Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado, suspended three games earlier in the day by Major League Baseball, allowed three runs and two crucial walks in an eighth-inning appearance Sunday, allowing the New York Mets just enough breathing room for an 8-7 victory that wasn't complete until a dramatic, overturned home run in the next inning.
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Alvarado threw just three strikes in an 11-pitch outing just hours after appealing MLB's discipline for his role in a benches-clearing, eighth-inning incident Friday against New York in Philadelphia. But his appearance was just one of many headlines in what proved to be a rollercoaster of emotions for both clubs in front of a national, Sunday Night Baseball audience.