRI Trade Show Director. “The drivers, along with new host Ralph Sheheen, will make for a very entertaining and unique Breakfast.”

Doors to the Sagamore Ballroom will open at 7 a.m., and the program will begin at 7:45 a.m. PRI attendees are admitted to the Breakfast free of charge, but guests are advised to arrive early, as seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

SEATTLE -- The expansion NHL franchise in Seattle has made its third front-office hire by adding Ricky Olczyk as the club's assistant general manager.

General manager Ron Francis announced the addition Tuesday. Olczyk joins Seattle after spending last season as a pro scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Olczyk has a strong connection with Francis after the pair worked together in Carolina. Olczyk was an assistant GM with Francis in Carolina and before that was the assistant GM in Edmonton for six seasons.

Olczyk's duties in Seattle will include managing contracts and the salary cap and overseeing player transactions. He joins Francis and director of hockey administration Alexandra Mandrycky in Seattle's front office.

Olczyk is the younger brother of Ed Olczyk, who played 16 seasons in the NHL and coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for parts of two seasons. Ed Olczyk now works as a color analyst for hockey and horse racing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Serena Williams was not troubled one bit by the right ankle she rolled in her previous match. Didn't get much resistance from her opponent, either.

Looking as dominant as can be, Williams moved just fine and powered her way into the US Open semifinals by overwhelming 18th-seeded Qiang Wang of China 6-1, 6-0 in a mere 44 minutes Tuesday night to move closer to a 24th Grand Slam singles trophy.

Williams had rolled her ankle during her fourth-round match but never showed any signs that it was an issue.

"Physically, I'm feeling great,'' Williams said, "and more than anything, I'm having fun every time I come out here.''

Why shouldn't she? When she plays like this, it's hard to imagine anyone else ending up with the championship Saturday.

Williams grabbed the first five games in about 15 minutes. Then, after dropping one game, Williams collected the next 11 points in a row and every remaining game.

Just one indication of how lopsided this was: Williams finished with 25 winners to zero for Wang, who was playing in her first major quarterfinal. One other: The total points were 50-15.

"I've been working on my speed, getting shots," Williams said. "I didn't give her too many chances in the match.

"That's a good stat for me. It's good because I want to be able to move around the court. I move when I want to move. I guess I wanted to move tonight."

Williams collected her 100th singles victory at Flushing Meadows, where she is a six-time champion.

"From when I first started here ... I never thought that I would get to 100. Didn't even cross my mind I would still be out here,'' said Williams who turns 38 later this month. "But I love what I do.''

The American will face No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine for a berth in the final. Svitolina eliminated 16th-seeded Johanna Konta of Britain 6-4, 6-4 earlier Tuesday.

"She's had a great year, as well,'' Williams said. "I feel like she wants to go one further this time, so I have to be able to come out again and play really well.''

With her boyfriend, Gael Monfils, watching in the stands, a day before he plays his quarterfinal, Svitolina got to the semifinals at a second consecutive major tournament after never having been that far before.

"Now,'' Svitolina joked about Monfils, "he needs to step up his game.''

Svitolina and Konta exchanged three consecutive breaks of serve in the second set, before Svitolina ended that streak by holding for a 5-3 lead when Konta dumped a volley into the net.

It was part of a mistake-filled performance by Konta, who was trying to become the sixth active player to reach the semifinals in all four Grand Slam tournaments.

But the British player committed 35 unforced errors to Svitolina's 13, including a whopping 20-5 margin in the second set, and fell to 0-5 against the Ukrainian.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.