BRING IT!
Mets hoping to coast in L.A. Yanks host ’Stros in wild card Best playoff coverage in town
TERRY Collins made the promise last September. Sunday he made good on it.
After another disappointing season in 2014, the Mets manager told fans in Queens that he was done asking for their patience. It was time for them to enjoy winning.
And they sure were enjoying it Sunday as Collins led players on a thank-you lap around Citi Field after the Mets concluded their regular season with a 1-0 victory over the Nationals.
“I sat here last (year) and told our fan base that their patience was going to be rewarded; it was time for us to win,” Collins said. “I just wanted to go out and applaud them. I wanted to go around and thank everybody. I wanted them to know I knew they were there, we appreciate their support and promise to show them a good time starting Friday.”
The Mets begin their NLDS series Friday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, with Jacob deGrom on the mound. DeGrom tuned up for that outing with four no-hit innings in Sunday’s finale, with Curtis Granderson providing the only offense with an eighth-inning home run.
The Mets (90-72) snapped a five-game losing streak Sunday and finished with 90 victories, a mark they had not reached since 2006 — and the goal GM Sandy Alderson had set for 2014.
Granderson’s blast — a shot to dead-center for his 26th of the season — was just the second run the Mets had scored in 43 innings. The offense has been alternately explosive and missing, but the pitching has been brilliant.
DeGrom, who struck out seven, finished with 205 strikeouts in 191 innings over 30 starts this season. He became the first Mets pitcher to reach the 200-strikeout milestone since R.A. Dickey, who had 230 in 2012.
“I am excited and honored,” deGrom said of starting Game 1. “I knew today was a tuneup, so I just tried to work on some things and get ready. I think I am.”
Bartolo Colon and Logan Verrett pitched scoreless innings, before the Nationals got their first hit of the day, off Jon Niese in the seventh inning. Clint Robinson’s line drive hit Ruben Tejada’s knee and ricocheted into right field. Addison Reed finished off the seventh and Tyler Clippard pitched a scoreless eighth.
Jeurys Familia picked up his club-record tying 43rd save of the season, matching Armando Benitez’s mark from 2001.
Afterward, Collins finally confirmed that he will go with his three young aces in the first three games of the NLDS with Noah Syndergaard pitching Game 2 and Matt Harvey pitching Game 3. Game 4 is still up in the air, with Steven Matz hoping to prove himself healthy in an Instructional League game Thursday. While Colon could slide into that Game 4 spot, there is also a possibility that deGrom would come back on short rest, if needed. With his limited workload in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, the Mets do not want Harvey pitching on short rest.
“We looked at how pivotal a game the third game can be, that’s pivotal in a five-game series,” Collins said. “We are well aware of Matt’s workload, in the worst-case scenario. If we are down 1-2, we may have to bring Jake back. In Game 5, we may have to bring Noah (Syndergaard) back. You couldn’t do that with Matt.”
Harvey is thrilled to get the assignment at Citi Field. “To be home, playing in front of this crowd, I am excited about that,” Harvey said. “I just hope it’s a clinching game. That would be amazing here.”
The atmosphere was celebratory as Collins walked around Citi Field, David Wright addressed the crowd. The captain told the fans they were the best in baseball and added: “Let’s go beat L.A.”
Now, that would be a promise the Flushing faithful would love to see kept.