Tom Brennan: Onward and Upward in the Mets Playoffs

KOOZ GOT THAT FINAL OUT IN 1969

The Mets' extremely dire situation 48 hours ago, of being down 3-1 against the best opposing team in baseball, got considerably less dire after its 12-6 game 5 walloping of the Dodgers.  The perhaps most remarkable part of which was striking out zero times in the process.

At that magical post-season start time of 8:08 PM, the Mets will trot out their best pitcher, Sean Manaea, against Dodger TBDs for game 6.

(Sean Manaea is the opposite of Samson. He was only OK as a Met when he looked like this:)

(But has pitched so much better when he looks trimmed like this:)

Anyway, Professional hitters Wild Man Jesse Winker and Assassin Squirrel McNeil of course must be in the line up. 

at the same time, the hitting-averse Mets defensive specialists and DH must remain seated, ready for pinch hitting or substitute duty.

After all, why play a defense-first line up and lose 5-2, when you could go with an offense-first line up and win 8-6.

I put all my chips on "offense first".

Fight fire with fire.

Go toe to toe against LAD as if this is Hagler vs. Hearns.

Outslug the Blue.

Forget a rope-a-dope approach.  That's for dopes.

Outslug the LAD Blue, and leave them feeling boo-hoo blue.

Meanwhile, the Yank's much easier path to the World Series rolls on....

No Wild Card Series, and two opponents (Royals and Guardians) who were at best (and probably not) equal in talent to the Brewers, who the Mets dispatched of.  

And those 2 Yankee opponents were lesser in talent than the Phillies, and far lesser in talent than the Dodgers. 

(Boy, does Soto look like a must-pursue Mets off-season target, tho', huh?)

Some teams (spelled YANKS) have all the luck, Rod Stewart told me.

The Mets will do it the EF Hutton, old fashioned, way: 

They'll earn it.

Win this series and then the World Series, and this will rival 1986 as the Mets best-ever post season.

Don't get me wrong - 1969 was great  - but that team only had to win 2 series.

If the 2024 Mets win, it will take 4 series.

The Mets in 2015 looked miraculous and invincible for 3 series, but couldn't quite win the 4th one against an inferior team.

We simply don't know how the 1969 team would have fared if they had to win 4 series.  Anyway:

LGM, # 7 Line brothers and sisters. Onward and upward.