Sep 28, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar (10) celebrates his tenth inning game winning walkoff single against the Miami Marlins with teammates at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Miami Marlins at New York Mets
It’s been 2,191 days since the New York Mets last made an appearance in the MLB postseason. That trend ends tonight. At 8:10 PM (Eastern Time) the Mets finally break that six year drought when they take on the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Playoffs.
In a surprising but somewhat expected move, Buck Showalter announced that Max Scherzer will start Game 1. The plan is to save Jacob DeGrom until round 2, if possible. That would in essence mean, if the Mets win tonight they will pitch Chris Bassitt on Saturday.
Despite a rocky end to the season, highlighted by a colossal collapse vs. the Atlanta Braves – Mets fans should be feeling optimistic heading into the postseason. The New York Mets won 101 games this season. The last time the team won 101+ games? 1986. Ironically enough, the franchise’s last World Series.
It was a season that will go down in the history books. Jeff McNeil won the batting title. Pete Alonso led the MLB in RBI. Francisco Lindor set a franchise record for RBI by a SS. Edwin Diaz complied one of the best seasons by a reliver of all time. The list goes on and on. But it all means nothing now. The season starts tonight.
Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports that Starling Marte (finger) will be on the Mets’ Wild Card series roster. It’s a bit of a surprise, as all indications had been that Marte’s fractured right middle finger still wasn’t feeling great. However, clearly the Mets believe it’s playable. Marte flourished in his first season with the Mets. The All-Star outfielder hit .292 with 16 homeruns, 67 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases.
Martino also reports that Francisco Álvarez will also be part of the Mets’ roster. The Padres are carrying five left-handers on their roster, so it makes sense that the Mets would carry the 20-year-old. Álvarez has shown some impressive pop in a small sample since his call-up on Friday.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, Tyler Naquin, Trevor Williams and Mark Vientos are not on the post-season roster. Walker, Carrasco, and Williams pitched most recently to close out the regular season. The Mets are going with 12 pitchers and 14 position players during the series.
Yes, the Mets made their road for difficult when they were swept by the Braves last weekend but it’s all smoke in the mirror now. Pete Alonso was asked whether it’s fair that the Mets fell to the Wild Card, despite winning 101 games. He said “We got swept by the Cubs.”
Pete Alonso on if he thinks it's unfair to be playing in the Wild Card series with 101 wins:
“We got swept by the Cubs.”
(📸: @SNYtv) pic.twitter.com/xrNVeMSXHM
— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) October 6, 2022
Smoke. In. The. Mirror. The past is the past and it’s time to look at the present. The Mets will play three consecutive games vs. the Padres starting Friday at 8:10 as the team looks to break their 36 year World Series drought.
Enjoy the ride Met fans.
