2
2012
Credit Ozzie Guillen With An Assist In Amazins’ 5-3 Comeback Win!
An article by 
Mets newcomer Kelly Shoppach delivers a clutch bases clearing single in the ninth to crash the Marlins’ beach party… Oh yeah, baby…
Wow, what a game!
The Mets combined a solid start by Jeremy Hefner with a huge ninth inning rally and a clutch save by Frank Francisco to stun the Miami Marlins by a score of 5-3 on Saturday night.
After Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen pulled his ace Josh Johnson while in the midst of a three-hitter, the Mets came roaring back from the dead to score four runs in the ninth inning to wipe out a two-run deficit and take a two run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Francisco came in and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to clinch the victory and guarantee another series win for the Mets.
Thank you Ozzie, you have a friend in me… 
Young righthander Jeremy Hefner, fresh off his solid start against the Astros, was in command tonight and delivered another quality start while holding the Marlins in check. Hefner threw six innings and gave up two runs on six hits while striking out four. He didn’t factor into the decision, but kudos to the kid for a job well done.
The Mets couldn’t muster much against Josh Johnson and the decision by Ozzie Guillen to pull him after eight strong innings would come back to bite him on the caboose.
Here comes the pain…
Daniel Murphy and David Wright got things started in the ninth with back-to-back singles against Marlins closer Steve Cishek. Lucas Duda steps up and drove in the first of four runs with with a one-out single, but it was newly acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach who delivered the fatal blow - a bases-loaded single to center field that cleared the bases.
Watching Shoppach chug to third base on the misplayed line-drive was quite the sight to see, but as he said later on in the postgame, “I’m a two base player, two bases man, that’s my max”. Freaking awesome!
The Mets were only 2-for-7 with RISP tonight, but oh how remarkable those two hits were.
The team continues to show some spirit and have now ensured their third straight series win. By my unofficial count, this is the third time Shoppach came up big for the Mets in the short times he’s been here. Sign him up for backup duties next season…
Newsflash! Mets catcher Josh Thole ended an 0-for-30 drought tonight with a single. His battery-mate Jeremy Hefner made light of it afterward and said, “I think he asked for the ball.” That’s too funny…
The Mets will look for the sweep tomorrow afternoon as Chris Young faces off against the Marlins’ Mark Buehrle at 1:10 pm.
Come on we can do it…
LETS GO METS!
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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I don’t hear no fat lady, you’re obsessed with that fat lady! Great game tonight, LGM!
Fantastic win by the Mets tonight. Shoppach must play every day (even if he doesn’t start, he has to pinch hit, or given what we saw tonight, even pinch run!) and he must be resigned. Hefner pitched greatly but I’d rather see him be in the bullpen not only as a longman for two innings or so, but he can also provide pitching depth if one of the starters go down. With Ike getting his swing back, the bullpen becoming a little more reliable (Rauch, Edgin and Parnell have been pretty good as of late, not to mention flashes of excellence from other relievers), and a catcher who can at least hit one past the infield, things are looking good.
Ozzie Guillen is so overrated it’s not even funny. If there really is a God, he will be fired after the season. What a colossal failure in South Beach. I’m a disappointed Fish Fan.
Does anyone know if Johnson felt he was out of gas or if this was another case of bringing in the closer simply because it was a “save” situation?
Johnson was taken out after throwing 105 pitches.
More likely explanation is that Johnson has been so fragile the past few years the Marlins don’t want to push their luck with him past a certain number of pitches. He is clearly one of the games best pitchers…….”when” he’s healthy, which hasn’t been very often lately. You can credit an assist to Guillen for the win if you want, but I understand their thinking in pulling him as well. They are simply trying to keep him healthy. I bet if you ask Ozzie if he’d take him out again knowing his bullpen would blow it he would probably still pull him for the reasons stated above. I would prefer the credit be given to the scrappy Mets players who fought back with the same never say die attitude we saw in the 1st half, but so rarely in the 2nd half this year. LGM!
Credit the home plate empire on Torres pitch which was too close to take for the win. At first it looked like a sure strike three. On replay I’ve seen boarderline pitches like that called strike three. I thiought for sure Guillen would go wild but he surprised me as he did not even argue the call.
I just commented on that, didn’t realize you had already commented on it too. It was the turning point in the game.
While I do not adhere to a strict pitch count and much prefer to see pitchers throw complete games……the trend has “evolved” and most teams seem to be going to their closer even if the starter has been terrific. As usual the blog here points the finger at Ozzie for removing his ace after 105 pitches. Does anyone know if there is something else behind this move? is it not possible that Johnson himself said he was “out of gas”, Then of course, Johnson has just last year had major surgery!
I submit that all Met fans watch a MLB interview show Bob Costas Studio 42 where he speaks with Tom Seaver who literally goes nuts on the subject of removing a starting pitcher, especially the team’s ace at the 100 (or so) pitch count! I have never seen Tom Seaver be so animated about anything before as he is always calm and very analytical.
I can understand the idea of baseball’s love affair with “light’s out” closers. Sutter, Eckersly Hoffman, Fingers and then the best of all….Mariano Rivera!
In most cases you can’t argue about calling on one of these guys into a game to relieve a starter but the powers that be went further creating a niche for “setup guys” and even STATS for a middle reliever getting credit for ” A HOLD”
I LIKED THE GAME BETTER when a good starter completed in the neighborhood of half of his starts.
I think that I read that R.A.Dickey has 5 complete games this year which leads the N.L . Only Detroit’s Justin Verlander has more with 6 complete games
The perfect game guys Matt Cain and Felix Hernandez each had only 2 of these including their perfecto’s
NOW THAT IS AMAZING!
Not much mention of the Ruggiano misplay in CF which killed the chance to gun down Bay at the plate and keep the game even. Instead 2 runs scored to give the Mets the win. Nice clutch hit by Shoppach, but it was the Marlins’ implosion with the Ruggiano miscue that was the difference maker. Rather than a great win by the Mets, it was more a self-inlicted loss by the Fish.
But, hey, at least FOR ONCE, it was the OTHER team self inflicting a loss on themselves rather than the Mets!
LGM!
That ball call by the ump on a perfect strike to Torres was also very key. That walk set everything up for Shoppach. Chalk one up for the good guys.
You know a lot of people Jumped on the Blame the Spending game when the Marlins collapsed but the truth is the players might have been winners if they had a better manager!
Ozzy was the wrong guy to manage that team….
Nice start by Hefner who has made now 9 starts on the season and the majority of them he has given the Mets a good start. He’s had like 3 bad starts this season.
The pitch, the pitch, it is part of game; how many times have I seen the same pitch called the same for a Mets pitcher and then the game gets away from them.
The fact that Marlins pitcher still could of gotten out of it by getting Shoppach out is on him, not umpire.
Living here in Florida, I am forced to watch their broadcast team and they just are such homers and after the game all they talked about was the “pitch” failing to mention the base runners that were allowed or the fact that Shoppach could of been gotten out also; almost as bad as listening to Dibble in Washington before his departure.
Great win and great come back, kudos to Terry Collins.