The Long Game

I’ve been waiting 15 years for a chance to knock the Marlins out of the playoffs. Seven games in the next two weeks is a glorious chance to do it and get some revenge for 2007 and ’08. I was even wondering how the Mets would take chunks of the artifical grass and dirt with them after the series. But someone must have already taken a chunk, which would explain the bad hop hit over Ronny Mauricio’s head for a hit that led to the Marlins run tonight.

Jorge Soler hit what was initially ruled a home run.

After the umpires met together, it was ruled a foul ball and upon a crew chief review, the call on the field stood. pic.twitter.com/8nFJzqP0BF

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2023

Someone taught Edward Cabrera how to throw strikes, as he threw 51 of them in his 77 pitches through five and 1/3 tonight. Good for him, as he offended my senses in the past. Jose Butto was also very good, giving up that bad-hop induced run on four hits and a walk in six innings with six strikeouts, featuring a good changeup. Butto also survived a ball that Jorge Soler hit that was so far over the fair pole that nobody really knew whether it was a home run or a foul ball, and probably should have been a home run. But the umpires changed the call on the field to foul ball before reviewing it, and that made the difference as they probably couldn’t change the call either way. Someone made money on Points Bet because of that. I just hope it wasn’t an umpire.

After that, I kept waiting for the Mets bullpen to ruin Butto’s outing like the freakin’ Whammy creeping up to take away your money. But Grant Hartwig kept the Marlisn off the board in the 7th, and Phil Bickford, after leading off the 8th with a 3-0 count on Jacob Stallings, wound up with a 1-2-3 inning after Stallings chutched his pearls over a clock violation.

https://giphy.com/gifs/man-got-whammies-V6GWsIj9WkOzu

After David Robertson got out of a jam in the 8th (with help from a called strike three which was outside on D.J. Stewart and a called strike three on Pete Alonso on a pitch down the middle), a Marlins walkoff win seemed written in the stars. But Jeff McNeil came up in the 9th against Tanner Scott, and …

JEFF MCNEIL GOLFS ONE TO RIGHT FOR THE LEAD IN THE 9TH! pic.twitter.com/UrNoosuFOp

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2023

McNeil plays golf! I get it!

Seriously, I don’t know how that got out. His swing said blooper, but reality said that ball was gone, and all Adam Ottavino had to do was set the Marlins down and prevent that ritualistic Marlins walk-off win from happening. Thankfully, Ottavino got the same help on a pitch outside to Jazz Chisholm for the second out as Robertson did to Stewart. And fittingly, on National Cheesburger Day, Jake Burger struck out to end the game. To the spoilers go the victory, and cheeseburgers. Two more of those victories this week and maybe two or three more next week and maybe the reversal of 2007 and 2008 can begin, as will the healing.

Today’s Hate List

1. Hanley Ramirez
2. Miguel Olivo
3. Dan Uggla
4. Wes Helms
5. Guillermo Mota