The New York Mets took a 3-0 National League Championship Series lead and moved to within one win of their first World Series appearance since 2000 with Tuesday night's 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
For the third straight game, the Mets received a sensational effort on the mound. They handed Jacob deGrom the ball in hostile territory, and the righty delivered with his third road win of the postseason—which tied an MLB record, per ESPN Stats & Info.
After a shaky first inning that included a Kyle Schwarber home run, deGrom settled in and mowed down Cubs batters at an efficient pace. All told, the 27-year-old scattered four hits and struck out seven over seven innings. He also retired the last 11 batters he faced.
Bleacher Report's Scott Miller took note of the approach that's allowed deGrom and his Big Apple pitching brethren to prosper in the postseason:
Inside Edge followed up on that point with a staggering statistic:
As has been the case all postseason, the Cubs had to rely on home runs to do damage. Schwarber and Jorge Soler each successfully launched a solo shot off deGrom, but that wasn't enough against a Mets team that registered an 11-5 advantage in the hit column.
The turning point for the Mets came in the sixth inning, when Yoenis Cespedes (3-for-5, two RBI) scored on a two-out wild pitch by Trevor Cahill:
New York forced Chicago to dig deep into its bullpen after starter Kyle Hendricks lasted just four innings, and Cespedes continued his successful outing in the seventh when he scored David Wright (3-for-4) from third with a single.
Early on, however, it had looked like the Cubs' bats were destined for a big night.
Chicago matched its Game 2 run total in the first inning thanks to Schwarber's opposite-field bomb, and the equalizer proved to be a historic one.
According to the club's official Twitter account, Schwarber set a franchise record with five postseason home runs. Fox Sports added that Schwarber also owns the record for most postseason dingers before turning 23 years old.
ESPN Stats & Info provided a visual to reinforce just how impressive Schwarber's jack was:
But Schwarber was one-upped by Daniel Murphy, who continued his absurd postseason onslaught Tuesday evening. The Mets second baseman took sole possession of the franchise's playoff home run record, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, by blasting his sixth postseason long ball, which gave New York a 2-1 lead in the third inning.
In addition to that achievement, Murphy became the second player in MLB history—along with the Houston Astros' Carlos Beltran in 2004—to hit a home run in five straight playoff games, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney provided some more mind-boggling perspective:
With Murphy swinging the hottest bat of the postseason, the Mets are now one win away from their first World Series appearance in 15 years. And if history is any indication, New York should be brimming with confidence entering Game 4.
According to WhoWins.com, teams that have gone up 3-0 are 33-1 all-time when it comes to successfully closing out a best-of-seven series. Furthermore, teams up 3-0 are 28-6 in Game 4s.
Chicago still hasn't topped two runs in a game this series, but it will have at least one more chance to keep its season alive when Jason Hammel takes the mound against Steven Matz on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to hand Matz a loss in a National League Division Series, but the rookie limited the Mets' dispatched foes to three runs.
"I have all the confidence in the world that Steven Matz is going to pitch a good game," Mets manager Terry Collins said, per Newsday's Anthony Rieber.
Considering Matz is entering Game 4 on seven days' rest, there's a chance New York will close things out with yet another gem.
Post-Game Reaction
The Mets' official Twitter account relayed video of Collins discussing Murphy's streak:
Wright was also in awe of his teammate, per the New York Daily News' Peter Botte:
Cubs manager Joe Maddon took time to praise the Mets' pitching staff. "Their pitchers have been outstanding," he said, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin.
So how will the rest of the series shake out?
"Anything's possible," Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen said, per Newsday's Marc Carig. "But we certainly like our chances."
Meanwhile, one man who's witnessed a 3-0 comeback isn't discounting the Cubs.
"Rumor has it it's been done before," Cubs general manager Theo Epstein said, according to ESPNChicago.com's Jesse Rogers.
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