MILWAUKEE — There's nothing like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, catching a glimpse of land as you're washing over the ocean, or seeing the food on the table just a few steps away at arm's length.
The Mets almost diabolically copied what was done in the American League. In the American League, road underdogs Detroit and Kansas City took on Houston and Baltimore, winning two games in a landslide to derail their chances of advancing to the Division Series.
It was finalized early Wednesday. And this night, the Mets were beating the Brewers. Milwaukee won the National League Central Division championship due to its defense, base running, and bullpen. And for almost two games, the Mets were better in each phase.
The key element in the previous sentence was “almost.”
The Mets led for most of Game 2. The score was 3-2 in the 8th inning. The lights came on on the way to Philadelphia. We could see glimpses of Riku in the “The Division'' series. We had a meal, and we ended up pouring down copious amounts of champagne in another clubhouse, basking in the joy.
It's very close.
But Carlos Mendoza pulled Ryne Stanek, even though he pitched a dominant inning in Game 2 as well as in the opener. The Mets manager didn't rely on Edwin Diaz, but he felt he had to limit the closer to four outs due to his heavy workload to finish the regular season. Phil Maton took his place and allowed Jackson Chourio to hit a game-tying homer to lead off the game and Garrett Mitchell to double with two outs.
This made the final score 5-3. That meant a decisive Game 3 would be played on Wednesday night.
In other words, the Mets need a hero.
So Jose Quintana will be the first, and Diaz will be the last. That means Starling Marte continues to be good, and Francisco Lindor may have found a little more magic at the end of his bat.
But more and more, I keep coming back to the name Pete Alonso.
How could his final season as a Met, and the days ahead, really go down? Even though he didn't have such a big hit in a year where he gave up walks? It was a season in which the Mets could have broken out of baseball's unbearable dungeon by making a big hit in the final few days of the regular season. And now, when we might be able to take them to Philadelphia for the Division Series.
The Brewers hit three home runs in the three-game series, two of which came from Chourio. At 20 years and 205 days old, he became the youngest player to hit a home run in a postseason game since Bryce Harper (age 19) in 2012. He also stole an RBI from Marte. Home run in the first game.
Alonso is expected to be a mainstay for the Mets. But he hasn't hit a home run since September 19th. Basically, he hasn't hit one from the brand name in a while. The closest Clemens is Phillies utility man Cody Clemens.
“Pete is a power hitter and he's one swing away from making a big hit,” Mendoza said. “He has another chance tomorrow, and he’s going to step up.”
Except he hasn't so far. Alonso had one of his worst years with runners in scoring position (.232 batting average), and his biggest hit of the season was probably the game-tying home run off Detroit's Alex Faedo in the ninth inning on April 4, when the Mets lost five games. He later contributed to the victory in the first match. The five biggest hits, including winning percentage, all came in the first half.
In Wednesday's first inning, with runners on the corners and the Mets leading 1-0, Alonso hit a short ground ball that likely would have broken the point of a double play. However, to his surprise, he trips on the bat and falls.
“It's weird, listen, it's the worst,” Alonso said, admitting he would have scored if he hadn't fallen.
So instead of being 2-0, the Mets were still batting, and perhaps due to an earlier move to Brewers camp, Milwaukee starting pitcher Frankie Montas was taken out of the inning.
At the moment, Alonso's game has more to it than Mark Grace expected. He fielded as well as ever, drawing a few walks and popping a single here and there. However, he hasn't consistently contributed to the team's good at-bats. But in this series… he probably has at least one more day in his Mets career.
“Just keep swinging and good things will happen,” Alonso said.
But this is the mantra of empty calorie season, and it's a very important one. He's about to hit free agency. A strong season would push fans even further, and the Mets would probably be forced to work harder financially to keep him. He continued to say that wasn't on his mind and that he was only concerned about helping the Mets moving forward.
wonderful. They need his help. The Mets are looking to Herro to survive a do-or-die Game 3 on the road. Of course there are many candidates.
But the question is, is Pete Alonso really incapable of having a big moment later this season?
