The new iteration of the Miracle Mets are now just one game away from the first NLCS appearance for the franchise since 2015. Their win in Game 3 of the NLDS Tuesday against the Phillies in Citi Field was a lot more by the book. It was not a miracle. Their fans probably appreciated that they got a break from badly sweating things out and instead were simply the better team, nearly from start to finish, in this 7-2 win. Things did get a little dicey in the eighth, but the Phillies never brought the tying run to the plate in the late frames.
Pete Alonso got the scoring started with an opposite field home run.
He came into the game having had great regular-season success against Phillies starter Aaron Nola. He’d seen him 54 times, hitting .320/.370/.680 with three doubles and five homers.
Alonso ended up taking a walk from Nola in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Mets the bases loaded with nobody out. They were holding a tenuous, 2-0, lead at the time. It ended up being a huge walk by Alonso. Later in the inning, Starling Marte gave the Mets a little extra insurance with a two-RBI single with two outs.
In the seventh inning, Alonso took another walk as part of a rally that plated two runs, this time on a Jose Iglesias single.
It’s interesting here to consider where the Mets came from. Heading into June, they not only looked like a trade deadline seller, but they looked like the biggest seller in baseball. Alonso was going to be on that list as a free-agent-to-be. Marte might’ve been, as he’s only under team control through next season. Who knows with Iglesias, as he’d been in the minors until May 31. Jesse Winker, who hit the home run that made it 2-0, wasn’t on the team.
Sean Manaea, who has a one-year deal with a player option, absolutely would’ve been a trade candidate.
And though Alonso, Marte, Iglesias, Winker and others were valuable in Game 3, the top Mets player in this one was Manaea.
In seven innings of work, the left-handed starter held the powerful Phillies’ offense scoreless. He only gave up three hits and two walks — he did hit two batters, but worked around that traffic. Most importantly, Manaea kept the Phillies off the board through the early innings. The Mets could not afford to dip deep into their bullpen early in the game.
The Phillies were able to rally for two runs in the top of the eighth, but the Mets had a nice enough cushion that the tying run never came to the plate. They had played well enough through seven innings that they could afford the small hiccup.
Plus, they tacked back on in the bottom of the eighth.
In totality, Game 3 was yet another reminder that the Mets are doing special things here in 2024. They had the best record in baseball after June 2, a run during which they dealt with trade rumors and fended them off with their outstanding play. Later, they had to deal with a funky travel schedule the last week of the regular season and were alarmingly close to elimination in Game 3 in Milwaukee last week.
They now have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five NLDS with a home game coming Wednesday. There’ll be no shortage of Grimace, pumpkins and “OMG” references in the crowd. On the field, the Mets will simply look to keep playing the way they have the last four-plus months.
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