We’ve all been depressed about what’s going on in the world regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, and baseball has become collateral damage. The 2020 baseball season is set to begin in late July. Until then, you can read this blog in the alternate: the one where global pandemics were a myth and baseball was around no matter what. We’re imagining the 2020 Mets season as if everything was normal. Enjoy these works of fiction.
Steven Matz and James Paxton came up with dueling quality starts to finish off the short Subway Series at Yankee Stadium, as Pete Alonso’s solo home run off Paxton in the 6th tied the game 3-3, and Steven Matz’s houdini act in the bottom of the inning, striking out Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, and Luke Voit with the bases loaded to get out of a bases loaded nobody out jam. It was quite surprising that Luis Rojas left Matz in the game to fend for himself and frankly, I expected disaster. But it was probably Matz’s best three batter performance of his career, going to the off-speed stuff when he had to, but not being afraid to go inside with the hard stuff. Whatever Matz learned from Jeremy Hefner and Codify came in handy.
Seth Lugo was looking like he was cruising through the eighth inning, but Luke Voit hit a ball that seriously looked like it was going to be a Texas league single, and in any other ballpark it would have been. But in Yankee Stadium, it was in the third row of the stands, and the Mets were doomed.
Aroldis Chapman had worked hard the night before, so it was surprising to see Aaron Boone bring him in again to try to nurse him through the 9th for another save. But with Michael Conforto dropped down to the 7th spot with Brandon Nimmo knocked down to 8th against the lefty Paxton, it seemed as if Chapman could sleepwalk through this one. But he was clearly out of gas, walking both Conforto and Nimmo to start the inning. Pinch hitter Jake Marisnick, somehow, was able to get a bunt down to sacrifice the runners to second and third with Jeff McNeil coming up.
Now normally, one might think about walking McNeil to load the bases and set up a double play, But with Pete Alonso on deck, Boone took a chance and let Chapman face McNeil. Luis Rojas took a chance of his own, calling a safety squeeze. Luckily McNeil got a fat fastball to drag to the first base side and Conforto scored without a play as Voit’s only play was to first, and the game was tied 4-4.
Tommy Kahnle came in to get Pete Alonso to pop up to end the inning. But he gave up back-to-back bombs in the top of the 10th as Yoenis Cespedes and Wilson Ramos both went deep to give the Mets a 6-4 lead, and Edwin Diaz closed the door politely on the Yankees in the 10th to end it. (I’d say he slammed the door but he walked Clint Frazier and D.J. LeMahieu before striking out Brett Gardner and getting Gleyber Torres to ground into the 5-4-3 double play to end it … so it was more like shutting the door while telling them “sure, I’ll be at book club next week, okay … okay … okay … bye bye.)
So the Mets are 51-42 with three in Miami to take the team to the All-Star break. Since we haven’t had the obligatory bad loss in Miami yet this season (remember, the last Marlins home series against the Mets was in Puerto Rico), I’ll save my giddiness for now.
Today’s Hate List
- Aroldis Chapman
- What?
- Yeah, again.
- What of it?
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