On July 2, the New York Mets lost their seventh game in seven tries against the Chicago Cubs and saw their record drop to a mediocre 40-40. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the New York Mets completed a National League Championship Series sweep of those same Chicago Cubs with an 8-3 victory and earned a spot in the World Series for the first time since 2000.
Talk about a turnaround.
New York only needed two innings of offense Wednesday given the impressive performance from the pitching staff, but it was a monster two innings. The Mets scored six of their eight runs in the first and second frames thanks to a three-run home run from Lucas Duda, a solo long ball from Travis d'Arnaud and a two-run double from Duda.
Just for good measure, Daniel Murphy set a major league record with a home run in his sixth consecutive playoff game during the eighth inning. Bob Nightengale of USA Today commented on the incredible feat:
Murphy was named the NLCS MVP in a clear-cut decision after the victory.
As for the New York pitching, rookie Steven Matz allowed a single run and four hits in 4.2 innings of work, and the bullpen only gave up two hits the rest of the way, although one was a two-run homer from Kris Bryant to make the final score slightly more respectable for the Cubs.
It was the fourth straight dominant effort from the Mets, who never trailed at any moment in the series. ESPN Stats & Info provided a visual to illustrate New York's run:
As for the Cubs, the Wrigley Field faithful stuck around to show their appreciation for an impressive season from a team that should be among the league's best for years to come, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted:
If there were any lingering doubts about which team would win this series, the Mets quickly silenced them in the first inning. Duda drilled his three-run homer on a 3-2 pitch with two outs, and d'Arnaud followed that with a solo home run of his own.
According to Ace of MLB Stats, the Mets set a franchise record with 13 postseason home runs after the first-inning outburst. Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago pointed out Duda picked a perfect time to break out of his slump:
ESPN Stats & Info said the Cubs allowed a first-inning run in seven of their nine postseason games this year. Cubs Talk acknowledged why the early deficit was such a problem for the North Siders, while SportsCenter noted how "lights-out" New York's pitching was, with the Cubs hitting only .164 for the series, a record low for the NLCS.
Duda kept it rolling in the second with a two-RBI double to stretch the lead to 6-0. His five RBI tied the Mets franchise record for a single playoff game, per Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times put things in perspective:
Just when it seemed like nothing could go wrong for the Mets, they removed Yoenis Cespedes in the second inning for what the team called soreness in his left shoulder. Juan Lagares replaced the star outfielder in the lineup.
The Cubs threatened in the bottom of the fourth with the bases loaded and nobody out, but they only managed a single run off Kyle Schwarber's RBI groundout. Chicago missed an opportunity to score more when David Wright snagged a rocket line drive off the bat of Starlin Castro for the inning's first out. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com commented on the play:
The Mets escaped another jam in the fifth inning when Bartolo Colon struck out Bryant with two men on and two outs. Sports Illustrated MLB recognized the absurdity of the matchup:
In fact, Colon set history of his own, by becoming the oldest pitcher ever to win a clinching game in the LCS, per MLB Stat of the Day.
While the Mets pitching staff did its job in the middle innings, Murphy made more history at the plate with his seventh-inning double, as Ace of MLB Stats noted:
Murphy didn't skip a beat in the next inning, when he hit his record home run to extend the New York advantage to 8-1. Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com described what all of baseball probably thought watching this player who only hit 14 homers all season club his way through the playoffs:
Cubs fans finally got something to cheer for in the bottom of the eighth when Bryant launched a two-run home run deep into the bleachers. After the blast, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports shared why there's reason for optimism on the losing side:
Alas, it was far too little, too late from the North Siders, and Jeurys Familia shut the door in the final frame to clinch the National League pennant for the Mets.
What's Next?
Next up for the Mets is the opportunity to bring home their first World Series title since 1986.
The World Series begins Tuesday, Oct. 27, and the sweep means New York gets a chance to set its pitching rotation while the American League Championship Series shifts back to Kansas City with the Royals leading the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-2.
The young pitching staff is a major reason why the Mets will represent the National League in the World Series, and whichever team they play may be forced to mix and match pitchers in a do-or-die seventh game. That would seem to give New York the early advantage on paper.
The extended rest will also help Cespedes recover from the shoulder soreness that cost him the majority of Wednesday's game.
As for the Cubs, the championship drought that has plagued their fanbase since 1908 continues for another year. The future is bright with a young core of budding stars, but this series highlighted the lack of starting pitching depth. Perhaps they will chase a marquee free agent like David Price during the offseason.
For now, Chicago and its fans can only dream about the opportunity the Mets have in front of them.
Postgame Reaction
Much of the discussion following the game centered around the performance of Murphy, who finished the NLCS with a .529 batting average, four home runs and six RBI.
Murphy discussed his hot streak, per ESPN.com: “I can’t explain why the ball keeps going out of the ballpark, but it does. And we keep winning ballgames.”
Curtis Granderson commented on watching Murphy as a teammate, per Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated: “I’m going to tell people I got to play with Babe Ruth.”
Murphy’s offensive outburst helped the Mets clinch the National League pennant for a fanbase that has suffered through plenty of losing in recent years.
David Wright reflected on that fact and the team’s overall effort, per DiComo and Carrie Muskat of MLB.com: "This city deserves this. This organization deserves this. The fans deserve it. And this group of guys deserve it. You gotta believe. I can't stop saying it, 'We're going to the World Series.' This is an incredible feeling. Words can't describe the emotion that's on this field right now. This is incredible."
As for the other side, Cubs manager Joe Maddon recognized his team’s accomplishments, per Rian Watt of Baseball Prospectus: "The way we were able to build a positive culture here in just one year is amazing."
Maddon also praised the Mets for their dominating four-game stretch, per DiComo and Muskat:
That was a pretty impressive four games they played against us. They didn't give us—they did not let us up for air at any point. Their domination of the early part of the game and their pitching was impressive. They played well, they didn't make mistakes. So it's not so much to be disappointed in our performance. They were just that good for four days, man. I've got to give them credit.
If the Mets are that good during four more days, they will be World Series champions.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments