Friday night brought another stunning rally in Queens, this one perhaps the best of all for the New York Mets and their fans, especially because it came against the very team they’re chasing in the NL Wild Card race.
The Mets, trailing 6-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, proceeded to batter Nationals closer Sean Doolittle. When the dust had settled, the Amazins had scored four runs and won 7-6 to creep within a half-game of a playoff spot, and within 1.5 games of the Nationals for the first wild card.
“It felt like the playoffs. The atmosphere was amazing. We fed off of that, we fed off of each other. I just happened to be the guy that was up last.”
The Mets won another dramatic game. This one was their biggest yet.
Story: https://t.co/ppSYL0WpFe
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) August 10, 2019
Dissecting another rally
Doolittle hasn’t exactly been a dominant closer this season, but he’s been better lately, and a three-run lead sure seemed safe.
But that lead didn’t last long. J.D. Davis doubled down the left-field line. Wilson Ramos followed with a sharp single to center. And Todd Frazier bombed a 2-1 offering from Doolittle out of the park, just inside the left-field foul pole.
Just like that, it was 6-6. But the Mets weren’t done.
After new acquisition Joe Panik singled, Doolittle finally settled down a bit, getting a forceout on a bunt and a flyout. But with two outs, Amed Rosario singled to send Juan Lagares to second, and Michael Conforto sent Citi Field into another happy eruption with a line drive to deep right field that sent Lagares racing home with a 7-6 victory.
Pete Alonso ripped Conforto’s shirt off in the latest of Mets celebratory scenes that are getting more and more familiar.
This fan view of Michael Conforto’s walkoff for the Mets tonight is AWESOME.
(via @papijunior___) pic.twitter.com/mnKuv7m4Ox
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) August 10, 2019
Can they keep it going?
We’ve already discussed this week how the red-hot Mets have gone from just 3.9 percent playoff odds in late July to more than 10 times that before the middle of August.
Now it’s starting to become apparent the Mets are in this Wild Card race to win it. Their latest playoff odds, according to Fangraphs? All the way up to 47 percent.
Baked into that optimism, however, is a schedule that is about to get tougher. As CBS Sports points out, starting with Friday’s game, the Mets play 31 of their next 34 games against teams over .500, including 27 against playoff contenders and 12 against the NL’s division leaders (Braves, Cubs and Dodgers).
But if Friday night is any indication, they might just be up to the challenge.
Newsday’s Saturday Back Page
Conforto walks it off in 9th after Frazier’s 3-run HR ties it as Mets win 14th in last 15@markpherrmann @APSE_sportmedia #LGM pic.twitter.com/kIBZySqV9t— Joe Manniello (@joe_manniello) August 10, 2019
