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Spoilerfest

I'm interrupting this Mike Piazza tribute just briefly here to reflect on the similarities between these last two Mets games against the Phillies, and two contests of a similar nature against the 2004 Cubs.

To briefly refresh the memory, the Mets wrecked the Cubs postseason chances last season with two rather bizarre wins. In the first, they rallied from a three-run late-inning deficit with a rookie (Craig Brazell) striking the decisive blow (a walk-off home run, no less). In the second, they won a torture-filled 3-2 game against an ace pitcher (Kerry Wood) and their opponent failed to cash in on numerous scoring opportunities. The Cubs were riding a wave of momentum entering the series, but fell apart immediately afterward and failed to make the postseason.

In 2005, the Mets wrecked (perhaps) the Phillies postseason chances with two rather bizarre wins. In the first, they rallied from a three-run, late-inning deficit with a rookie (Mike Jacobs) striking the decisive blow. In the second, they won a torture-filled, 3-2 game against the Phillies ace (Jon Lieber) as their opponent failed to cash in on numerous scoring opportunities. The Phillies were riding a wave of momentum entering the series...

All that was missing was the cry of anguish from Ron Santo.

Baseball is a funny game. History tends to repeat itself and an awareness of such helps to heighten the enjoyment of the best sport in the world. That's one of the reasons why we're here.
Thanks for reading and indulging.

True Metties know... These last two Phillies losses are also reminiscent of the near-collapse of the 1999 Mets. Tuesday's game was quite similar in nature to another 3-2 game (amazing the scores always turn out the same) in which the Phillies completed a sweep of the Mets on the second-to-last Sunday of the season. The Mets wasted multiple scoring opportunities in a torturefest that ended when Rickey Henderson grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the 9th inning. The Mets recovered and made the postseason. The Phillies might recover and turn out like the 1999 Mets. Or they might falter and turn into the 2004 Cubs. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.
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