It's still hard to get used to the new order of baseball's pennant race. Last weekend, the Mets beat the Phillies in a big way in the first game of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. That put the Mets within seven games of the Phillies with 15 games to go. Then, on Saturday and Sunday, the Mets suffered heartbreaking losses. With nine games to go, there are 13 to go.
In baseball math, prevalent for 100 years, that translates to one word: “over.”
And wild card baseball has been in our lives for nearly 30 years now. We're used to second-place teams advancing. We've had enough of years with three wild cards advancing. that It's become a lifestyle. And yet, when you talk to fans of a certain age, any mention of baseball's wild card comes with an almost apologetic feeling.
Well, we're still alive… but it's for the Wild Card…
The shocked look continues.
As with most things, we hold baseball to a high standard. The same was true with steroids. It was clear that football players had been using steroids for decades, but when PEDs made their way into baseball, it was like eating popcorn in church. Every January, as I release my Hall of Fame ballot, I brace myself for the inevitable condemnation from across the country.
(True story: When I took Todd Helton off the ballot last winter, I received a ton of hate mail from the Denver area, much of it obscene enough to make even my normally inoffensive ears tingle. But the guy I remember said one thing, no foul language, just one thing: “You should be arrested.”)
Why would anyone treat people like that when they vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Basketball? Hockey? No. Only baseball.
The same goes for the playoffs. The NFL introduced the wild card in 1970, a late addition to the NBA and NHL, which have always welcomed second-place teams. But when it comes to baseball, many still lament the wild card. Which is odd, since the National League has had an intriguing four-team battle for three spots in a season that's been relatively drama-free for every other team.
Starting Sunday, a four-part story will recount those crazy days from a Mets fan's perspective.
1. The Mets lost a tough game, 2-1, despite leading 1-0 going into the bottom of the eighth inning. They currently trail the Braves by 0.5 games, the Diamondbacks by 1 1/2 games, and the Padres by 3 games, and Francisco Lindor is scheduled to undergo an MRI (results from Monday afternoon offered a ray of hope that Lindor may be back in time for the Phillies' arrival this weekend).
2. The Padres are winning 2-1 against the Giants. In the ninth inning, Giants pitcher Helio Ramos hits the first home run ever by a right-handed hitter off McCorvey Cove. The game is tied! (Spoiler alert: The Padres score two runs in the 10th inning to win 4-3.)
3. The Diamondbacks are beating the Brewers 5-0… Then the Brewers storm back to take an 8-5 lead… Then the Diamondbacks storm back to tie it 8-8… Brewers phenom Jackson Chaulio triples with two outs in the top of the 10th. 10-8 Brewers win! Then Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy, basting his team's lead by a wide margin in the Central Division, leaves Devin Williams in the bottom of the bullpen. The cameras flash on Williams, and he's pretty pissed… but that's nothing compared to the anger of Mets fans. Murphy sticks with lefty Jared Koenig, and the inning goes single, single, single, hit by pitch, single. Arizona 11, Milwaukee 10.
4. The Dodgers were on the brink of a third straight loss to the Braves when Shohei Ohtani tied the game with two doubles, helping Mets fans vote for him MVP. Will Smith looked to have hit the game-winning home run in the ninth, but it bounced off the fence like the '73 Mets, and when Andy Page's grounder returned to the pitcher, it looked like another horrible chain reaction that would thwart the Mets' chances.
… But then Mookie Betts homered off Smith and the Dodgers rallied for six more runs on consecutive homers from Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Max Muncy. The Mets were in a share of the playoff spot and would face another day.
if it is It's not a legitimate pennant race…to be honest, I don't know what is a legitimate pennant race.
