The New York Mets are facing a long layoff heading into the World Series after making quick work of sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS.
History wise, teams that face long layoffs usually don’t fare well in the World Series according to a report by Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.
He writes that 6 of the 7 teams that swept the League Championship Series have gone on to lose the World Series. The only team to sweep an LCS and win the World Series were the Atlanta Braves back in 1995.
The Mets will have five days off before Game 1 of the World Series vs the Kansas City Royals next Tuesday. Manager Terry Collins sees the extra rest as an advantage.
“The extra rest we’re going to get right now I think is going to benefit us more than hurt us,” Collins said.
He looked to his mentor Jim Leyland for some advice on the subject. Leyland managed the 2006 and 2012 Tigers who both lost the World Series after long layoffs.
“The general response I got was there’s nothing you can do about it, no matter how hard you try – pipe in loud noise, try to have simulated games,” said Collins.
“Jim told me one time they brought in their instructional league team to play them. And they said guys go through the motions. … You can’t simulate a game. You can’t simulate a game. You can’t simulate 46,000 people in here, the flag-waving, the pressure of 3-2 with the bases loaded. He said, ‘Go about your job and make sure they’re prepared.’ And that’s all you can do.”
The Mets had a voluntary team workout at Citi Field on Friday and only about half of the players attended. On Saturday the workout was mandatory and everyone took part.
Despite what history suggests, Collins believes the long rest will be beneficial to some of the players who are banged up. Cespedes is nursing a sore left shoulder injury that required a cortisone injection on Thursday. Wright and Granderson are also banged up and the starting pitching has been heavily worked. So Collins thinks the long layoff can help them physical wise.
“I don’t know if every team is the same,” said Collins. “We’re going to ride that pitching. And, by the way, our pitching right now can use a blow because we’re pushing them pretty hard.”
Thoughts from Joe D.
Personally, there’s really nothing to see here. It seems as though the media loves to dig up all these crazy theories to suggest the Mets are in trouble and their luck is about to run out. Before the NLDS it was having to face Kershaw and Greinke four times. Then it was the Cubs sweeping us in the regular season. Now it’s the long layoff. The Mets have been bucking all these concocted trends and defying the odds all year, and I see no reason for that to stop now. Mets in five.
