NEW YORK — Back home at PNC Park, Andrew McCutchen’s long drive might’ve won the game. At Citi Field, it became a long out.

A very long out.

Center fielder Juan Lagares robbed McCutchen of a go-ahead hit with a leaping catch in the top of the ninth inning, then pinch-hitter Mike Baxter’s single in the bottom half sent the New York Mets over the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Thursday night.

“I didn’t think it was out, as big as this ballpark plays,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We were hoping it was out, but it’s not out until it’s out here.”

It was 1-all in the seventh when McCutchen came up with a runner on second and two outs, and the Mets intentionally walked him.

At 2-all in the ninth with a runner on first and two outs, the Mets challenged the All-Star.

McCutchen hit a loud shot into faraway right-center field, toward the 390-foot mark. Lagares glided back, perfectly timed his leap and plucked the ball at the top of the fence as he rammed into the padded wall. It was a fantastic play, yet the rookie seemed so under control he made it look almost routine.

“I thought he was going to catch it at the wall. I didn’t think I got enough of it to get it out,” McCutchen said.

“You’ve got to hit a ball pretty well here to get it out. But like I said, I didn’t think I got enough of it to get it even that far. I thought he was going to catch it at the warning track,” he added.

Would it have gone out in Pittsburgh?

“More than likely. This is a deep ballpark,” McCutchen said.

Baxter delivered his second winning pinch-hit in three days. His 10th-inning single Tuesday beat the Chicago White Sox.

This time, Baxter batted for Lagares and won it.

Marlon Byrd singled to start the Mets’ ninth off Jason Grilli (0-1). Andrew Brown sacrificed and Baxter followed by grounding a single up the middle, easily scoring Byrd.

Bobby Parnell (4-0) pitched the ninth. The Pirates have lost four of five.

Pedro Alvarez hit a solo home run with one out in the eighth off Mets reliever LaTroy Hawkins that made it 2-all. Alvarez began the day batting .168.