Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning, Mets fans!
The Dodgers are headed to the NLCS to take on the Braves after winning a nail-biter Thursday night over the Giants, 2-1. The game ended on a questionable check swing from old friend Wilmer Flores, with Max Scherzer recording the save.
Game 1 of the NLCS begins on Saturday at 8:07 p.m. on TBS.
Today, Game 1 of the ALCS will be played between the Red Sox and Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Framber Valdez will get the start for the Astros, while the Red Sox have yet to announce a starting pitcher for the game. First pitch is at 8:07 p.m. on FOX.
Latest Mets News
According to several sources, the Mets are interesting in bringing back utility infielder Jonathan Villar. The sources also say that Villar is interested in returning to the club. It has been reported that the two sides are working on an extension. Villar signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Mets this season and played well, hitting .248 with 18 home runs and 42 RBIs. He played solid defensively as well, playing third base, shortstop and second base over 142 games for the Amazins’ in 2021.
Latest MLB News
The Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt on Thursday. In a surprising move, Shildt’s tenure with the team ends after three and a half seasons. The Cardinals finished the season with a 90-72 record and played in the Wild Card game this past week against the Dodgers. They lost the contest 3-1 to get eliminated from the playoffs. Cardinals president John Mozeliak said that philosophical differences was the reason for the firing.
The Yankees made a plethora of coaching changes on Thursday. The club did not renew the contract of third base coach Phil Nevin. Nevin had been with the team since the 2018 season and was recently the subject of controversy when he sent home Aaron Judge, who got thrown out trying to score during last week’s Wild Card game against the Boston Red Sox. Nevin wasn’t alone. The club also announced that hitting coach Marcus Thames and assistant hitting coach PJ Piliterre would not return for the 2021 season. Piliterre had been with the organization since the 2004 season, in a variety of roles. Thames had been the hitting coach for the club since the 2016 season.
The Yankees finished the season with a record 92-70 and lost to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card game. The club has yet to announce the status of manager Aaron Boone, whose contract with the team expires after the World Series.
Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger wrote a piece that was published in The Athletic on Thursday. Haniger examined the Mariners 2021 season in which the club finished just a game shy of making the playoffs. He also spoke about the ups and downs in his career and spoke about how optimistic he is about the future of the ballclub.
Astros shortstop Carlos Correra is a free agent at the end of the 2021 season and there will be several teams who are interested in his services. One of those teams may be the Chicago Cubs, who had their eyes on him in the draft nine years ago. Gordon Whittenmeyer discusses how the team and players paths may cross again in the off-season.
On the field, Trey Mancini’s 2021 season was almost perfect. Off the field however, Mancini’s road wasn’t so smooth. Dan Connolly of The Athletic writes about the scare the Orioles outfielder had back in June. Mancini is telling his story to help other people battling cancer.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the eight finalists for the 2022 Ford C. Frick Award. It’s an annual award given for broadcasting excellence. The eight finalists are Pat Flanagan, Jack Graney, Waite Hoyt, France Laux, Rosey Rowswell, Hal Totten, Ty Tyson and Bert Wilson.
Latest on MMO
Francisco Lindor‘s 2021 season was one that did not go as planned for the superstar shortstop. Matt Musico explains it’s not the only time that a young star came to the Mets and had a tough go of it at first. He also explains how it worked out okay for Carlos Beltran.
Austin Simmons gives out his 2021 Report Card on Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman.
On This Date in Mets History
One of the most iconic catches in Mets history occurred on this date in 1969. On October 15, 1969, the Mets and Orioles squared off in Game 4 of the 1969 World Series. Tom Seaver got the ball for the Amazins’ and was spectacular.
The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run by Donn Clendenon. Seaver would hold the lead until the ninth inning when the Orioles threatened. Back-to-back singles by Boog Powell and Frank Robinson put runners on first and third with one out for Brooks Robinson. That’s when ‘the catch’ occurred. Robinson hit a sinking line drive to right field and Mets outfielder Ron Swoboda tried to make a play. That’s when Swoboda, running to his right, leaped forward and made a spectacular catch, robbing Robinson of extra bases.
The Orioles would tie the game on the catch, as Frank Robinson came home to score the tying run on a sacrifice fly, but it could have been much worse. The Swoboda catch helped Seaver escape trouble in the ninth. The game would move to extra innings where the Mets would win in the 10th inning to take a 3-1 series lead.
The most memorable game in Mets postseason history occurred on this date in 1986. It was Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, when the Mets defeated the Houston Astros to advance to the franchise’s third ever World Series. The game lasted four hours and 46 minutes, marking the longest post-season game up until that point. It was a 16-inning marathon that started as a 3-0 Astros lead in the ninth inning. The Mets would score three runs in the ninth on a rally started by Lenny Dykstra and Ray Knight. They would take a 7-4 lead in the 16th inning but the Astros scored two runs to pull the game within a run before Jesse Orosco struck out Kevin Bass to end the game.
The Mets advanced to the NLCS on this date in 2015. Leading the NLDS two games to one, the Mets had young Jacob deGrom take the hill. The Dodgers jumped out to an early 2-1 lead in the first but the Mets tied the game in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Travis d’Arnaud. Then in the sixth inning, Daniel Murphy hit a solo home run to give the Amazins’ a 3-2 lead. That was all the Mets needed. DeGrom was brilliant after the first inning and Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia came in in relief and shut down the Dodgers offense the next three innings, not allowing a hit. Familia struck out Howie Kendrick to end the game and advance the Mets to the NLCS.
Birthdays: Lou Klimchock (82)
Let’s go Mets!
