Tom Brennan: A Team of Destiny

Lindor is the Mets’ MVP, And The Mets Fans Smiled Even Bigger Than He Did

The big, bad, foreboding Phillies were dispatched almost as if they were the lowly Chicago White Sox, who this year won just one of every four games. 

The Mets won 3 of 4 games. The Phillies? Just 1 of 4.

This had a little of the feel of game 7 of the 1986 World Series. Everyone who knows anything about baseball remembers the game 6 “gets by Buckner” miracle win, but that game only tied it and forced a winner-take-all 7th game. The Mets trailed that 7th game 3-0 headed into the 6th inning. Nervous Nellies were…getting nervous.

Then, the Mets came back and crushed the Red Sox late in game 7 to secure the World Series crown.

Wednesday night, the Mets loaded the bases in inning one, and Iglesias and Martinez sadly fanned, ugh.

A few innings later, loaded again. No runs. Ugh.

Then the Phillies scratch out an unearned run. Mets trailing 1-0, heading into the 6th.  Ugh.

Top 6, Quintana, Garrett, and my ace, David Peterson, held the Phillies at bay, with difficulty. 1-0.

Bags loaded, again, this time bottom 6, and then the real MVP Francisco Lindor smoked a pitch to right center. It seemed to go a million feet. The joint erupted. The park had a Flushing jet roar sound to it. 

4-1 lead.  

JUST…LIKE…THAT.

Mets Magic? It showed up again.

My ace David Peterson came back out in the 7th and pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th, and picked up the W. The Phillies could have sworn, to a man, that they were facing former Phillies ace Cole Hamels.

Edwin Diaz gave the fan a few nerves. 

He had a 2 walk, 2 K, but got the save in a scoreless 9th.

Put this game, and series, in the books, Mr. Rose.

We are not headed to Disneyland…

No, we are headed to the National League Championship Series, baby.

Mets Series heroes included many, but primarily Lindor, and Vientos, and Pete, and Marte, and Iglesias, and my ace David Peterson, and Sean Manaea, and Jose Quintana, and yes, even Edwin Diaz.

Bryce Harper? He lost to an indisputably superior team.  Phillies were 55-51 in their last 106 games, while the Mets were a stunning 70-40.

Senga is back, too, and I expect McNeil to be back. 

The Mets will be SO tough to beat.

A Team of Destiny.

MY TAKE ON THE GREAT MARK VIENTOS WHEN HE WAS SENT DOWN IN MARCH

VIENTOS, OBJECTIVELY:

Many readers and fans in general are smacking down on Mark Vientos. 

May I try you give an objective perspective?  Let's look at some facts.

Through Sunday:

Vientos had 56 at bats and hit 5 HRs. The next highest 2 Mets (Alvarez and Baty) hit 3. Pete has 2. 

Mark’s 5 home runs have him tied for 6th highest in the majors. 

 - Ronald Acuna has no HRs this spring.

Vientos has had 7 extra base hits. 

 - Baty just 4, in the same number of PAs.

Vientos was tied with Alvarez for the team RBI lead (nine). 

 - Alonso? 4 RBIs.

Vientos was .232/.259/.536, with 6 for his last 15. 

 - Super fan favorite Alvarez was hitting .214 with a .500 slug %. 

Everybody of course wants to hug Francisco Alvarez. 

Lindor? A non-blistering .151/.190/.245. Compare to Vientos.

Phillies? Castellanos and Schwarber are a rip-roaring 9 for 76, and Messrs. Harper and Realmuto have 5 RBIs combined. 

 - Mark, as I noted, has 9.

Veteran Joey Gallo is “tearing it up”, with his 4 for 39 with the Cubs.

Jeff McNeil? 0 for 11. Hitless squirrel.

Starling Marte? 7 for 42, 1 double, 4 RBIs.

Nimmo? 10 for 40, 3 doubles, no homers.

Read the above over again, slowly.  Let it sink in. Then:

Please….consider Mark’s spring accomplishments objectively. 

Mark’s hit a whole lot better than many stars. Agreed?

He strikes out too much? So do 50% of major leaguers. 

He walks too little? Well, most hitters, unlike Mark, homer too little.

He is only sent down (IMO) because they signed JD Martinez to a small fraction of what JDM would have cost the Mets a month ago.