Thursday night’s game could not have been scripted any better. The game exemplified the season in every way possible.
They were up, then they were down. They were up again and then they were down again. They though persevered, making way for the most dramatic comeback of the season as they defeated the Phillies by a score of 9-8 in 11 innings.
Asdrubal Cabrera continued his torrid month and a half of baseball with a monster homer to give the Mets a scintillating victory. The team was 0-62 when trailing after eight innings entering Thursday’s game. They are now 1-62.
“As soon as I hit it, I knew the ball was going to be out,” Cabrera said. “I wasn’t thinking to hit a home run. I was thinking ‘make good contact.’” (ESPN)
Over his last seven games, Cabrera has hit to a .360/.484/.760 slash line to go with three homers and seven RBI. The combination of Cabrera and Jose Reyes atop the other has done wonders for this team. Cabrera’s homer was the 22nd of his season and the fourth walk-off of his career.
Reyes has his own heroics Thursday as well, with the team trailing by a score of 6-4 in the ninth. Reyes would mash a homer that would tie the game at six, again when they seemed destined to lose another heartbreaker.
“I don’t remember the last time I was that emotional running the bases,” Reyes said. “When I was running, a lot of stuff went through my head. I put my team in a great position there to tie the ballgame.”
“I never thought I was going to be here doing this. I’m just going to continue to enjoy this and continue to play the best that I can We never give up. We know what kind of talent that we have and we can score some runs one way or the other and that is what happened tonight.” (NY Post)
Cabrera’s game-winning, walk-off home run with the Mets trailing, was the first walk-off homer that gave the team a win after trailing since Lucas Duda did so with a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning on September 27, 2014 vs. Houston. It was also the first such home run for the Mets in extra innings since June 11, 2005 when Cliff Floyd hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning vs. the Angels.
Cabrera stated it best at the conclusion of the game, a quote that resonates to this team’s character.
“We battled every inning,” Cabrera said. “We never put our heads down and I think that was key for us.”
That statement is what has been key for this team the entire season. Through the losses of some of their best players, agonizing defeats, this team has come through with their heads above water. They have stuck together and continue to fight the good fight as they march towards the final days of the season.
The Giants won as well Thursday night, keeping pace with the Mets. The two teams now hold the top two Wild Card spots as the Cardinals, who were idle on Thursday, dropped to a half game back.
