It’s in the words, ya gotta believe. That’s been the Mets’ rally cry since 1973’s World Series run, and it’s finally come back.
A rain delay last week enforced Monday’s doubleheader in Atlanta. For the Mets’, the message was pretty clear and simple: win one of the two games, and advance to the wild-card round of the National League playoffs. Win both and enjoy the bonus of knocking your rival out of the postseason.
“Everybody had us out, even before the year started, and here we are, man” rookie manager Carlos Mendoza stated.
Just as it seemed to get worse when Ramon Laureano hit a home run into center field, the score was now 3-0. Given that the Mets were having trouble hitting against Braves pitchers and hadn’t scored a run in the entire game yet, hope started to fade out. But stars came up huge, and the Mets’ rallied to save their best game for the final day of the regular season.
The pressure and the stress started to crash in for Mets’ fans, in fear of cutting it to a must-win game right after.
On a 3-2 full count, Tyrod Taylor smacked a ball to center field, finally putting the Mets in scoring position. A new pitcher had gotten the call for Atlanta; Joe Jimenez and next thing you know, Francisco Alvarez steps up to the plate. He sends a line drive on the ground to the third base line. It was fair! Passing shortstop Gio Urshela, Taylor was sprinting into home plate, and Alvarez had gotten an RBI double.
Then, Starling Marte hits a ball past the shortstop and sends Alvarez to third, clinching a single for Marte himself. With two men on base, Francisco Lindor came up huge with a ball dropping in center field to score another run. The game was now 2-3, with 0 outs for the Mets’.
Jose Iglesias steps up next, as one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last few weeks with a 20-game hitting streak, he had to deliver. And you know he did. He hit a ball the opposite way into right field, and there was another RBI. It was now 3-3, 0 outs, and runners on first and third base. Mark Vientos hits a sacrifice ball to center field, the first out for the Braves in the 8th. But as Lindor was on third, he waited for the ball to be caught and then slid into third base to take the lead 4-3.
Brandon Nimmo steps up to bat, and as soon as you know, it’s out of the park to score 2 runs. The Mets have now had a six-run 8th inning. It started to go crazy in the Mets dug-out, pure excitement pouring all around.
Turning things over to the bottom of the 8th, Jared Kelik had stepped in the batter’s box for Atlanta and hit a short hopper to first base, a mistake made by Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz had sent a run in for the Braves.
It is now 6-4, and Ozzie Albies hits a ball against the warning track with the bases loaded to score all three runs.
Now it was time for clutch, one out had been recorded already in the 9th, and it was time for Starling Marte to step up to the plate again. On a 1-2 count, Marte hits a grounder up the middle for a base hit to get the Mets going.
Power hitter, and one of this year’s MVP runners, came up clutch once again. Marte on base, Francisco Lindor hits a rocket home-run to center field and is gone. This puts the Mets on top once again 8-7 and the crowd in Truist Park is going wild.
Edwin Diaz is back on the mound for the Mets in the bottom of the 9th, former Met Matt Keller is up to bat, and he hits a ground ball to Lindor. That ball is quickly picked up, thrown to first base to beat the out, and the ball game is over. The Mets clinched a playoff berth and will play the Milwaukee Brewers in the wildcard round. Celebrate this one, it hasn’t felt this good in a long time.
