There’s no denying the New York Mets have dug themselves into a huge hole, but doesn’t mean they can’t climb out of it, despite the long odds against them. The Mets said confidently on Twitter yesterday that despite the 0-2 hole they are not giving up.
I wouldn’t expect it any other way from a team whose foundation this year was resiliency. Would you?
Through injuries, suspensions, losing streaks, innings limits, bullpen lapses and hitting slumps the Mets have found their way to Game 3 of the World Series. Any of us would have signed up for being in a 0-2 hole in the Series at the start of the season.
However, the mistake is thinking of this as a 0-2 hole. The Series is tied is the message manager Terry Collins must give his team. Before the Mets can win the World Series, they must first win a game.
I don’t want to hear about how Noah Syndergaard’s future is going to be great, not one Mets fan I know disputes that. But the only thing I care about right now is Syndergaard being great on Friday night at a sold-out, electric Citi Field.
No holding back on the heat, and no holding back on the A-Game as Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom reportedly did in Games 1 and 2. Do what got you here and bring it.
And, let’s not worry about sending an inexperienced Steven Matz out for Game 4. That game doesn’t exist. The only thing that matters is Game 3.
I covered arguably the greatest collapse in baseball history, the Yankees blowing a 3-0 lead in the Championship Series to the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Players from that Boston team said they never looked at the hole they were in, but only worried about that day’s game. That was the only thing that mattered. As long as they won that day, they were fine.
That’s the attitude the Mets had in 1986, when they lost the first two games to the Red Sox – at home – yet came back to win the whole thing. Of course, several things had to happen – “the ball gets by Buckner’’ – but before the miracles happened, they had to claw back into the Series. Baby steps.
The percentages say different, but remember, in 2004, NO team ever came back from down three games to win. That’s why they play the games. The beauty of sports is you never know what can happen.
The Mets have the right guy on the mound tonight. Thor’s been scintillating in the postseason and is oozing with confidence. With some modest run support a win tonight should be a cinch.
The Series is not over until one team wins four games, which hasn’t happened yet. Can the Mets win four of six games? Damn straight they can, but before they do, they must win tonight.
That’s the only game that matters.
