Photo Courtesy of SportsNet New York
The New York Mets stunned the Major League Baseball fandom with their 4-2 win against the Milwaukee Brewers in the postseason. Throughout their three-game series, the Mets had gone 1-1, needing the last game on October 3rd to advance to the National League Division Series (NLDS). The third-game had been tied at zero-zero, until the bottom of the 7th inning, when Jake Baurers and Sal Frelick hit back-to-back home runs, allowing for the Brewers to take the 2-0 lead. The Mets were able to keep the Brewers from scoring again, through great defensive plays.
When Pete Alonso hit a three-run-homer, in the top of the 9th inning, the Mets took the lead 3-2. Then, with two outs in the inning, Mets player Jesse Winker was able to make a great offensive play, allowing for the Mets to take a 4-2 lead. Mets pitcher David Peterson closed out the bottom of the ninth, eliminating the Milwaukee Brewers from the postseason.
Many baseball fans know that the Mets have had a once in a lifetime comeback season. After being swept by the Brewers in the beginning of their season, and winning only one game out of the series against the Detroit Tigers, the Mets were 0-5 as their team continued to struggle throughout their early season. It was not until June 12th, that the iconic Grimace character threw the first pitch, which unknowingly gave the spark of good luck that the Mets needed. “The Mets won, 10-4. And then they kept winning. The Mets went on a seven-game streak following Grimace’s first pitch, and they won 12 of 16 to close out the month” described by Jessica Camerato, a reporter for the Washington Nationals (MLB). After these winning results, Grimace had become the face of the Mets season.
The Mets stunned their fans with a final regular season record of 89 wins and 73 losses, allowing them to advance into the Wildcard postseason games. The Mets first stop in the postseason matchup was against the Milwaukee Brewers, where they played at the American Family Stadium, in Milwaukee. In game one, the Mets defeated the Brewers with a 8-4 final score, upsettingly they lost 5-2 in the second game, leaving game three to determine which team would advance to the next round of the post season and what team of this 2024 season would end on October 3rd.
The game began with the Mets up at bat, with Fransico Lindor setting the stage for what could have been the Mets final game. Lindor was able to hit a double against Brewers pitcher Tobias Myers. Unfortunately, Leaving Lindor stranded on second base, Mets players, Mark Vientos, Brandon Nimmo, and Pete Alonso, were unsuccessful in the first inning. With Jose Quintana pitching for the Mets, the Brewers were close, but ultimately unsuccessful in getting any score. Carlos Mendoza, the manager of the Mets stated, “This is who Quintana is. He is a guy that has been in this game for a long time. There is a reason why he’s poised. He’s calm. He knows the situation. He knew what we were facing” after seeing how Quintana had surprised them during this game (MLB).
It was not until a pitching change that the Brewers scored on the Mets, which left the Mets to remove José Buttó from the game in hopes that no more runs would be let up. As the game was nearing a close, Fransisco Lindor was up at bat and was walked, landing him on first base. Following Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, hits a single, allowing for Lindor to advance to third base. It was not until Pete Alonso (the Polar Bear), a six-year veteran of the Mets, who has had a difficult season as a player, approached the plate with the thought of knowing this could possibly be his final at bat as a Met, as he is a free agent at the end of the season, amazingly hit a three-run-homer allowing for the Mets to take the lead 3-2 at the top of the ninth inning (APNews).
After this miracle, Jesse Winker, who was walked, was able to make the final score 4-2, by returning home through a great offensive play. In the bottom of the 9th inning, both Lindor and Alonso worked together to end the game with a stunning double play, ending the game against the Brewers. As a result, the Mets, unexpectedly were able to comeback from behind, and clinch a spot in the NLDS.
The question that all Baseball fans have now is: how far can the Mets go? In history, all teams that have won against the Brewers in the postseason have either made it into or won the World Series (Fox Sports). So, now it is all up to the 2024 Mets to make history, and fight for a spot in the Championship series, and maybe even the World Series.
