The Alternate Universe: Mariners at Mets 7-18-20

MLB: New York Mets-Workouts

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 has started its exhibition season, and will return on July 23rd, barring unforseen events. Regardless, you can read this blog in the alternate: the one where global pandemics were a myth and baseball got started in March and never stopped. We’re imagining the 2020 Mets season as if everything was normal, and will do so … or at least try to … until the end of the season. Enjoy these works of fiction.

The Mets initially had trouble with Yusei Kikuchi, who they had never seen before. And when Dan Vogelbach smacked a three run HR off Marcus Stroman in the sixth, it looked like this was going to be a typical frustrating Mets loss against a bad team.

But Scott Servais tried to nurse Kihuchi through the Mets lineup for a third time and it was a mistake. Brandon Nimmo smacked a single to left-center and stretched it into a double because Dan Vogelbach  is a designated hitter playing left field (because there’s no DH in National League parks … like that would ever happen). With the crowd energized, McNeil worked out a walk to send Pete Alonso up as the tying run. Alonso worked the count 2-0, found a pitch he liked, and put it into the Home Run Apple to tie the game 3-3.

Then in the 8th against Carl Edwards Jr., McNeil led off with a single, followed by walks to Alonso and Conforto. Servais then put in his closer to get out of a bases loaded nobody out jam. After Wilson Ramos popped up and Robinson Cano popped up, it looked like he might do it. But J.D. Davis lined a single to left to bring him two runs, and at one point I thought he would bite off the head of the first base coach he was so excited. Before the insanely loud crowd could even think about bending to take their seats, Amed Rosario took the first pitch he faced and lined it into the bullpen to give the Mets an 8-3 lead, which they would hold on to.

This team is turning disappointing defeats into exhilarating victories. I know, it’s against Seattle. But good Mets teams lose to teams like Seattle all the time so for them to do this is really something.

Oh, and Jarred Kelenic went 0-for-4.

Today’s Hate List

  1. Dan Vogelbach
  2. Bob Hamelin
  3. Matt Nokes
  4. Mickey Tettleton
  5. Ron Hassey
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