A Win Before Bedcheck

It’s always fun to get that first walk-off win out of the way for the season. Not that we really want it out of the way. Walk-offs are to be savored and played over and over again on your MLB app. I’d dare guess that your soul could use some savoring after constant talk of the content of Kevin Plawecki’s locker and the recent news that the Mets KGB unit performed a wellness check on Matt “Ferris Bueller” Harvey.

As the story gets weirder and weirder, and sure to provide more nuggets before the week is out, the important thing to remember is that through all of this, the Mets are 7-3 in their last ten. Through all the drama and sidebars, it’s comforting for a sports fan like me to know that you can’t have drama and sidebars without actual games. Without the games, all you have is Matt Harvey in his pajamas. Matt Harvey in his pajamas without actual baseball games would be just another Times Square millennial.

Hunter Pence and Buster Posey hit home runs off of Jacob deGrom. But deGrom navigated those minefields to gather himself another quality start, this one with 11 K’s attached to it. Neil Walker, T.J. Rivera, and Curtis Granderson drove in runs with doubles to keep the Mets in the game. Then in the ninth inning, Michael Conforto worked a walk on Josh Osich, who then got the last two outs before Bruce Bochy went to right hander Hunter Strickland to face Wilmer Flores, who crushes lefties. The plan worked in that Flores didn’t crush him. But he just got enough to reach base to set up Walker’s final hammer:

It’s not quite revenge for last year’s Wild Card game. Noah Syndergaard and Madison Bumgarner were nowhere to be found, and Conor Gillaspie went 0-for-2. And somewhere, Matt Harvey is picking out his pajamas with the thought in the back of his mind that somebody from the Mets might see them. Yup, this is way different from last year. Especially the end result.

Today’s Hate List

1. Conor Gillaspie
2. Jeff Kent
3. Matt Cain
4. Madison Bumgarner
5. Antonio Bastardo