Someone tell Mohser he whines like a baby who lost his rattle. This is baseball. If you want to take out the second baseman to break up a double-play, go for it, just make sure you can stay on second--unlike Utley. And if you want to pitch inside, go for it, just make sure you don't hit the batter, like Mohser is threatening his teammate will do.
Can't wait for tonights game , METS will have their game face on and so will the Royals , Fans will be out of control and Cit field will shake with every pitch .
Mets in 2015 are following the 86 Mets as they lose by 1 in first game , lose by 6 in the second game , win by 6 in the third game now on to game 4 .
LETS GO METS !!!!!!
Mets in 2015 are following the 86 Mets as they lose by 1 in first game , lose by 6 in the second game , win by 6 in the third game now on to game 4 .
LETS GO METS !!!!!!
When the power went out on Fox TV for a few minutes, I turned on the radio and left it on for the whole game. I wasn't going to take a chance of missing something.
Then I noticed the delay in the broadcasting of the game on Fox. It was a delay of several seconds.
I continued to listen to the radio while watching the game. It was kind of crazy, hearing what happened and then seeing it happen. I don't know what to make out of it, but the Mets won, so I will probably stick to it.
Then I noticed the delay in the broadcasting of the game on Fox. It was a delay of several seconds.
I continued to listen to the radio while watching the game. It was kind of crazy, hearing what happened and then seeing it happen. I don't know what to make out of it, but the Mets won, so I will probably stick to it.
OK, I'm a Giants fan, so I don't really care that much who wins this series, but I'm also a fan of the game and I like seeing it played the right way. That first pitch? Loved it.
So the pitch at Escobar's head was intentional after all.
Typical NYr's behavior. Big surprise . . .
Typical NYr's behavior. Big surprise . . .
Thor should not be eligible to pitch in the World Series. Eligibility should be restricted to mortals only. His first pitch was more obscene than 111 West 57th Street. What's a king to a god?
One pitch can turn around a series. Syndergaard's pitch was purposeful but would not have hit Escobar even without the duck and sprawl. That one pitch motivated the Mets and kept the Royals from digging in a little-- i.e., it served its purpose. We now have a series- Let's Go Mets.
The only HBP in the box score was the Mets' Flores by the Royals' Morales.
The Royals have been throwing high and tight at Daniel Murphy all series. Syndergaard throws high and tight at Escobar then he puts on an Oscar-winning performance about it?
Sorry, KC, but if you dish it out you shouldn't whine when it comes back at you!
The Royals have been throwing high and tight at Daniel Murphy all series. Syndergaard throws high and tight at Escobar then he puts on an Oscar-winning performance about it?
Sorry, KC, but if you dish it out you shouldn't whine when it comes back at you!
For the past year, the Mets resurgence has been led by it’s starting pitchers…the “guts” of the team…led first by Matt Harvey, and perhaps later in the year by Jacob DeGrom. Noah Syndergaard seemed to be the kid in the background. But as this incredible year has progressed, it’s starting to look like “Thor” may just have taken over that role. It has been obvious for the past month or two he has matured well past his 23 years in his pitching skills. Last night though it was his message pitch to Escobar, his cool demeanor, grace and toughness under pressure, the way he handled the media after the game, not to mention his key base-hit preceding Grandersen’s home run, that made his performance so very, very, impressive. Hoping Matz watched closely, and can follow his lead tonite..LETS GO METS !!
George Brett must have thought "deja vu" on seeing the opening brush back pitch. After the Phillies put one under his chin in the 1985 world series, the Royals went down meekly. Bob Gibson might think, "about time."
1
That would have been 1980 WS. Cardinals were in 1985.
Quote from my friend Danny in Toronto: Syndergaard and d’Arnaud. Both should have been Blue Jays, but Anthopoulos traded them away. Sad, sad, sad.
Abo, poor soul. Moral duty to root for the Royals? If the Mets had jawed at the Royals for the high and tight pitches to Murphy, would you have felt the same imperative? Either you have been a fan of baseball for a very short time and have never seen a 'purpose pitch', or you were already predisposed to root for the Royals. A pitch that came nowhere near hitting the batter is hardly reason for your outrage.
5
Unless, of course, it was a Royals pitcher doing it to a Met. Then the whole NY media world's head would explode about those "dirty Royals".
What a bunch of hypocrites . . .
What a bunch of hypocrites . . .
When you’re a Met,
You’re a Met all the way
From your first cigarette
To your last dyin’ day.
You’re a Met all the way
From your first cigarette
To your last dyin’ day.
7
Its all about the narratives. Geez. Its about time the Mets get some respect. Lets go Mets. Wonderful game last night. This city is shining Blue and Orange. On to game FOUR New York!!
Oh, the wondrous Metropolitans! Be brave, be well, be strong... and let's win this damn thing!
1
Amen !!!
Throwing high and tight has been part of baseball forever. Who can forget Clemens deliberately beaning Mike Piazza? Syndergaard didn't hit Escobar, clearly the ball got away from him and went higher and tighter than he intended and I didn't see the umpire issue a warning. The Royals may be furious but the only batter hit by a pitch last night was a Met--and it nearly took out his knee.
Do the Royals think they're entitled to hanging curve balls and fastballs out over the plate?
Do the Royals think they're entitled to hanging curve balls and fastballs out over the plate?
1
Nope.
Can't wait til Chris Young brushes Wright's chin tonight, while Wright lurches backwards to the ground like Escobar, but then severely strains that horrible neck injury he has battled this year and is out for the remainder of the Series. You all will squeal like pigs stuck under a fence. I would bet my life on it, NY.
Karma baby. Here it comes.
Can't wait til Chris Young brushes Wright's chin tonight, while Wright lurches backwards to the ground like Escobar, but then severely strains that horrible neck injury he has battled this year and is out for the remainder of the Series. You all will squeal like pigs stuck under a fence. I would bet my life on it, NY.
Karma baby. Here it comes.
Mets in 7 , LETS GO METS !!!
1
I'm not a Mets fan, but the boo-hoo over the pitch is ridiculous. Mets didn't invent the high, tight brush-back pitch. Grow up!
5
Syndegard stroking that single was big, for several reasons, IMO.
4
This is a great WS.
I'm surprised at all the comments regarding the first pitch of the game, especially the negative comments. This is baseball and this is how it is played. There were so many dramatic moments in the game that the readers should be focusing on and not a clean knock down pitch that wasn't even that close to the batter. How about the fact that the Royals took two leads in the game and blew both of them. How about that the clean-fielding Royals finally showed they were human too. The other "Michael" if he is a life-long baseball fan should know better and "Abo" is given a pass because he/she is from Paris and clearly does not know baseball. This is turning into a great World Series - enjoy it and don't whine about nonsense.
6
The Royals didn't "win" the first 2 games as much as the Mets "lost" then through poor playing (and poor management who left out of shape pitchers in too long) ..
2
I love the aggressive baseball tactics Noah employed. It's old school, Bob Gibson style baseball. He wasn't trying to hit anyone. Trust me, a major league pitcher with that skill set can hit anyone he wants to whenever he wants to. If you have doubts about that, check out the next pitches thrown to Escobar. No, I say bravo. Let's Go Mets.
15
In Game 4, we must out-Matz the Royals. By the way, the Royals have no business getting up in arms about a brush-back. I developed a dislike for Ned Yost and his team last year when they did some tacky stuff in the post-season. I remember the Royals starting a first inning with their lead-off hitter calling for time at the last second, not once but twice in the same at-bat. They wanted to throw a tough opposing starter off his rhythm. There was some other nonsense from them in that game like running into an infielder on purpose. I'm not sure what it was, but they played kind of dirty. Bush League.
5
It was sweet indeed to see David Wright's swinging retort to the commentator's remarks about his bad back and age. I think that blast infused the Mets with greater confidence at the plate. I'm a disappointed Yankee fan but my Met fan friends tell me the food and the quality of play is better at Citi Field and they were so right this season. Go Mets!
6
This piece is great as far as it goes, it seems willfully blind to Mr. Murphy's in your face homophobic comments. His sincere religious beliefs are wonderful for him, but the way he applies to them to families such as mine are abominable. He is a complex person, but this article leaves out a major aspect of that complexity and whitewashes him.
2
I was at games 3, 4, and 5 of the playoffs against Houston, and 1 and 7 of the World Series. Nothing, nothing came easy. The Mets did not have a lead in the postseason at home until the 7th inning of Game 7. After the regular season dominance, I remember exhaustion, turning back after the tollbooths on the GW Bridge as Game 7 was cancelled (the Jets were having a nice though ultimately heartbreaking run too, and I had come from the Meadowlands), and utter relief as they shut down Boston in the 9th of Game 7. Utter relief.
1
I saw game 7, Giants stadium, Giants against either Wash or San Fran, I believe. Seemed like every fourth person had brought a portable tv; antennas were EVERYWHERE. Cheers going up throughout the stadium -- while the Giants were in a huddle. Quite the spectacle.
First of all that first pitch was not that close--look at the replay. Second of all it's hardball/baseball. And third of all, Lets Go Mets!
13
Moral duty everywhere. Met psychology ruled. Royal psychology stumbled.
Neither infield holds well under pressure. Weak up the middle and first. Catcher so so.
New York lives for and loves the Mets. This will matter Sunday. Should be 43 and clear, cold for fielders, good for sluggers.
Favors Mets. Two run odds.
Neither infield holds well under pressure. Weak up the middle and first. Catcher so so.
New York lives for and loves the Mets. This will matter Sunday. Should be 43 and clear, cold for fielders, good for sluggers.
Favors Mets. Two run odds.
1
Escobar, Zobrist, Hosmer, and Perez weak or so so ? This is just silly. Two of the 4 got gold gloves this year and Escobar should have gotten one.
Catcher so-so? Are you talking about the Met's catcher or both?
The Royals' Perez is the best there is in MLB, bar none. He can throw runners out from his knees. I have seen him do it several times. Cannon of an arm. How many MLB catchers can do that? None! The guy is as big as an NFL linebacker but catches with the agility of a wide receiver. Catches everything thrown his way. Routinely calls for a slider into the dirt and even brushes his glove on the ground at point behind the plate where he wants the pitch to land. He knows the batters who will chase those. How many catchers CALL for a pitch into the dirt? None! He is a Gold Glove winner two years in a row and about to grab his third. He also hit a career high for home runs in a season.
Just making sure we are on the same page about the Catcher(s). Otherwise your opinion is only 50% right . . . as in "so-so".
The Royals' Perez is the best there is in MLB, bar none. He can throw runners out from his knees. I have seen him do it several times. Cannon of an arm. How many MLB catchers can do that? None! The guy is as big as an NFL linebacker but catches with the agility of a wide receiver. Catches everything thrown his way. Routinely calls for a slider into the dirt and even brushes his glove on the ground at point behind the plate where he wants the pitch to land. He knows the batters who will chase those. How many catchers CALL for a pitch into the dirt? None! He is a Gold Glove winner two years in a row and about to grab his third. He also hit a career high for home runs in a season.
Just making sure we are on the same page about the Catcher(s). Otherwise your opinion is only 50% right . . . as in "so-so".
This is going to be a great Series to watch. The difference will be whether the Mets can find a way to scratch out a win on the road.
All this sniveling g about head hunting is ridiculous. Go watch some footage of Drysdale, Gibson, Ryan and even Pedro. The only difference would have been that one of them would have done it earlier in the series and it would have been even closer. Last night's pitch would have missed Escobar by a good 6-8" even if he hadn't moved. I'm a Yankee and American League fan, but the Mets played the game the right way last night.
15
Brushing a hot batter back off the plate was done all the time during the golden age of baseball. Hell, I use to do it from little league up through high school.
Now they have to play nice,nice with each other. Tell that to bob Gibson
Or sandy Koufax an the other great pitchers of years by gone.
Now they have to play nice,nice with each other. Tell that to bob Gibson
Or sandy Koufax an the other great pitchers of years by gone.
11
When are the Fox announcers going to be outed for their partisan, and even incompetent job in this Series? In the middle of a Mets double play, they persisted with an interview with The Royals' manager, as if nothing had happened! This has been typical of them since the Series began. Throw out the bums!
15
Don't worry, KC fans as saying the same thing.
As a neutral guy who just likes good baseball, so far I'm leaning toward Granderson for the great-performance-going-under-the-radar prize.
Then there's Hosmer, the likely "winner" of the get-back-to-basics-on-defense "award." For the most part, the Royals have bailed EH out every time he does a boner in the field, but really, did he never learn getting in front of a ground ball isn't optional when you have the time to do so?
Meanwhile, Escobar and Zobrist are running circles around Flores and Murphy in the middle of the infield. That could end up being how this Series is decided.
Then there's Hosmer, the likely "winner" of the get-back-to-basics-on-defense "award." For the most part, the Royals have bailed EH out every time he does a boner in the field, but really, did he never learn getting in front of a ground ball isn't optional when you have the time to do so?
Meanwhile, Escobar and Zobrist are running circles around Flores and Murphy in the middle of the infield. That could end up being how this Series is decided.
1
Escobar thought it was a bad plan. Because it worked.
13
Actually, it wasn't as effective as everyone is stating. Three runs, 100 + pitches in 6 innings, barely making it in the 6th. One hit in the 6th would have done it, but a nice play by Flores saved a 5-5 tie with Morales up next.
What worked was the Mets hitting. Ventura would have been better off hitting Thor on his first at-bat and getting booted. I don't advocate that type of plan, personally, but that is the typical response.
What worked was the Mets hitting. Ventura would have been better off hitting Thor on his first at-bat and getting booted. I don't advocate that type of plan, personally, but that is the typical response.
And you will find it a bad plan when it backfires on your team . . .
That first ptch was classic baseball. The Royals started the season fighting everyone and now they can't take a little heat themselves. Abo - you've been watching to much soccer. this baseball - a true mano a mano sport - and the answer is to hit the enxt pitch 400 feet. anything else is whining.
7
The Royals fought in April for good reason. Other teams were trying to intimidate them since they were the reigning champs. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/k-zone/article1993200...
This time they didn't retaliate because you don't want a suspension in the WS. If it were April, Thor would have been buzzed or plunked on his first at-bat. However, if game 5 or 6 provides an opportunity in a blow out, I would suspect the Mets, particularly their pitchers, will be plunked. Isn't that how it works?
This time they didn't retaliate because you don't want a suspension in the WS. If it were April, Thor would have been buzzed or plunked on his first at-bat. However, if game 5 or 6 provides an opportunity in a blow out, I would suspect the Mets, particularly their pitchers, will be plunked. Isn't that how it works?
I was born & raised in KC and lived there during the glory days of Brett, Wilson & MacRae - so even though I've been a Californian for over 30 years, I still root for the old home team. But I have to agree with the other commenters who are tiring of the sports talking heads all but crowning the Royals champions and regarding them as the most feared hitting lineup since the 1927 Yankees. I realize that's their job - but anyone who's followed both teams this season knows that these are two evenly matched clubs who can string together wins. I wasn't "happy" that the Mets won tonight, but considering all the friends I have in New York who haven't had a lot to cheer about - I am happy that we have a real series on our hands. Game seven anyone? Go Royals!
2
This idea that Thor had a better game than Harvey is a little weak.
The only difference was run support.
Sure he looked great in innings 3-5, but Harvey gave up the same amount of runs with fewer baserunners.
Honestly, without that tag out at 3rd, his line would look just like deGrom's.
The only difference was run support.
Sure he looked great in innings 3-5, but Harvey gave up the same amount of runs with fewer baserunners.
Honestly, without that tag out at 3rd, his line would look just like deGrom's.
I thought it was interesting that Syndergaard took complete responsibility for that first pitch. That pitch had to have been discussed beforehand. This has been done by many pitchers, some of them in the Hall of Fame. I was surprised that the benches did not empty like they have in previous years i.e. Clemens/Piazza. I congratulate the Royals on not retaliating.
There's a big difference.
Clemens threw a pitch that hit Piazza in the head and certainly looked deliberate.
Syndergaard threw a pitch that was clearly intended to miss Escobar and did miss him. As so many commenters here have pointed out, that's a longstanding pitcher's tactic and an accepted part of the game. Of course he takes responsibility for it - there was nothing wrong with it.
Clemens threw a pitch that hit Piazza in the head and certainly looked deliberate.
Syndergaard threw a pitch that was clearly intended to miss Escobar and did miss him. As so many commenters here have pointed out, that's a longstanding pitcher's tactic and an accepted part of the game. Of course he takes responsibility for it - there was nothing wrong with it.
One game and 'There Back in it.' They have to win today too, or there back 'out of it'. The reality of a 2 down start. The best approach to winning a game is psychology. Look at it this way, if they don't win today, they will have to win 3 games in succession. If they do win, then they'll be back in it. Media can and does affect the psychology of the game.
As a lifelong Mets fan, and still amazed by 1986 World Series, I am firmly in the Mets corner.
However, I am just as firmly against head shots, which the Met's pitcher took at opening last evening. Statistics and probability of pitcher control, and, the high speed of pitches, make head shots by pitchers deadly and potentially seriously injurious, and, last night fully intentional.
Brain injury is not a joke anymore to laugh away. A 97 mph baseball bouncing off a forehead or cheek or helmet is deadly and dangerous.
A pitcher throwing a head shot should be thrown out of the game.
Tom Seaver never pitched a head shot in his life. He did not need to.
Weak pitchers should not be allowed to throw head shots to destabilize the other team against their weak pitching. Throw the pitcher out of the game if his throw is so unstable as to zoom at a head.
Let's not support possible brain injury as a strategy to win. Let's support baseball.
However, I am just as firmly against head shots, which the Met's pitcher took at opening last evening. Statistics and probability of pitcher control, and, the high speed of pitches, make head shots by pitchers deadly and potentially seriously injurious, and, last night fully intentional.
Brain injury is not a joke anymore to laugh away. A 97 mph baseball bouncing off a forehead or cheek or helmet is deadly and dangerous.
A pitcher throwing a head shot should be thrown out of the game.
Tom Seaver never pitched a head shot in his life. He did not need to.
Weak pitchers should not be allowed to throw head shots to destabilize the other team against their weak pitching. Throw the pitcher out of the game if his throw is so unstable as to zoom at a head.
Let's not support possible brain injury as a strategy to win. Let's support baseball.
2
Are you really suggesting that throughout his entire career Tom Seaver never brushed anyone back? Never protected the plate, with that rising fast ball of his? Never retaliated against, say, the Cardinals when he was pitching against Bob Gibson? Really?
Good for you Michael. As a Royals fan, after reading the many comments of Met's fans saying "this is part of the game", several thoughts came to mind.
First, in the third week of the season, the Royals were involved in several confrontations and the baseball world - including the media - declared them "bullies". Wow. Critics sitting way up in the cheap seats spouting off, not knowing all of the facts. In the first 12 game of the season, the Royals were on a tear. So their batters were either hit or brushed back at three times the rate as every other team. Coincidence?
Moreover, Alex Rio's finger was broken on a dirty inside pitch. He was out for three months. Escobar was the recipient of an intentional slide by Lawrie of the A's. He was out for two weeks. The result? Retaliation by the Royals. Our boys had had enough. But then we are labeled bullies?
Second, what if Ventura had retaliated against Wright, he re-injured his neck falling backwards to the ground, and was out of the remainder of the WS?
Never thought about that, did you Met's fans? Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Karma is a "B" . . .
Thanks Michael for having the courage to admit this kind of behavior serves no purpose in sports. Or elsewhere. Snydergaard should have been sitting in the clubhouse with no outs in the game. Case closed.
First, in the third week of the season, the Royals were involved in several confrontations and the baseball world - including the media - declared them "bullies". Wow. Critics sitting way up in the cheap seats spouting off, not knowing all of the facts. In the first 12 game of the season, the Royals were on a tear. So their batters were either hit or brushed back at three times the rate as every other team. Coincidence?
Moreover, Alex Rio's finger was broken on a dirty inside pitch. He was out for three months. Escobar was the recipient of an intentional slide by Lawrie of the A's. He was out for two weeks. The result? Retaliation by the Royals. Our boys had had enough. But then we are labeled bullies?
Second, what if Ventura had retaliated against Wright, he re-injured his neck falling backwards to the ground, and was out of the remainder of the WS?
Never thought about that, did you Met's fans? Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Karma is a "B" . . .
Thanks Michael for having the courage to admit this kind of behavior serves no purpose in sports. Or elsewhere. Snydergaard should have been sitting in the clubhouse with no outs in the game. Case closed.
The NY fans still believe in this team. Let's go Mets!
7
It's a moral duty now to root for the Royals. Syndergaard should have been ejected after that first pitch.
Incredible the NYT glorifies what is a dangerous and, to the victim, potentially career-ending act.
Incredible the NYT glorifies what is a dangerous and, to the victim, potentially career-ending act.
10
It's a tried and true tradition and tactic. The Mets had to push Escobar back off the plate and Syndergaard did that with his first pitch. Dangerous? Sure.
Let's be clear. The pitch was high and tight. He wasn't trying to hit him, only send a message. It was received.
That's baseball.
Let's be clear. The pitch was high and tight. He wasn't trying to hit him, only send a message. It was received.
That's baseball.
4
At least he had to go stand at the plate himself afterward. That's what's wrong with the American league.
11
Baseball pitchers have been pitching inside for generations. KC should consider themselves fortunate that Bob Gibson wasn't on the hill last night. They'd have all been eating dirt.
7
I have total respect for the Royals, but until tonight this had been a miserable series to watch as a Mets fan because of the constant and singular media drumbeat of praise for the Royals hitting -- always making contact, only three swings and misses, no swinging strikeouts, blah blah blah. It was a coronation until tonight. The fac that the Mets were two outs away from winning game 1, that the Royals apparently indominanle hitting failed to scored until the 14th, and then on an error, and all the other ins and outs of this series had been swept aside for that one story about how they never swing and miss.
There's a lot more going on in this series than had been discussed until tonight, and it can't all be praise for the Royals. The Mets are a good team too, pitching and hitting. They will need all of it to beat this great Royals team, but now this Mets fan is finally having fun.
Play ball!
There's a lot more going on in this series than had been discussed until tonight, and it can't all be praise for the Royals. The Mets are a good team too, pitching and hitting. They will need all of it to beat this great Royals team, but now this Mets fan is finally having fun.
Play ball!
76
Agreed. The Mets could have easily been up 2-1 in games if not for The Cepedes miscue and a rare blown Familia save. Fox's Harold Reynolds even described the Royals as "dominating the Mets from the first pitch of game 1." I've learned to put up with such insights.
1
I can't stand the announcers. Their constant fawning over the Royals is intolerable. Better to turn the sound off and turn the radio on.
15
The Fox media need a narrative and having picked one, they stick to it, just as they do with political reporting. Hopefully, another breakout hitting game for the Mets and that narrative will have to change.
7
Syndergaard was not the first pitcher to throw a fastball high and tight to a batter who was getting too comfortable. That ploy has been established by the likes of Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, among others and many pitchers before the ones I have mentioned. So long as there was no intent to injure or actual injury, I am OK with it. It's baseball, and it was appropriate. On the other hand, a major league fastball can be a very dangerous weapon, so care to avoid a tragic accident is obligatory.
29
Finally someone talks about the facts , the Royals acted like that pitch was meant to kill him for Gods sake , i mean pleaseeeee
It's baseball and has always been a part of the game .
It's baseball and has always been a part of the game .
8
Let me add Don Drysdale and Roger Clemens. Thor doesn't seem like the type to purposely try to hurt someone. And didn't MLB do a wonderful job of making the Chase Utley leg-fracturing slide disappear into the mist? The hearing didn't take place until more than a week after the slide, and we never heard much about the decision. You had to do a lot of googling. There's a youtube video of Utley making an even more malicious slide into a Padres's infielder at second just a month before he hit Tejada. Makes Syndergaard look like Mr. Rogers.
7
It was said that Gibson would throw high and inside at his mother if it would get the out. This is the world series people! The pitcher's job is to keep the batter off base and it's the batter's job to hit the stuffing out of the ball. #LGM
Tonight belonged to the Mets. Maybe it was being back in NY, maybe it was disciplined playing, maybe something else, but the series is still a competition.
17
Oh it feels good to be in love with these adorable Metropolitans.
They can be oh-so magnificent when they want to be.
Excuse me while I pray.
They can be oh-so magnificent when they want to be.
Excuse me while I pray.
41
There are angels in that outfield; Casey, Gil, Bob Murphy, Ralph Kiner, etc...and they'll be in Kansas City next week too.
It isn't that Mets are back in this thing. They never were out.
33
Mets got to win Saturdays game to really get in the Royals head , can't wait for it. If they win tomorrows game i will lose my freaking mind lol.
3