LOS ANGELES — The Mets have been coming to Dodger Stadium, one of the most perfect locations on earth with the stunning San Gabriel Mountains, gorgeous green manicured lawns, and a beautiful color scheme throughout California, for several months. It was, if not the ugliest game in weeks. .
A team that could seemingly never do anything wrong wasn't doing anything right at all.
Mysterious and magical, the Mets became must-see TV on this wonderfully memorable early October trip. But here in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, it was better to look away.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Mets fans serenaded owner Steve Cohen before the game. “Uncle Steve,” they shouted.
In the end, all we heard was “Fred, Fred.” And after that, “MVP”. It wasn't for Francisco Lindor.
Since this was a party, the Mets lost 9-0 and were taken off the invitation list. The Mets were a no-show, so this was a forfeit score, and it was fitting.
Mets flash starter Kodai Chiga is famous for his ghost folk trick pitch, which is said to have disappeared. But this time the trick was on the Mets. It was the real Chiga who never appeared.
With just 7¹/₃ innings pitched in 2024, Chiga wasn't ready and looked more like a late-season call-up than a coveted international signee or 2023 ace. I pitched. He was sitting at 93 mph, about 5 mph below standard speed. To make matters worse, he threw 30 pitches, 20 of which were balls. In modern parlance, he proportionated himself.
The Mets' nonstop batting lineup has finally come to a halt. Dodgers got just two hits from starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, avoided a bullpen-heavy shutdown with seven scoreless innings, and tied the Dodgers' postseason National League single-postseason record with 33 consecutive innings. , tying the legendary 1966 Orioles postseason record. He played for the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series.
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A promising start for the Mets with two consecutive hits in the first slot was ruined when Jesse Winker was caught between second and third base after Jose Iglesias followed up with a hit of his own. The Mets weren't themselves.
The Dodgers just barely survived a hard-fought, and at times hellish, series against their much-hated division rivals, the Padres, 90 miles to the south. This must have felt like amateur hour to them.
Chiga didn't give the Mets a chance. Now, you have to wonder why the Mets gave him this chance (and frankly, even a chance in Game 1 of the Division Series vs. Philadelphia).
These Mets with the mojo had a batting average of about 1.000 in decisions over the past few days. However, he took advantage of Chiga's chance and struck out. They'll have to reevaluate whether he'll get the ball again in this NLCS.
“He was off,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He didn't have it.”
Chiga was unable to throw strikes from almost the beginning, posing just a challenge for home plate umpire Jeremy Rehak. In the first inning, three consecutive walks led to two points, and Max Muncy hit Senga's 21st pitch, resulting in just six strikes! — dove into center field and scored the first two runs. In the second inning, Senga's Shohei Otani, who had a good performance with 2 hits for 18 at bats and 10 strikeouts, was hit with a home run by Gavin Lux, who also had a walk, and was down 0-3.
It's no wonder he was away from the game. It's good that the Mets finally got two days off, but it shows that Chiga has only had two days off all year.
Chiga wasn't expected to pitch more than three or four innings, but since he pitched only two innings, the Mets essentially had to use him in a bullpen game. It's really about the Dodgers now. (They use one in Game 2.)
The Mets would have had the advantage of a rotation with most of the Dodgers' starting pitchers currently on injured reserve, including Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Gavin Stone. Flaherty, on the other hand, looked extremely healthy for a Mets hitter who was doing nothing.
As you may recall, the Yankees backed away from a potential trade for Flaherty, citing concerns about his lower back. So please help the Yankees allow him to wear Dodger blue for his hometown team.
Game 1 was very memorable. And the Mets are a team that can do just that, and in this case, it's desirable.
“It's just baseball,” Iglesias said. “I’m going to come back tomorrow with great energy and continue to compete.”
These Mets specialize in comebacks, and this time around, they are expected to show off their resiliency in a seven-game series. They returned to the game like almost no one else in history.
These Mets have overcome all odds to get this far, and now they're taking it to another level. The Dodgers have about half of his $300 million-plus salary on injured reserve, but they start with an unparalleled trio of stars and finish games with a fairly airtight bullpen.
This is certainly not an easy task. But if anyone can do it, it's the Mets. They just need to forget this debacle.
