Page 19 - ATD 23OCT,2015
P. 19
SPORTS A19
Friday 23 October 2015
Mets soar into stratosphere on Daniel Murphy’s unearthly bat
BY RONALD BLUM The New York Mets celebrate after Game 4 of the National League baseball championship series on the field in July when he
AP BASEBALL WRITER against the Chicago Cubs Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, in Chicago. The Mets won 8-3 to advance thought he’d been traded
NEW YORK (AP) - In the to the World Series. to Milwaukee, Bartolo Co-
1960s, the idea of the Mets lon’s entertaining at-bats
winning a World Series was Associated Press and behind-the-backflip
as farfetched as man walk- toss and Yoenis Cespedes’
ing on the moon. Just 88 tire major leagues this year the upstarts, first at the Red Sox in 1986, and a Mike stimulating speed and
days after Neil Armstrong came on a ball hit lower. Polo Grounds for their first Piazza-led team lost a five- sock, and the Mets trans-
took his giant leap, the formed from routine to riv-
Amazin’s were champions. “This is special. This is spe- two seasons, then at windy game Subway Series to the eting. “It was a long time
Now Tyler Clippard is con- coming,” said Wright, who
vinced an extraterrestrial cial. I can’t stop saying it,” Shea Stadium from 1964- Yankees in 2000. signed with the Mets as an
has led the Mets back to captain David Wright ex- 2008. Jane Jarvis played Then, after another trough 18-year-old in 2001, made
the Fall Classic. claimed. “The ‘69 Mets, the the organ, Ralph Kiner, Bob that included multimillions his big league debut three
“He’s not human. He’s not years later and was ap-
on this planet right now,” ‘86 Mets, the 2000 Mets - we Murphy and Lindsey Nel- in losses incurred by own- pointed captain in 2013.
Clippard said about Daniel “We’ve been through
Murphy. “Another life form are amongst the best Mets son entertained fans in the ers in the Bernard Madoff some bad times. We’ve
jumped into his body.” teams to ever play, and I broadcast booth, the Rhe- Ponzi scheme, they are been through Septembers
Heading into a World Se- couldn’t be more proud.” ingold jingle played at the back in the Series led by where you’re just play-
ries matchup that opens in New York’s players ar- ballpark and Karl Ehrhardt a brash young pitching ing out the schedule, and
Kansas City or Toronto on that’s no fun. To be able
Tuesday night, it seems as rived back at Citi Field at lauded players with home- staff that includes the Dark to completely reverse that
if it is in the stars whenever 180 and now celebrate
the Mets are successful. 3:30 p.m. Thursday, two made signs from 1964-81. Knight (Matt Harvey), Thor and get the chance to
In 1969, there were hard-to- motorcycle police in front “THERE ARE NO WORDS” (Noah Syndergaard), the go the World Series, I wish I
fathom catches by Tommy and two more behind the was his message after deGrominator (Jacob de- could bottle it up.”
Agee and Ron Swoboda in Terry Collins had not led a
the Series against Baltimore. team’s two buses. Stand- Jones caught the final out Grom) and Steven Matz, a major league team since
Cleon Jones reached first 1999 when was hired be-
base on a hit batsman ing about 150 feet from the against the Orioles. group whose 147 regular- fore the 2011 season. Now
call during a Game 5 rally auto chop shops across the The Tom Seaver-Jerry Koos- season career starts easily 66, the oldest manager in
when manager Gil Hodges street from right field, about man-Gary Gentry Miracle would be the fewest for a the major leagues, he had
showed a ball with shoe 50 fans greeted the team Mets of 1969 morphed into Series foursome, according skippered 1,688 regular-
polish to an umpire. season games before ad-
In 1986, there was Mook- in the parking lot. Tug McGraw’s Ya Gotta to STATS. If the Mets win the vancing to the Series for
ie Wilson’s grounder that the first time.
went through Bill Buckner’s Long the second team in Believe Mets of 1973, who Series, a shampoo endorse- A baseball lifer, he talked
legs at first base to cap a town, the Mets won their lost a seven-game World ment deal for deGrom and about his mother writing
three-run, 10th-inning rally fifth pennant to the Yan- Series against Oakland. Syndergaard seems inevi- a sick note to school for
in Game 6 against Boston him in the fifth grade so
after the Mets were twice kees’ 40. They were nick- After a lean decade, the table. New York already he could watch the 1960
down to their season’s final World Series between Pitts-
strike. named the Amazin’ Mets Doc, Straw, Keith and The promotes deGrom with a burgh and the Yankees.
Now there’s Murphy, who by Casey Stengel, their first Kid team won a seven- HairWeGo hashtag. And Wednesday night’s
has seven home runs in manager, and became game classic against the Add in Wilmer Flores’ crying pennant win came on
nine playoff games, setting what would have been his
a major league record by parents’ 73rd wedding an-
going deep in each of his niversary.
last six. His first-inning home Kismet.
run in Game 2 against the “I’m sitting there tonight
Cubs was on a pitch a Lil- thinking, holy crap, now
liputian 1.064 feet above you’re in it after all these
the ground, according to years,” Collins said. “It was
MLB’s Pitch f/x system. Only worth the wait. It was worth
one home run in the en- all the work.”q
