Gut Reaction: Mets 8 Cubs 3 (NLCS Game #4, 10/21/15)

The New York Mets are the champions of the National League. On a night when Daniel Murphy hit another ho-hum homer, on a night when Steven Matz showed what he could do on a national stage, on a night David Wright has waited for since he was a raw rookie in 2004, the star was [...]

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Gut Reaction: Mets 3 Dodgers 2 (NLDS Game #5, 10/15/15)

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 [...]

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The 2015 NLDS comes to New York: a tale of two Citis

The playoffs landed at La Guardia for the first time since 2006. To say that Mets fans the world over were thrilled about this might be the understatement of the year. A hard fought 162-game regular season – which began with an 11-game winning streak and culminated with the dispatch of the Washington Nationals with [...]

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Gut Reaction: Mets 3 Dodgers 1 (NLDS Game #1, 10/9/15)

"I'd like to thank everyone who made this day necessary." -- Yogi Berra This day was extremely necessary. A win tonight guarantees -- at worst -- a split in Los Angeles, which is exactly what the Mets want. The Mets took the crucial first game of the 2015 National League Division Series with a tried [...]

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Matt Harvey and the emotions of Mets fans

Matt Harvey was late for a workout on Tuesday. That’s what happened. Harvey is 26 years old. Your intrepid columnist has hit the half-century mark, age-wise and has followed the game of baseball for all but seven years of that time, seeing pretty much all there is to see as a fan. He’s also not [...]

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The indescribable thrill of receiving Mets playoff tickets

The eagle landed yesterday. Your intrepid columnist had received an e-mail before the weekend that his tickets for the Mets’ postseason – it’s still hard to believe the words “Mets” and “postseason” are strung together this year – series had been shipped. Possession of a partial season plan – nine Friday nights, plus Opening Day [...]

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Gut Reaction: Phillies 4 Mets 3 (9/29/15)

This is the least upsetting loss in Philly in September I can ever remember. Lucas Duda's two home runs aren't enough to overcome Darin Ruf's power, Odubel Herrera's pesky consistency and the Philadelphia bullpen's stinginess. For all the Mets' bluster -- six hits and two walks in four and two-thirds innings off starter David Buchanan [...]

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Gut Reaction: Mets 12 Reds 5 (9/25/15)

The Cincinnati Reds barely needed to show up, but if they hadn't, they would have missed "The Noah and Duda Show." Noah Syndergaard pitched a masterful seven and two-thirds innings, surrendering five hits, walking none and striking out 11. The only smudge on his night came when he tired in the eighth and gave up [...]

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Does David Wright play tight when the heat’s on?

The Mets are taking slow, inexorable steps towards their first division title in nine years. By the calculations over here, they should clinch sometime in the September 30/October 1 area. Funny word, should. Similar things were said in 2007 and 2008 – and many fans right now are pushing the panic button, having horrible flashbacks [...]

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Gut Reaction: Braves 6 Mets 3 (9/23/15)

The story of this frustrating, infuriating game, as told by me on Twitter (@CharlieHangley): Just before the first pitch from Bartolo Colon: Let's goooooooooo Bartolooooooo Update from our Nation's Capital in the first inning: Baltimore 2 Washington nil... Bottom of the first, Daniel Murphy up with two outs: MURPH! Long blast! 1-0 Bottom of the [...]

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Gut Reaction: Braves 6 Mets 2 (9/22/15)

Well, at least Washington lost. The Mets could not solve Matt Wisler as all the offense came in the first inning and Logan Verrett fed his gopher. It looked like the Mets would drive Wisler to the clubhouse early as the first three batters all hit the ball hard: Curtis Granderson flied out to center, [...]

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Gut Reaction: Mets 4 Marlins 3 (9/14/15)

And now the Captain joins the act. If it's a Monday, David Wright will get the big hit. Wright's ground-rule double with two on in the bottom of the seventh gave the Mets a 4-3 win over Miami, their eighth straight. Logan Verrett took Matt Harvey's start and made the most of it. He retired [...]

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