When I left work and headed for the 7 train in Grand Central the platform was almost completely at capacity & nearly everyone was headed towards Queens to see the New York Mets host the Washington Nationals. Alas I was among the minority heading points west.
Now I don't take the train everyday, but I take it often enough that I've never seen a crowd like this for the Mets. But judging by what the Mets did tonight the 7 platform is going to be a very crowded place well into October.
Such a notion wouldn't have been entertained a month ago. At the All-Star Break, the Mets were 40-50 and stood 13.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East with 10 teams in the NL ahead of them in the Wild Card standings. Mets manager Mickey Callaway was on the verge of being shown the door. As of this writing, the Mets are 20-6 since the All-Star Game & have won 14 of their last 15 games. Most of these wins have come against teams like the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins. What could they do against a team like the Nats who themselves turned around their season in June?
As it turned out plenty.
Newly acquired Marcus Stroman made his Citi Field debut and came out dealing. But so did Stephen Strasburg. The Nats struck first in the fourth. Anthony Rendon tripled in a run as Michael Conforto & Jeff McNeil collided in the outfield. Conforto's face was bruised but both remained the game. But 20-year old Juan Soto took Stroman deep to give the Nats a 3-0 lead. But the Mets tied the game in the bottom of that same inning on back to back HRs by Pete Alonso & J.D. Davis.
Stroman got into a jam in the sixth by allowing a lead off double to Soto followed by a Matt Adams single. Soto would be caught in a run down between third and home on a groundball hit by Kurt Suzuki. The rundown took so long that Suzuki reached second while Adams hugged third. With first base open, Stroman pitched to Brian Dozier who lined out to Mets shortstop Ahmed Rosario whose defense has improved significantly since the start of the season. After intentionally walking Victor Robles, Stroman struck out Strasburg to get out of the jam unscathed.
After 102 pitches, I thought Stroman was done. But in of those puzzling moves which made Mets fan want Callaway carted away, the Mets skipper sent Stroman back out for the 7th. Stroman walked Trea Turner. It was only then that Callaway lifted Stroman in favor of lefty Justin Wilson. While Wilson struck out Adam Eaton, he would surrender a two-run homer to Rendon to give the Nats a 5-3 lead. Although Wilson gave up the homer, it was Stroman who was on the hook by virtue of his walk to Turner. The Nats shortstop would score an insurance run in the 9th on a wild pitch by Luis Avilan.
The odds were very much against the Mets. They were 0-44 when trailing after the 8th inning this season. In fact, they hadn't had a 9th inning comeback since 2015 when they won the NL pennant. But I told Dad that Nats closer Seean Doolittle had been vulnerable to blowing saves this season. Even with this prognosis I could not believe the events that would unfold, but I would have to believe.
Davis led off the inning with a double down the left field line. Mets catcher & former Nat Wilson Ramos singled up the middle. Then for the second time in the game the Mets came back from a three run deficit when Todd Frazier launched a long home run off Doolittle.
The game was tied and there was still no one out. Clearly Doolittle didn't have his stuff and Fernando Rodney was at the ready. But Nats skipper Dave Martinez stuck with Doolittle who then gave what proved to be Joe Panik's first hit as a Met. Panik's join was short lived as he was thrown out on a bunt attempt by pinch hitter Juan Lagares. NL bating leader Jeff McNeil filed out to right, but Rosario kept hopes alive with an opposite field single.
Conforto came up with runners on first and second and on Doolittle's fifth pitch drove the ball over right fielder Adam Eaton's head to give the Mets a 7-6 win after scoring four runs in the 9th. Not only was Conforto given a Gatorade bath, but he had a jersey torn apart by Alonso & stood before nearly 40,000 fans shirtless.
It was the Mets 7th straight win & 9 in their last 10 games. They are a half game back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the second NL Wild Card berth along with the Philadelphia Phillies & St. Louis Cardinals.
The Mets still have two more games with the Nats who currently have the first NL Wild Card berth before traveling to Atlanta to take on the first place Braves. Should the Mets lose 4 out of 5 then tonight will be quickly forgotten. But something seems genuinely in the air. It's the sort of excitement I don't see with the Yankees. The Yankees are expected to win even with all their injuries. This expectation does not exist with the Mets despite only being four years removed from winning the NL pennant. The Mets are not perennial winners just like the rest of us so their success is far more satisfying. As Roger Angell put it, "There is more Mets than Yankees in all of us." It was certainly in all those people I saw at Grand Central tonight waiting for the 7 train.
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