Mets survive to battle on vs. Dodgers: ‘Going to win the next two’
NEW YORK — New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz didn’t hesitate.
He didn’t try to couch his sentiments.
If the bravado becomes bulletin board material, so be it.
“We are,’ Diaz flatly said after getting the final six outs Friday, ‘going to win the next two games.’
“We can beat them. We can do this.’
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
Maybe it wasn’t Joe Namath back in 1969 guaranteeing the Jets would win the Super Bowl, but in this day and age, where everyone tries to be closely guarded, it’s as close as it can come.
The Mets, who appeared left for dead when they took the field facing elimination, instead got up and pounded the Los Angeles Dodgers into submission, writing another chapter in this Cinderella season.
“It wouldn’t be us if we didn’t win this way,’ Mets DH J.D. Martinez told USA TODAY Sports as he packed his suitcase. ‘We’ve been doing it like this all year. Why stop now?’
The Mets, shut out twice in this series, slammed the Dodgers, 12-6, scoring the second-most runs in franchise postseason history in front of their sellout crowd of 43,841, believing they can pull off the stunning comeback.
“We were trying to beat on that dam until it finally breaks,’ Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo said, “and it finally broke tonight.’
The Mets still trail the Dodgers 3-2 in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, with the next two games at Dodger Stadium beginning Sunday evening.
The 2003 Miami Marlins are the lone team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NLCS by winning the final two games on the road, beating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in a series made famous by Cubs fan Steve Bartman.
Still, the Mets believe, maybe even now more than ever.
“Why not us?’ Nimmo said. “We’ve been playing with our backs against the wall all year, and we’ve been able to rise to the occasion. Some might even say we’re at our best at that time.
“If any team can do it, we can do it.’
Who can blame the Mets for being giddy?
This is a team that became the first not to strike out in a postseason game since the Los Angeles Angels in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series.
“This is insane,’ said Mets DH Jesse Winker, who also hit his first triple in four years. “I still can’t wrap my head around that. … This is the era of the strikeout. To do that is special.
“We have a special lineup. We had a really good game plan tonight. We had our backs pushed against the wall. We knew we had to something special. We know we’re going to have to continue to do some special stuff.
“And I believe we can do it.’
Everywhere you turned in the Mets clubhouse, there was a hero, and confidence.
First baseman Pete Alonso, who may have played his final game at Citi Field in a Mets uniform, got it started launching a three-run, 432-foot homer in the first inning on Dodger starter Jack Flaherty’s 85-mph slider that was barely a foot off the ground.
“Honestly, it’s unexplainable,’ Alonso said. “It’s the magic of the postseason … I mean, I didn’t really realize how low the pitch was.’’
Then again, as Alonso’s teammates gushed, it’s the Polar Bear. They wouldn’t expect anything less.
“For the rest of us mortals, we fly out,’ Nimmo said. “But for him, it’s just an absolute bomb. So you know, normal Pete.’
There was young catcher Francisco Alvarez, who had been hitting .158 this postseason without an extra-base hit or an RBI. He hit a double in his first at-bat, singled and drove in a run in his next two at-bats, and thanked teammate Starling Marte afterwards for giving him a pep talk.
“I think the biggest difference has been his confidence,’ Marte said. “He’s the type of player that you can say something to and he’ll put it into practice.’
Says Mets manager Carlos Mendoza: “I know when you’re struggling, you’ve got a lot of people in your ears and you need to do this, need to do that. Especially this time of the year, the simple the better. That’s what he did.
“I know it’s easy for me to sit here and say it, but he’s also doing it. He’s a really good player. I’ve been saying it. And he’s showing it right now.’
Marte provided plenty of damage himself in the Mets’ 14-hit, 22-baserunner attack. He went 4-for-5 with three doubles and three RBI, becoming the first Met to produce three doubles in a postseason game.
“I can go 0-for-5 and it doesn’t matter,’’ Marte said. “As long as I’m giving my 100%, the team’s producing. It’s definitely exciting. As long as I’m on base, I feel like we can have success.’
And, of course, shortstop Francisco Lindor was in the middle of the action once again. The Mets’ leadoff hitter went 2-for-4, reached base three times, scored two runs, and drove in another. Lindor is the straw that stirs the Mets’ drink. The Mets go as Lindor goes.
He opened the game with a single. He hit a run-scoring triple in the third.
“We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now,’’ Lindor said. “We know what we’re capable of doing.’’
Now, the Mets are off to Los Angeles and a Game 6. They’ll have their best pitcher, Sean Manaea on the mound. The Dodgers will go with a bullpen game. The last time they matched up that way in Game 2, the Mets walked away with a 7-3 victory. If it gets to Game 7, with Luis Severino facing Dodgers starter Walker Buehler, anything can happen.
“You just learn to not panic,’ Nimmo said. “If you’re new here, then you can definitely start to panic and start to change things. But we’ve had success focusing on the process for four or five months now, and it’s not the time to change it.
“We can do this.’
The Mets have proven it all year, so why stop now?
“If you don’t believe, you shouldn’t be here,’ Lindor said. “We have to believe.’
Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
