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.
16 comments:
Morning
Up all night with Milton. Six family members and two friends (Tom, Gary) in harms way
This not team sure looks magical
It will be interesting to see how they utilize McNeil. Hopefully they don't touch the middle infield and place him a corner
Mack, hope everyone is safe. Storm fortunately was not as fierce as it could have been. No picnic, of course.
McNeil? I would pull JD Martinez out of the DH role against righties and give that to Jeff. Use JD as a DH vs. lefty pitchers and a pinch hitter. That assumes, of course, that he heals from his non-displaced break like I did mine at his age. As I wrote a few days ago, I got my cast off after 4 weeks, it was really sore and stiff. A week later, it felt like it never happened. So I am guessing the same for him.
Lindor in post-game...HUMBLY said he has learned so much this year to improve his game. Can you imagine any other 10 year veteran saying that so matter of factly? He may be the greatest Mets position player ever when all is said and done.
Good idea
I congratulated Steve from all of us
Great. Winning in 2024 will make the Mets more attractive as well for free agents to remain here or come aboard. This really bodes well. Excitement is at 2015 levels or, perhaps, 1986 levels. All...The...Way.
The 3 toughest remaining teams are the Mets, Dodgers, and Padres.
For example, the Tigers were 10-3 against the lowly White Sox, 3 games over .500 vs. everyone else.
KC Royals were 12-1 against the White Sox, under .500 vs. everyone else.
Fascinating, from an article by Anthony DiComo: McNeil expects to be ready to go when the NLCS begins in LA or SD. The Mets successfully petitioned MLB to let him play in the Arizona Fall League Friday and Saturday.
So long as McNeil comes out of those games without issue, the Mets will activate him when they release their NLCS roster on Sunday.
Senga and Jeff McNeil back? Pinch me.
Yes Tom, he is coming back and how well, I am not sure. I wouldn’t have a problem putting him in, if that was the case. I recall Schwarber coming back to the Cubs for the World Series after missing the whole year, and he was MVP. Inglesias has hit .207 in the playoffs and is fanning like crazy; that’s not bad luck .207. Just enjoying the win and I’ll start worrying about McNeil on Saturday. How in the world did they manage to stick him in there? Is that fair? LOL, do I care?
During the post-game show on FS1, I was chuckling to myself when Jeter was talking, thinking to myself "I wonder how he feels now that Lindor has cemented himself ( at least in my mind) as the best shortstop to ever play in NY
Gus, Iggy is exhausted. These days off will help. Jeff deserves at least one start at 2nd against a tough righty. And DH a few times. The two AFL games are a perfect restart button. If it is LA, their toughest righty is still recovering from an arm injury…Ohtani. Mosgrove injury is a blow for the Pods.
Jon G, Lindor and his power bat and superior defense and speed have closed the gap between him and Jeter a whole lot. Lindor may pass him like a sprinter.
I love the fact that the problems the Mets are having now is how to choose among really good baseball players to fill out their roster. Most other teams are trying to figure out how to fill holes.
Paul, agreed. Hopefully McNeil is sharp upon his return. JD Martinez is hitting just .200 since the ASB. Nice to have a real alternative. Acuna is not that, despite his miraculous debut.
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