Your Saturday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links.
Meet the Mets
Folks, the Mets are not dead yet. With their backs against the wall down three games to one in the NLCS, the bats came alive against Jack Flaherty and the Dodgers pitching staff in Game 5 at Citi Field. Pete Alonso got the party started with a three-run homer in the first, and several other players—including Starling Marte (four hits, three of which were doubles), Jesse Winker (two hits, including an RBI triple), and Francisco Alvarez (three hits, including a double) would go on to contribute to a 12-run offensive barrage. On the pitching side, David Peterson started the game for the Mets, but the real heroes on the mound were Ryne Stanek and Edwin Díaz, who combined for the final thirteen outs of the ballgame. The end result was a 12-6 victory which sends the Mets and Dodgers back to Los Angeles for Game 6 and—the Mets hope—Game 7.
Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, NY Post, Daily News, Newsday, North Jersey, MLB.com
The 2024 Mets have shown time and time again that they should never be counted out.
The odds might still be against the Mets, but don’t tell them that.
The Mets’ performance last night allowed fans to dream on another improbable comeback from the team they love.
The Temptations were at Citi Field yesterday to perform “My Girl” before the ballgame, and Francisco Lindor was loving it.
One of the more remarkable feats from yesterday’s game: the Mets became the first team since the 2002 Angels to avoid striking out in a postseason game.
With the season on the line, the Mets had no qualms about pushing Stanek and Díaz to record as many outs as they possibly could.
Alonso demonstrated his elite power with his first-inning homer on a pitch that was about a foot over the ground.
It’s possible yesterday was Alonso’s last home game as a Met, but he helped to make sure it wouldn’t be his last game with the franchise.
Marte’s big night at the plate came after making a trade with a young fan.
Alvarez has had a quiet postseason, but he has turned it around in a big way over the past two games.
Carlos Mendoza finally re-inserted Jeff McNeil into the lineup last night, and the former batting champ responded with two sacrifice flies.
The Mets will have a decision to make next season on whether to use José Buttó as a starter or reliever.
Brett Baty is hoping that some of the adjustments he made in the minor leagues this season will allow him to get his big league career back on track.
Around the National League East
If you were worried that gambling wasn’t a prevalent enough force in modern sports, take heart: the Braves will henceforth be playing their games on FanDuel Sports Network South and FanDuel Sports Network Southeast.
The Good Phight proposed three different potential player acquisitions to help the Phillies address their plate discipline issue.
A documentary on the story of the fan campaign to cheer Trea Turner out of his slump is now on Netflix.
The Nationals will be looking to upgrade at first base this offseason.
The Marlins and Diamond Sports Group announced that they’ve reached a new deal for broadcasting rights for the 2025 season.
Around Major League Baseball
There was another thrilling game over in the ALCS, with the Yankees coming out on top to put them one win away from their first pennant since 2009.
The Guardians will try to stave off elimination today in ALCS Game 5.
Giancarlo Stanton hit another impressive bomb last night, and the Yankees slugger is building his Hall of Fame case with his postseason performance.
Prior to yesterday’s game, Mark Leiter Jr. was added to the postseason roster in place of the injured Ian Hamilton, and he was quickly called into action.
Relievers are throwing more postseason innings than ever before, and we may be reaching a breaking point.
The Rays may not be looking for an alternate home field for the start of the 2025 season thanks to Hurricane Milton, and there are a number of potential options.
This Date in Mets History
The 1999 and 2006 seasons both ended in heartbreak on this date.