In 1969, after the Mets won the World Series a fan stood on the rapidly disappearing Shea Stadium grass with a sign thet read “There Are No Words.” Words are failing me right now.
Oh, wait, I thought of one: guts.
The Mets have won the 2015 NLDS and will now face the Chicago Cubs — with home field advantage this time.
Jacob deGrom, without anything close to his best stuff, battled his way through six innings, holding the Dodgers to the two runs they’d scored in the first inning. Daniel Murphy used power and guile to have a hand in every run the Mets scored. Jeurys Familia got an unlikely six-out save, and an at bat, to boot! Yes, he struck out, but you can’t have everything.
The game started on an auspicious note, when replay showed that Curtis Granderson was safe on a dribbler to the right side, fielded by the Mets’ personal boil-on-the-butt Justin Turner. He scored when Murphy launched a shot off the left field wall that Enrique Hernandez couldn’t come up with cleanly.
Unfortunately, four straight singles in the bottom half off a clearly laboring deGrom gave the Dodgers the lead for three excruciating innings. It was kind of a bad sign when Howie Kendrick led off with a bullet to Lucas Duda at first and four pitches later, Corey Seagar hit another on the nose into left field.
Murphy’s heads-up baserunning — whoever thought we’d say that in a postseason game? — led to the Mets tying it. Having led off the fourth with a single, he advanced to second on a one-out walk to Duda and just…kept…going…when he saw no one covering third. He would score on a sac fly by Travis d’Arnaud. His homer in the sixth was, of course, the game winner.
For his part, deGrom kept pitching himself into and out of trouble, not recording a 1-2-3 inning until the sixth, ie. his last. Noah Syndergaard pitched a perfect seventh, hitting 100 mph on the TBS radar gun several times. You could hear everyone from Hollywood to Flushing scratching their heads when Familia came out to pitch the eighth. But the first-year closer was more than up to the task. In what could have been a most dramatic ninth, he got evil arch nemesis Chase Utley to fly out to right, and fanned A.J. Ellis and Kendrick to finish the night and cause the corks to pop.
We will see the Cubs at Citi Field on Saturday night!
Here is my “Gut Reaction!” Yea de Grom! Tea Thor! and Yea Daniel Murphy!! Now let go get the Cubs and Lets Go Mets!! And Yes! I have now triplicated this comment of 3 sites because I love it when the Mets win in the playoffs Now please allow the posted comment and join in on my celebration making it our celebration – Again, I say Lets Go Mets!
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I cant believe Im in a remote location and unable to watch…Did catch the last inning. Incredible. I miss you guys in chatter.
LGM!!!!!!!
Where you been dude? Sent you an email…
I feel so drained. What a night. Murphy was the offense. Murphy was the entire team. Where was Wright? Where was La Potencia, who struck out on three pitches with Murphy on third in the first and one out? Where was Duda? What about TDA, who did hit a foul ball far enough to allow Murphy to score, so that’s something. Murphy, and no one else even showed up.
The Cubs come to town on Saturday. The Mets hitters have a clean slate and no Kershaw or Grienke, or Kenley Jenssen. They had better show up. Here is to winning the next series!
If anyone on the team was going to go first to third on a walk — it was going to by Murphy. If anyone was going to get thrown out trying to take an extra base on a walk – it was going to be Murphy. His gaffes are always ones of aggression. And here his aggression paid off big time.
I was not a fan of bringing Noah in after he warmed up and sat down multiple times in the night. But it worked out and that’s what counts.
But that move, combined with the six-out save, were not ringing endorsements of Reed and Clippard. You have to manage different in the playoffs and good for Collins for doing just that.
We’ll need both Reed and Clippard moving forward and hopefully they won’t be affected by being passed over Thursday night.
I thought Collins was masterful in his handling of the pitching. Thor could have gone another inning, but I’m guessing that Collins felt a longer outing would have affected his next start. Familia; he’s a horse, certainly able to go two innings with a certain day off to follow.
As for Clippard and Reed, would either one of them put themselves into the must-win game over Syndergaard and Familia? Not if they had a handle on reality. No, I think Terry picked exactly the right time to deviate from the formula.
I don’t think TC was thinking about Syndergaard’s next start. He just had so much confidence in Familia, he couldn’t wait to get him into the game.
It felt like a tactical mistake to me — really, the only one he’s made this postseason — but everything TC touches these past two months has been gold. When it works out that perfectly, how I fault him?
The guy has done a great job.
James, my only thought as to the difference was that Familia is harder to lift for a tying homer. Case in point, that pitch to Utley was down the middle, above the belt and he couldn’t get it out. I liked the move.
Aside from bringing in Colon in Game 2 when a strikeout pitcher was needed, I felt Collins had a great series.
He was looking for ground all DP. And for K pitcher, who was that? Robles? No thank you, not in that spot. Colon delivered.
Familia batting in 8th was a major price to pay. We might easily be lamenting that if things worked out otherwise. But, yes, you are likely right. Noah does give up the long ball. Collins did not give up lead with team MVP in the pen. Credit to Collins.
Daniel Murphy was awesome. Zack Greinke was on and except for an outfield error and a infield gaffe should have walked off the mound with a 2-1 lead. Murphy was the only Met that could hit him. Murphy was able to hit both Dodger aces. He is a professional hitter that can hit in NY. Something to consider.
JdG did what an ace does, win without his best stuff. He went up a notch in my respect for him with a very guttsy performance.
Familia has become an elite reliever and money in the bank. He may be the best closer the Mets ever had. He showed a lot in his first year in that role.
Looking back at the series through the Chatter where it is “live” and second guesses don’t count, I have come to realize that Collins did not make one mistake. All his moves worked out and none backfired. He knows his players.Collins did a great job in this series and deserves the credit.
Mets vs Cubs is a great matchup of new young teams. It may be the start of a five to six year rivalry. Mets take year One in six. Let’s Go Mets.
You should re-read the G2 Game Chatter. Some poster named Metsense said something unkind about Collins there. And he wasn’t the only one.
I criticiized Collins often in the Chatter but ” I have come to realize that Collins did not make one mistake”. I guess I’m saying he is better than I thought. He really has been doing a good job since July 24th. He may not make the moves I want (or like) but I give him credit for the job he did.
You know, words can hurt, as any Mets fan will attest. The baseball community has made sport of our favorite team for several years now, and the practice has been engrained over the decades, with the occasional interruption, when the team was just too good to mock.
But if World Fandom insists on dealing out a ration of crap, why don’t the Dodgers get more of it? The last two times the Mets found themselves in Playoff action against the Dodgers they have committed horrible blunders. this time it was failing to cover third base; in 2006, we were treated to the spectacle of seeing two Dodger baserunners tagged out at Home Plate on the same play!
Dodger baseball: spend enough money and you won’t have to heed the fundamentals.