The Mets’ will to win drives them to unexpected heights of October baseball
Let’s be honest: Few, even the most optimistic diehard Mets fans, didn’t envision them still playing baseball into the second week of October. But here they are, World Series contenders, invoking the spirit of the 1969 champion Miracle Mets.
They went into Game 4 of the best-of-five National League Division Series yesterday on their home turf at Citi Field up 2-1, one win from closing out the Philadelphia Phillies following a 7-2 victory in Game 3 on Tuesday night at home. Starter Sean Manaea was sterling, handling the vaunted Phillies lineup for seven innings, allowing just three hits and one run with six strikeouts.
“That was for my Aunt Mabel. Just got a message that she had passed away early this morning,” Manaea said heartily. “So that game was for her.”
The Phillies were monstrous entering the playoffs, capturing the AL East Division by title with a record of 95-67, six games ahead of the Mets and Braves, which were both 89-73. The Mets weren’t assured a wildcard playoff spot until the final day of the regular season on Sept. 30, one day after the originally scheduled ending to the season, defeating the Braves 8-7 in Atlanta in the first game of a makeup doubleheader.
In what has come to define the Mets’ unwavering resolve, they overcame a 3-0 deficit with six runs in the top of 8th, fell behind 7-6 entering the 9th, then snatched the lead again, going up 8-7 in the top of the inning on a dramatic two-run homer by star shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Their penchant for prevailing through adversity continued into the playoffs when they took down the Milwaukee Brewers two games to one in the best-of-three opening round series; the signature moment was a shocking three-run home run in the decisive Game 3 by first baseman Pete Alonso in the top of the 9th with the Mets down 2-1. Alonso, who will be a free agent this off-season, had been derided by the team’s fan base for his late season struggles at the plate. He was five for 38 with no extra base hits and 18 strikeouts in his previous 43 at-bats before one of the authoring one of the most iconic blasts in the history of the franchise.
The story of the 2024 Mets is still being written. But it was an unhappy tale in late May when they were 10 games under .500 at 23-33 on the 30th day of the month and it looked as if they would be near the bottom of the standings for the next four months until the end of the season. But first-year manager Carlos Mendoza, the Yankees former bench coach, and arguably the best manager in Major League Baseball this season kept them steady and thinking neutrally, focused on each subsequent at-bat, each pitch, and the challenging mental process of staying in the present.
From then, the Mets went 65-40, the best record in MLB from June 1 to the regular season’s last day and still going. Where the journey will finish is unknown — but that’s been the beauty and thrill of their unforeseen circumstances.
The post The Mets’ will to win drives them to unexpected heights of October baseball appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.