We’re all depressed about what’s going on in the world regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, and baseball has become collateral damage. We all need to escape, and now 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.
Of all the teams that Jacob deGrom has more than 50 innings of history against coming into the season, deGrom’s ERA is the highest against the Chicago Cubs (3.30). Would you believe that second on that list is the Miami Marlins of Florida (3.26)? If you’re a Mets fan, of course you believe that because f***ing Marlins.
This scrappy bunch touched up deGrom in the first inning … which actually is a rarity for deGrom historically. After a single by Miguel Rojas and a walk to Brian Anderson, Garrett Cooper lined a double into the corner to bring both runners home. deGrom stiffened up and struck out Corey Dickerson and Jonathan Villar to end the inning before further damage was done.
Jose Urena, who has historically struggled in the first inning, hit Brandon Nimmo with a pitch to start the game for the Marlins. Now the last time Urena did that he was suspended and all hell broke loose. This time, Nimmo smiled and pointed to the sky (and it was a slider). After Jeff McNeil struck out, Pete Alonso came to the plate for his first ever at-bat against Urena. Alonso deposited the first pitch he saw from Urena into the corner and just over the wall for a home run to tie it at 2-2. Add it to the list of Alonso’s strengths: video work and attention to detail. Alonso was obviously looking sinker and got one he liked just above the knees and crushed it.
The score stayed 2-2 until the fifth when Tomas Nido led off the inning with a double. deGrom sacrificed him to third and then Urena couldn’t find the plate. He walked Nimmo, he walked McNeil, he walked Alonso to bring in the third run and make it 3-2. Then he walked Conforto to make it 4-2. Mercifully, Don Mattingly lifted him for Jeff Brigham to face J.D. Davis, who crushed a homer to right center off him in August of last year. Mattingly obviously has a short memory. Brigham probably has a longer memory, and thankfully, J.D. Davis has an even longer memory because he tagged him again. This time, a three run double off the top of the wall to make it 7-2. Dom Smith followed with a two run homer to make it 9-2 and everyone could relax.
deGrom gave up an unearned run on a sac fly in the 7th to make it 9-3 but that’s how this one would end. You like to sweep teams like Miami but you also realize that this wouldn’t be a Mets season without an excruciating loss to the Marlins, so you take it and move on. The Mets are 16-9. We’re on to Atlanta.
Today’s Hate List
- Brian Anderson
- Garrett Cooper
- Anderson Cooper
- Jose Urena
- Miguel Rojas
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