AGONY, ECSTACY, AGONY, ECSTACY

AGONY, ECSTACY, AGONY, ECSTASY by Tom Brennan

Baseball is simply the best game around.  A simple case in point is the Mets' last 2 games.

A gut punch announcement that Jake deGrom needs and gets season ending surgery.

Then a gut punch of a game Wednesday night, with a badly managed game ultimately lost on a brilliant Braves catch, robbing Yoenis Cespedes of a game winning 3 run shot.  Total AGONY.

Then more AGONY Thursday...more shoulder pain for Steve Matz, and the quartet of starters (Harvey, Jake, Matz, Wheeler) are all agonizingly done for the year.

Last night, though, ecstasy came early on a Grandy 2 run shot, his 29th.  Lugo was cruising until allowing a run in the 4th and (ugh!) 2 more in the 5th on two solo shots.  After 3 straight losses, a feeling of AGONY crept in there.

But the Mets pull ahead, feeling ecstatic, until a Phillies 3 run jack in the 8th put the Mets behind 6-4.  AGONY turned to dread.

But wait, Jose Reyes hugely smacked his 8th homer in the 9th to tie the score at 6, and the fans were ecstatic again.

Duda comes up in the 10th to pinch hit and hits a laser beam into the seats that would have been a walk off winner, but agonizingly it was foul by just inches, and then Duda fans.  On to the 11th.

Familia coughs up a couple of runs including one walked in by the Mets' 10th pitcher, Jim Henderson.  AGONY and dread at the looming prospect of another brutal, gut-wrenching loss.

Except they won: the amazing Asdrubal Carera (.364/.429/.729 in his last 30 games) jacks a 3 run walk off bomb, far too deep for any acrobatic catch on this night.  ECSTACY ensues, as the team and remaining fans erupt.

What a game.  What a sport.  What a season.