The sellout crowd was alive and electric for the Mets’ first National League Championship Series game at Citi Field in nearly a decade.
But sadly, the Mets couldn’t come close to rewarding the house electricity.
For once this October, they failed to match the moment.
This magical, masterful team that’s delivered several thrilling endings and rewritten many unhappy scripts (and game columns) couldn’t get it done for once.
For once, there was no fantastic finish.
There were no heroics by the home team.
The Dodgers were the team with the late fireworks this time. A majestic home run by international superstar Shohei Ohtani well over the right-field foul pole and just fair (this was the right call, but once again that pole needs to be higher!) and another by Max Muncy in the final couple innings gave the celebrated Dodgers an 8-0 victory and quieted a clearly crestfallen crowd.
Someone near the press box screamed late, “Wake the [bleep] up.” We expect just that, starting Thursday in Game 4.
The team from Queens is down, but we know better than to count them out, of course. They’re down two games to one in this megamarket, high-rated NLCS. But comebacks are their game, as we’ve seen time and again in this rocking October.
“We’ve got to come out and play the game the right way,” Francisco Lindor said. “Today we made more mistakes than they did. If we limit our mistakes, we put ourselves in good position. They played the game better than us. They executed with people on base. They played good defense. [But] I still feel very confident.”
These Mets performed their stunning recoveries over the last few weeks against some of the very best in their league, beating the Braves, the Brewers and Phillies — now all gone from this derby. Now they will have to do it against a team filled with players who deserve their own tributes on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.
If anyone can do it, it’s these Mets.
“We got beat nine nothing the first game and we came back and won Game 2. I don’t see any reason why we can’t do that tomorrow,” Mets reliever Reed Garrett said. “I think everyone believes in ourselves and wants to go out and compete and I think that’s what we’re going to get [Thursday].”
Really, it’s surprising now when this club doesn’t get it done. Which is exactly what happened in the first NLCS game here since the days of David Wright and Daniel Murphy. The sellout crowd of 43,883, which braved the October cold deserved better after the near-decade wait.
Fans were primed for the big night that never came. The Mets called upon Doc and Darryl for the first ball ceremony, which was a nice touch, and they got the crowd revved up with “Let’s Go Mets!” chants. They kept it clean, which was nice, too.
The environment was all energy. The offense never fired, however.
The Mets best plays were made on defense, which prevented L.A. from piling on. The Mets made two highlight-reel plays — one sliding, diving catch by Tyrone Taylor that was reminiscent of the great Tommie Agee play in the 1969 World Series — that momentarily excited the crowd. But they never sparked a lineup that generated little against previously slumping Dodgers starter Walker Buehler and their vaunted, excellent relief corps.
While the Mets made a couple special defensive plays (Lindor executed a wonderful backhand scoop on a hot Mookie Betts grounder), the Mets also gift-wrapped two runs early, as some unintentional little ball by the Dodgers resulted in an undeserved lead in the second inning.
Three makeable plays that weren’t made led to the damage. OMG was that ever bad.
“When you’re giving a team like this extra outs, they’re going to make you pay,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
An ill-advised, errant throw to second base by struggling catcher Francisco Alvarez that was both weak and late after he fielded a swinging 10-foot “bunt” set up L.A., which bizarrely benefited from two grounders directly back to Mets starter Luis Severino, a decorated fielder. Severino bobbled the first one long enough to lose a chance to get the lead runner at second much less a potential double play, then misplayed the second for a hit. Severino is a Gold Glove finalist but didn’t field like it.
Taylor, an underrated hero in this run of magic, then emulated Agee, and made a sliding catch on a bid for an extra-base hit and a couple RBIs by Tommy Edman on the warning track in right-center field. The play was actually Agee plus (except it didn’t come in a win, or in the World Series).
The Mets’ best chance came in the bottom of that fateful second inning. After Alvarez struck out with the bases loaded and one out (one of his three whiffs), the crowd was alive with anticipation when Lindor came up next. “M-V-P,” they chanted. Lindor, though, whiffed on a gutsy 3-and-2 breaking ball from Buehler, ending the threat.
It was that kind of night.
