The New York Mets continue to win as they keep proving doubters wrong, fueled by starting pitching and timely hitting.
Indeed, it is been a great time to be a New York Mets fan at the moment. New York is exceeding expectations in ways that no one anticipated. Just recently, they pulled off a shocking upset in the NLDS. They defeated the NL East division champions Philadelphia Phillies in just four games. Nobody saw this coming, but hey, the Mets have arrived. New York looked like the better team in this series. Part of it was due to stellar pitching and also clutch hitting. Those were both factors for why New York won this series. The Mets will now wait for the winner between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres.
It is the first time in 20 years since the Mets last clinched a playoff series at home. The last time they clinched was back in the 2000 NLCS versus the St. Louis Cardinals. LHP Mike Hampton guided the Mets to their fourth pennant in franchise history that day. Unfortunately, their run would end the following round. The New York Yankees defeated the Mets in just five games to capture their 26th World Series title.
Stellar Pitching
If there’s one huge reason why the Mets won this series, it was because of their outstanding pitching staff. On paper, they were not expected to have a better pitching staff than the Phillies. But they have proved everyone wrong. They were really good in these games that gave them the win. The one surprising man that came into this series was RHP Kodai Senga. In his first appearance in over two months, he gave the Mets some solid innings. The only mistake he made was giving up the leadoff home run to DH Kyle Schwarber. Even though Senga didn’t get the win due to a pitch count limit, he was very solid.
You also have to credit the other starters who stepped up as well. These notable names include RHP Luis Severino, LHP Sean Manaea, and LHP Jose Quintana. They did the impossible, which was shutting down the stacked Phillies lineup. By the way it looks, this starting rotation can take on anyone. This recent series against Philadelphia shows it. As a matter of fact, this pitching staff has no fear. As they prepare for their next challenge, it will be interesting to see how New York lines up their rotation against whoever wins the series between Los Angeles and San Diego. That would be something to keep an eye on.
Perfectly Timely Hits
Clutch hitting is the second reason why the Mets have advanced to the NLCS. The two guys that have come up big in this recent series are 3B Mark Vientos and SS Francisco Lindor. They showed really good discipline and patience in their at-bats. Philadelphia couldn’t do the same, which is why they’re heading back home early. Lindor, the MVP for the Mets for the entire season, had the biggest hit Wednesday evening. He launched a g0-ahead grand slam off of RP Carlos Estevez late in the sixth inning to give the team the lead.
Mark Vientos also played an important role for the Mets offense, delivering in keys moments when the team needed him the most. His most recent memorable hit was back in game two. With the team down two in the ninth inning, he launched a two-run home run to tie the score at four. In his very first postseason, Vientos is 12-28 with two doubles and two homers. Without his contributions, New York would not be going this far in the playoffs.
Looking Ahead to The NLCS
As the team heads into the NLCS, they will face a tough task that lies ahead. Their next tough challenge comes against a powerhouse team in either the Dodgers or Padres. Those teams are not easy to beat. They both have starting lineups that are well balanced. Even more to the point, they have the pitching that can shut down this red-hot Mets offense. Of course, the Padres will have the better pitching staff than Los Angeles. Time will tell to see who will play in the next round. The upcoming decisive game five between both the Dodgers and the Padres will determine who will be the next opponent for the Mets.
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