Keidel: Mets Responded, But Now They Must Be There For Matz
By Jason Keidel
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With social media draining what's left of our dwindling attention spans, too many Mets fans were turning in their jerseys after Game 2 of the World Series.
I told you the Mets would win Game 3, and they did. I told you they'd be right back in it, and they are.
Funny how one game changes momentum, mojo and mantras. On Wednesday night all you heard were the doomsday cliches about house money and building blocks and the aggregate wisdom the young Mets aces would gain from losing this Fall Classic. But no one told Thor to surrender. After a haunting start to this pre-Halloween affair, Noah Syndergaard did what Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom could not -- he buckled down and kept a lead. Syndergaard stared 0-3 in the eyes and starred for four shutout innings, when the slumbering Mets lumber finally popped to attention.
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Nothing the Mets have done this season has been conventional, so why start in October? They weren't supposed to beat the Dodgers or the Cubs. So, of course, when they entered the World Series as favorites, they flipped the orthodoxy on its head once again.
Friday night never concerned me. It's Saturday night that should give New Yorkers pause, on Halloween, shoving a neophyte dressed as an ace to the mound under a mountain of pressure.
Starting Steven Matz, who has fewer MLB starts than years on earth, and barely looks old enough to shave or order a beer, is a tough proposition for Mets fans and perhaps a delight to the ornery Royals lineup. If pitchers as poised as Harvey and deGrom couldn't conquer the Royals, it's hard to imagine Matz going seven strong in Game 4.
He doesn't have to, of course, particularly if the Mets bring the same volcanic bats to the plate. Lost in all the pitching failures of Game 1 and 2 is the fact that the Mets were quite soporific in the batter's box. Great pitching doesn't preclude you from hitting; you're allowed to do both in the same game.
It would be nice for Matz to get off to a sublime start in his first World Series start, and it would be even better if the bats staked him to lead.
Funny how all the trolls stayed in their caves on Friday night. Royals fans have the right to pump their chests out a little, they've earned it. But what really chafes this Yankees fan is to see all the ceaseless and classless remarks, monologues, and invectives from Yankees fans.
Considering all the success the Bronx Bombers have had for, say, 90 years, you'd think their fans would flash a little class. No reason you can't step aside for three weeks and just let the Mets have their moment. You don't have to root for them. But if you can't at least be decent, then just shut up.
You're not clever, you're not witty, and you're surely not wanted. No matter what happens over the next week, it's the Mets in the World Series. It's their time and their town. Just deal with it, live with it, or leave it alone.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel
