Mack’s Morning Report – 10-23-15 – Zack Wheeler, NL Champs

  

Good morning.

41% of the Mets' pitches this postseason have been 95+ mph. Since '08, no other team hit 30%

I loved hearing Zack Wheeler on the MLB Network that his current plans are to return to the Mets rotation “in the beginning of June” 2016. You add this guy to the ‘Big 4” pitching in this playoff series (187-K in 185 1/3 innings in 2014) and the perfect rotation is done. In my opinion, it will easily be the best in baseball.

It’s hard for me to think back at this point and remember what my expectations were for this season. Naturally, I wanted the Mets to make the playoffs, but I didn’t think they had all the marbles that would be needed to get there.

This has been unchartered territory for Mack’s Mets. I remember when I would write posts in 2007 and thought Josh Thole would be the end all for this team.

I ended that season being invited into Tim Tuefel’s office for an off-the-record BS session on the team that went 41-94 and might have been the worst team in Mets history.

The players had long gone travelling home and all that was left was me, Tuff, and what was left of the tin of cookies (his favorite: oatmeal raisin) Mrs. Mack had baked for him earlier that month.

Only one player from that team remains on the Mets, then shortstop Juan Lagares and how progress was made with some of the other players. Neither one of us could have possibly thought Tuefel and Lagares would be in this position at this point in the post season.

I wrote a number of times on what I thought could get them to this moment… excellent starting that lasts into the seventh inning… timely hitting… starters that give up three or less runs in seven innings… relievers that only give up one more run per game

But the last thing I expected was this team to be ranked in the top five teams in all offensive categories after the all-star break.

Game 1 and Game 2 against the Cubs were pretty textbook 2015 Mets. As I said two paragraphs earlier, timely hitting, excelling starting pitching, classic Jeurys Familia, and, the added ingredient this post season, Daniel Murphy.

Game 3 was a little different. The Mets broke out the veterans (David Wright, Yoenes Cespedes) and seemed to be threatening to score in every inning. Quirky calls were everywhere including the hidden ball trick in right field that prevented the Mets 4^th run and a passed ball and blown double play that eventually made the score 5-2 Mets.

And Game 4 was just shock and awe in the first two runs and bite your nails for the rest of the game.

This series was all about execution. The Mets played almost perfect baseball while the Cubs, in general, and Kyle Schwarber, in particular, didn’t (this is a perfect example why catchers built like the Hulk don’t make for excellent defensive outfielders).

I could probably write for hours on this but why bother. The Mets are in the World Series! What better could be written other than them winning it?