Miami Nice

Game 6 - Mets

Mets 6, Marlins 5 (11 innings)
Record: 3-3

As Marls texted at 8:10 last night, "Never in doubt."

High drama in Miami last night, the back-and-forth exciting saga of a Vice episode from 1986. As we mentioned here 15-20 years ago, Rob and I spent the summer of 1990 taking summer classes in Williamsburg, makin' it great and delivering pizzas, drinking copious amounts of cheap beer, playing entire seasons of Strat-o-matic, and watching the full run of Miami Vice episodes on the USA network. Those were not dog days, they were salad days.

Last night was that kind of fun. I watched a few innings, had a few beers, went and played some music with a makeshift dad band in town, and came back home to watch the recap of the festive conclusion. 

Clay Holmes -- I'm still workshopping his nickname "Adobe" to little fanfare -- pitched another iffy outing. Twice now he's had trouble finishing the fifth. Perhaps I can be a mentor to him. Speaking of which, the second reliever of the game, A.J. Minter, appeared as though he'd been nipping off a flask in the pen, as he tumbled off the mound for a balk. Sober up, A.J. And give up fewer runs.

So the Mets were down 3 and looking meager against the Marlins. The eighth inning rolled around, and with 2 out and 2 on and 2 balls and 2 strikes, erstwhile Gator athlete Pete "Sonny" Alonso tattooed one into the vegetation beyond the center field wall. 4-4. 

It didn't take very long to revel in the joy that the Polar Bear is still on our team when there were lots of avenues that would have taken him elsewhere. Hell yes.

More drama ensued in the bottom of that frame when an infielded-in (not a term) Brett Baty fired home on a grounder towards second. The throw went to the dark side of the plate as the speedy Xavier Edwards dove in safely. But then the band we were in started playing different tunes! Fortunately, we now have replay. After further review, Luis Torrens made one of the most skillful lean, turn, and tags I've seen in a very long time. 

Kudos to this kick-ass catcher who's been gunning runners and even putting bat to ball. That's condescending, but this is Alvarez's backup pressed into starting duty, and I'm just still stung from Tomás Nido and Omar Narváez.

In extras, Jesse Winker, whose bat-shouldering Marls and I cursed innings before as he was punched out with RISP, took a bases loaded walk to move the Metmen ahead. One Edwards error later, Mets are up 2. Yes!

Enter Danny Boy Young, who, like Mersh, needs to lay off the pipe. He handed the ball to Huascar Brazoban, however, and the door was shut. 6-5. 

Never in doubt. LFGM.

Templeton (and) the Rat

Game 5 - Mets

Marlins 4, Mets 2 
Record: 2-3

Lots to look sideways at on this one, from a pair of rare hands-like-feet moments from Francisco Lindor, to Senga opening his first with the 1-2 punch of 2B-HR, to Polar Pete staying chilly at the plate (.176/.333/.353).

Mostly I'm looking at you, Mark Vientos. 

The young third baseman for the Metmen has been toiling at the dish in the early going (2-for-19 thus far with a .401 OPS), but it was a particular play that rubbed us (us = Keith Hernandez and me, natch) the wrong way. 

With 1 out, top 4, tied at 2, a decently hit grounder to third off Vientos' bat was bobbled and dropped by Graham Pauley. Mark Vientos wouldn't know it until it was too late, because he put his head down and trotted down to first. Out by a half-step. 

Larry?

Lollygagger.

Keith mused that ol' Whitey Herzog would've had a word with Mr. Vientos at some point; a real sore spot with the White Rat. Which made me think, unfairly, of "The Garry Templeton Incident" when Cardinals manager Herzog dragged Templeton into the dugout after a profane flurry aimed at the angry fans, something precipitated at its roots innings prior by the soon-to-be-in-San-Diego shortstop not running out a dropped strikeout.

I remember that story vividly from childhood. A real cautionary tale for a hotheaded kid like... someone else, not me. I was docile. But real the full scoop here, well chronicled here by a St. Louis scribe thrilled with the end result (The Wizard), who says it best here:

Smith, of course, went on to enjoy a Hall of Fame career in St. Louis, where he helped lead the Cardinals to the 1982 World Series championship and National League pennants in 1985 and 1987. He won 11 of his 13 career Gold Gloves and made 14 of his 15 all-star game appearances while wearing the birds on the bat.

Anyway, this is not that. But man, let's see some crazy sprint Mike Piazza in those trips down to first, even the futile ones. 

2-3. Take the rubber match tonight, gents.

Segues

Game 4 - Mets

Mets 10, Marlins 4
Record: 2-2

I always enjoyed the component of the original Misery Loves Company days wherein the last line or two of the prior post is a perfectly correct or incorrect segue to the next. It most frequently resulted in our mantra -- something akin to:

The lesson, as always, is that I am an idiot.

Ah, yes. In our 1,000th post (a solid starter kit for any MLC newbie), we reprinted 11 instances of that refrain, but I'm certain there were many more. Because we were.

Well, as the Metsies entered into this series, I cautioned against relaxing too much in the later innings against the sparky Miami Marlins, they of the standard 7-inning siesta followed by furious fireworks. 

To wit, Met lefty Danny Young walked a man with 2 outs in the 9th, then gave up three consecutive singles before getting Miami CF Derek Hill to chase the would-be Ball 4 and end the game. I was right! These guys were mostly dead fish for 8 innings and then began to rally.

What I didn't foresee, of course, was the Metslaught before then. 10 runs on 11 hits -- including 3 doubles and four homers. The only Met starters not to hit an XBH were Luisangel Acuña and Juan Soto. Yes, I mentioned that the Marlins were slated for languish, but I didn't express much optimism for the Mets contributing to it. Positivity eras take time.

Pete hit a Grand Slam, and Marte and Nimmo added legit dingers. Luis Torrens got himself a bit of a Miami souvenir when Derek Hill gloved his flyball over the centerfield wall. It wasn't Hill's favorite night. And that HR counts all the same.

Fun Facts: the Mets torched Cal Quantrill, son of former Sock Paul. The Marlins lineup (eventually) also featured the son of original Marlin Jeff Conine (Griffin). Both of those dads played on the 2005 Marlins. Neat!

What's Paul Quantrill known for 'round these parts, though? Well, he came up with the Sox in '92. Yeah, yeah... oh, wait...

In the wee hours of Monday morning, October 18, 2004, he served one up that David Ortiz smashed over the right field wall at Fenway to end Game 4 and ensure a Game 5 in the ALCS. 

Ah yes, that's the one.

Stay hot, Metbats. Win the ones you're supposed to win, Play on.