In the fourth inning, Neil Walker ripped what appeared to be a double down the first base line. Or was it? No one quite knew initially as the first base umpire, Crew Chief Tom Hallion, failed to make the call.
He didn’t make the call because, as he was trying to get out of the way of the ball, he didn’t get to see where the ball landed. He looked to the homeplate umpire, Adam Hamari, to see if he saw where the ball landed. As Walker was rounding first and heading to second, Hallion got the call from Hamari. It was a foul ball. This call was made as a result of two umpires conferring with one another while the play was happening.
It’s strange that Hallion conferred with another umpire on the play because according to him, calls need to be made immediately regardless of whether or not they are the right call.
You see, when Hallion was questioned post-game about Hamari’s quick ejection of Noah Syndergaard, he said, “We have to make a snap decision. We can’t think about, ok, well this guy did this or he did that in game six of whatever. We don’t have enough time to think that way.” (Adam Rubin, ESPN). It’s absurd.
When Syndergaard threw behind Utley, the umpires had three choices: (1) eject Syndergaard; (2) issue a warning to both teams; or (3) do nothing. No matter what the decision the umpires make, it’s going to impact the game. Doing nothing invites the Dodgers to retaliate. Issuing a warning may cause the pitchers to be skittish scout throwing inside. Ejecting Syndergaard would have a profound impact on that game that would seriously alter the Mets chances of winning the game.
Now, if you’re going to make a decision that could have a profound impact on the game, shouldn’t a discussion, no matter how brief, take place? There was time. It was a dead ball. No one was on base. Keep in mind, this is the same crew that just one inning later CONFERRED DURING A PLAY! It’s irrational and inconsistent to say a snap decision needs to be made when there’s a dead ball but you can take your time while there is a play happening.
In the end, they should endeavor to get the calls correct. That includes ejections. Not every ejection requires umpires to confer. Arguing balls and strikes, cursing at an umpire, or making contact with an umpire is grounds for immediate ejection. However, ejecting Syndergaard wasn’t automatic. It was a judgment call. It was a judgment call that not only had an impact on this game, but also the Mets bullpen for the next few games.
The umpires took time to get the Walker call right. They also should’ve taken the time to get the Syndergaard call right. They didn’t, and they made a bad decision because throwing out a player requires a snap decision whereas judging whether a ball is fair or foul requires time.
Once again, Major League Baseball showed its umpires are terrible:
That’s right. Noah Syndergaard got tossed for that. No warnings. Nothing. The umpire went from zero to ejection. Best part? It was a minor league umpire:
Adam Hamari, the ejector of Syndergaard, is listed as a "Minor League Call-Up Umpire" in MLB's 2016 Umpire Media Guide.
— Tim Heiman (@TimHeiman) May 29, 2016
Anytime you can have a minor league umpire behind home plate for a nationally televised game, you gave to do it, right? It’s always a good thing to have a minor league umpire effectively decide the outcome of a major league game. At least Terry Collins came out and got his money’s worth before getting ejected:
Retaliation? Noah Syndergaard threw behind Chase Utley & was ejected.
Terry Collins was livid & got tossed too.https://t.co/LqL4Qax0YS
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 29, 2016
Believe it or not the rest of the game ensued after that #umpshow.
It should come as no surprise that with an injured David Wright (didn’t start due to neck issues which may or may not be related to the spinal stenosis) and the Mets ace being ejected, the Mets were behind the eight ball. It’s not that Mets fans accept a loss, it’s just that they would’ve understood at least until Chase Utley homered off of Logan Verrett in the sixth to break the 0-0 tie.
He then hit a grand slam off of Hansel Robles the following inning after Antonio Bastardo loaded the bases with only one out to make it 6-0.
Now, normally, when you get buzzed, you’re uncomfortable at the plate. Not Utley. Why? BECAUSE THE UMPIRES PROTECTED UTLEY! Because the umpires announced the Mets were not allowed to pitch him inside lest they be ejected. It was a joke. But hey, he wasn’t suspended or even called out when he broke another player’s leg for a clearly illegal play:
The Mets lost 9-1. The entire night was ruined.
It was supposed to be a night when the fans celebrated the greatness of the 1986 Mets. It was supposed to be a night where we remembered their swagger and how they always won the battle whether we were referring to the game or the brawl. That wasn’t what happened tonight.
Instead, we were left with the same bitter taste in our mouths that we had in 1988.
The only thing that will make me angrier about the ejection and the final score will be when that hack Joe Torre suspends or fines Syndergaard.
Game Notes: The Mets had a funny take on the Thor pitch:
The ball gets away from @Noahsyndergaard, he is asked to leave. @lverrett4 will enter with one out in the 3rd. #Mets pic.twitter.com/SFmeM3hv5M
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 29, 2016
In what was presumably a cost-cutting measure, the Mets released Ruben Tejada during Spring Training. As a result, the Mets started the season with Eric Campbell on the Opening Day roster and suspect organizational depth behind him.
When Lucas Duda went down with a stress fracture in his low back, the Mets depth issues were exposed. Campbell has started in 14 of the Mets past 18 games. He’s hitting .182 on the season. The only reason why he’s playing every day is because Wilmer Flores is on the DL and the Mets other two options, Matt Reynolds and Ty Kelly, are even more underwhelming than Campbell. The Mets needs to get better and soon.
The obvious, and most likely answer, is Flores, once he comes off the DL. Assuming he does turn around his thus far disappointing season and take over the first base job in Duda’s absence, the Mets still need to replace his role as super sub. The Mets still need someone who can play semi-regularly at third when David Wright sits. Campbell, Reynolds, and Kelly are not the answer. None of them are capable major league starters. None of them are as good as Tejada.
As per ESPN’s Mark Saxson, Tejada was designated for assignment by the Cardinals giving them 10 days to trade him, release him, put him on waivers, or outright him to the minors (which he could refuse). Therefore, there’s a 10 day window (or more) where Tejada is available. The Mets should re-acquire him.
If Tejada were to come back, the Mets bench would be drastically improved. In his last two years with the Mets, he averaged 118 games while hitting .249/.340/.330. He played second, third, and short. While working with Kevin Long last year, he hit .287/.362/.362 in the second half. He wrestled the starting shortstop position away from Flores, the same Flores the Mets are relying upon heavily this year.
This year, the Mets don’t need Tejada to take over the shortstop position. Instead, the Mets need to strengthen their bench with capable major league players. The only obstacle to adding Tejada would be money, and at the prorated amount of $1.5 million, which was half of the contract the Mets had tendered him, money shouldn’t be an obstacle. No, there are no reasonable excuses for the Mets to pass on Tejada.
Tejada will soon need a place to play, and the Mets need major league players. The Mets should bring back Tejada.
In many ways, there’s a cognitive dissonance between honoring the 1986 World Series Champions and celebrating them.
The honoring part is easy. These are the players I grew up adoring. My Dad got me hooked on the Mets by using my love of strawberry ice cream. He kept telling me about this Darryl Strawberry kid coming to the majors as if I knew what the minor leagues were. When Strawberry first came up in 1983, he took me to Shea Stadium for my first game. Strawberry became my first favorite player.
As I got a little older, I became a huge Gary Carter fan. He’s one of the reasons why I wanted to become a catcher. The other was my father and uncles assured me it was a great path to the majors. Even with that, Carter was the reason I wanted to wear the number 8. I idolized him. I idolized everyone on that 1986 team growing up. Honoring them comes easy.
Celebrating doesn’t.
I don’t celebrate the 1986 season for the same reason I don’t celebrate the 1969 season – I was too young. On October 27, 1986, I was only six years old. Now, we can all remember parts of our youth from when we were six. However, there is no way I can recall the 1986 season or the postseason. Looking back on it, my lone memory was the Buckner play. It was my first ever “where were you?” moment.
The answer was in my parent’s basement attending my aunt’s engagement party. I was sitting on my future uncle’s (or future former uncle’s) sister’s lap. My little brother was next to me. Both families were watching on one of those 14″ televisions with the old rabbit ears.
I remember how quiet everything was. I then remember the tension of the moment. I remember the ball going through Bill Buckner‘s legs. I remember everyone going crazy. I remember sharing my tee ball wisdom with my Dad about how a ball shouldn’t do through your legs if you use two hands. That’s it. I remember nothing before, and I don’t remember Game 7. In fact, I have no vivid baseball memories until the 1988 NLCS. Coincidentally, Game 3, the game Jay Howell was ejected for using pine tar, was the same day as the aforementioned aunt’s bridal shower.
Accordingly, it’s difficult for me to celebrate that team, that championship. I had just one fleeting moment amongst well over 175 moments. I had no real attachments to that team. I had just one moment.
I’ll always honor that team as all Meys fans will. They were the greatest Mets team of my lifetime. It was a team full of players I grew up watching and idolizing as only a little boy can. Celebrating them is the hard part. For the most part, 1986 isn’t part of my story as a fan, at least for the most part. When I cheer, I’m cheering the story, not the experience.
I look forward to seeing those players greet the fans tonight. They deserve each and every cheer and accolade that comes their way. It all makes me wish I was a part of it in some small way.
So far, Chase Utley is 5-16 with two walks, three runs, two doubles, one homerun, and four RBI. It’s one thing not to exact revenge, it’s a whole other to let him be this comfortable at the plate. The last double was a bases clearing double off of Jeurys Familia, who was in in a non-save situation, turning a 5-1 easy win for Jacob deGrom and the Mets and turning it into a frustrating 5-5 game. It was annoying. It was aggravating. It was the perfect theater for Curtis Granderson:
The Grandy Man can … and did. https://t.co/T1F9f5V9Wk #Walkoffhttps://t.co/aqzN95mxph
— MLB (@MLB) May 28, 2016
Granderson took the second pitch of the ninth inning and hit a walk off homerun giving the Mets a 6-5 win.
Granderson needed it. He’s been having a rough May. He had been 0-3 with three strikeouts and one walk before the game winning at bat. In fact, Granderson started his night striking out against Dodgers 19 year old phenom Julio Urias.
Fortunately for the Mets, it was downhill from there for Urias. Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker doubled off of him. Juan Lagares had a two RBI single making it a 3-0 game before Urias could even blink. Urias threw 35 pitches against eight Mets batters in the first. His final line was 2.2 innings, five hits, three earned, four walks, and three strikeouts. He left due to a mixture of his pitch count and his effectiveness.
Urias was bested by deGrom. On the night deGrom pitched seven innings allowing only three hits, one earned, and three walks with seven strikeouts. His velocity was back in the early innings, but it faded in the later innings. The only two blips on the radar for him was his making his first career error in the third followed by Chase Utley not literally sacrificing himself. It was a sacrifice fly, not a sacrifice to appease Mets fans.
deGrom wasn’t the only Met who had a good night. Lagares went 3-4 with one run, three RBI, and one homerun. The homerun was an opposite field shot off righty to boot.
Speaking of homeruns, David Wright homered in his third consecutive game. His homerun was a vintage David Wright shot to right center. Speaking of vintage, the Mets delivered tonight while wearing the 86 racing stripe jerseys as the Mets celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the 1986 World Series Champions.
The Mets win tonight, absent failing to plunk Utley, was a nice homage to that team. An even better one was the Mets moving into first place in the NL East (tied with the Nationals).
Game Notes: It was the second walk-off homerun of Granderson’s career. Cabrera made a decent play in the field
This weekend the Mets are set to honor the 86 Mets as it is the 30th Anniversary of their incredible World Series championship. Can you name every player who appeared in at least one game for the 86 Mets? Good luck!
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Dark Knight emerged as not only the protector of Gotham, but also as a figure that gave people hope. After eliminating Gotham of the evils of villains like Ra’s al Ghul, the Falcone crime family, and the Joker, the Dark Knight found his body weary from the constant battles. He took a back seat as other emerged, Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent, to fight the good fight.
A new villain emerged that neither Gordon, Dent, or really anyone could handle. Bane. Initially, the Dark Knight sought to take on Bane in his own. He was a shell of himself. Bane quickly dispatched of him while breaking his back in the process. The Dark Knight is then left battered and beaten in the Pit prison. No one ever escapes this Pit. In reality, once you’re here, you’re gone forever. It seems like the Dark Knight we all knew and loved was gone forever.
Instead, he chose to fight on. He got stronger. He did the impossible and made his way out of the Pit and back to Gotham. Some of his old friends were gone, but he still had Gordon. He also had John Blake and Selina Kyle. They fought back, and against all odds, they were victorious. The Dark Knight had returned just when Gotham needed it most.
Looking at all of this, yes, Matt Harvey is the Dark Knight.
In 2013, Harvey arrived and gave us all hope that the Mets could win another World Series. In 2015, he pushed his body to the limits no one has ever pushed themselves post-Tommy John surgery. He, along with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Jeurys Familia, pitched the Mets into the World Series.
Whether it was the innings, the bladder problems, or his dietary issues, Harvey isn’t the same. This year he’s 3-7 with a 6.08 ERA and a 1.688 WHIP. He’s getting beat up by hitters, the media, and his Captain. Harvey seems broken. He appears to be at the bottom of a Pit that he has no means to escape.
Harvey can and will fight back as only the true Dark Knight can. In the interim, deGrom and Syndergaard will continue the good fight. They’re now joined by Steven Matz. In the end, we know the Mets will be victorious. We know Harvey will once again be Harvey. Just remember how this script goes. In the end . . .
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!
Last year during the Matt Harvey drama over his agent’s push for the Mets to adhere to the supposed agreed upon innings limits, Harvey was put in a tough spot, and he didn’t handle it well. He certainly wasn’t helped by his Captain, David Wright. Wright responded to the drama publicly snubbing Harvey.
Harvey made a massive and inexcusable mistake by missing the last practice before the beginning of the NLDS. Wright responded to the situation by saying he was only concerned with the Mets who were at practice.
During Spring Training, when Harvey was going through some serious medical issues. The end result was Harvey was alright, and he was the subject to unnecessary ridicule. Harvey responded with a media boycott. In response to the situation, Wright cracked jokes with the media about the boycott.
Harvey just had another misstep with the media and his teammates. After another bad start, Harvey bolted leaving his teammates to face to media. It’s one thing to boycott the media after unnecessary and unfair coverage. It’s a whole other thing to not to speak to the media leaving your teammates to answer for your problems. Kevin Plawecki was left to answer the same questions he’s been answering after every Harvey start he’s caught. Unfortunately, Plawecki was seemingly the only guy left to answer questions about Harvey’s start.
Wright has now spoken up about Harvey’s most recent behavior. As he told Mike Puma of the New York Post, “A lot of us don’t agree with what he did, but we all take this game personally, and when we don’t play at the level we’re accustomed to, sometimes we make decisions we regret.”
Wright noted Harvey wasn’t accountable saying, “All of us like coming in here and talking when we have a good games, and a few of us, myself included, enjoy coming in here and talking when we don’t play well. Accountability is big and I think [Harvey] just had a bit of a lapse in judgment.”
Wright further elaborated on these comments by saying, “Him, the stature he’s built, the last thing you want . . . you want to be known as an accountable player. You want to be a stand-up guy, and this is a little blip on the radar screen. Hopefully, we all learn from it and don’t make the same mistake again.”
Wright’s comments are understandable. It’s apparent Harvey’s teammates were irked by his actions. He broke a code, and he put his teammates in a very difficult spot. There’s no excusing what Harvey did. With that said, Wright broke the code as well. He went public with his criticism of a teammate. Yes, his comments were relatively mild. However, he did call Harvey out in the media instead of keeping it in the clubhouse. Perhaps, it was because Harvey wasn’t in the clubhouse.
Through the past year, Harvey has seemed like he’s been a difficult teammate. That must be really frustrating for an old school player like Wright. It must be doubly frustrating for a player like Wright who was showed how to comport himself as a professional on and off the field by great teammates and people like Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran. It’s no wonder Wright has allowed this frustrations with Harvey to come out in the media.
It’s reminiscent of how cold Derek Jeter acted towards Alex Rodriguez. Jeter never came to A-Rod’s aide the way he did other teammates. The classic example given was how Jeter implored Yankee fans to stop booing Jason Giambi, but he wouldn’t extend the same courtesy to A-Rod. When it came to A-Rod, he suggested that even he, Derek Jeter, couldn’t control the fans reaction. Jeter had a chance to make things easier for A-Rod publicly like he once did with Giambi. For reasons we are all still not fully aware, Jeter chose to leave A-Rod out to dry.
It’s how Wright has been with Harvey over the past year. Wright hasn’t been as public with criticism of his other teammates. Perhaps it’s because the other Mets players don’t create the same attention Harvey does. Perhaps it’s because the other Mets players do not act the way Harvey does on and off the field. Whatever the case, Wright has been harder on Harvey than anyone else (with the possible exception of Jenrry Mejia). Whatever the case may be Wright has reacted towards Harvey the way Jeter reacted towards A-Rod.
It’s pretty ironic. Harvey grew up wanting to be Jeter. Instead he’s A-Rod, and he’s receiving the Jeter treatment.
Dario Alvarez we hardly knew ye. Due to necessary roster machinations due a number of Mets injuries, including but not limited to Lucas Duda‘s stress fracture, Alvarez was put on waivers to make room for Ty Kelly. On Wednesday, Alvarez was claimed by the Braves.
Alvarez’s line highlight was in his first game last year. On September 7th, the Mets were four games up in the division with a three game set in Washington. The Mets and Nationals were tied 5-5 in the sixth inning, and soon to be named MVP Bryce Harper stepped to the plate. Terry Collins summoned Alvarez. Alvarez battled back from a 3-0 count to strike out Harper. When the Mets scored three in the top of the seventh, Alvarez would earn his first career win.
After the Mets had gone through Jerry Blevins (injury), Josh Edgin (injury), Jack Leathersich (Wally Backmaned), Alex Torres (terrible), and Eric O’Flaherty (words cannot describe how bad he was), it seemed like the Mets finally found their LOOGY. It turns out they didn’t. Alvarez hurt his groin soon thereafter. He tried to come back, but he wasn’t effective. The Mets went to Jon Niese for the postseason.
Coming into this season, Alvarez wasn’t given much of a chance to make the team. Blevins was brought back on a one year, and Antonio Bastardo was signed to a two year deal. With Edgin’s impending return from Tommy John surgery, Alvarez was once again buried on the depth chart. Unfortunately, exposing him to waivers made sense. That still doesn’t mean the Mets won’t miss him. He was further buried last year, and he still made an impact.
It’s impressive Alvarez even got that far. He was a failed Phillies prospect who was released in 2009. Four years later, the Mets signed him to a minor league deal, and he reported to Brooklyn. Alvarez quickly worked his way through the the Mets minor league system. He was mostly powered by a very good slider. However, he could never quite break through and make the Mets roster.
Now, he’s the Braves property, and he’s reported to AAA. Hopefully, he will get his chance soon. He’s earned it.
Yesterday into this morning, the sky was falling after another bad start by Matt Harvey and his refusal to speak with the media. The Mets lost a game to the Nationals and dropped a game in the standings. The world was coming to an end. With that in the backdrop, David Wright came up to bat in the first, and did this:
That was all the help Steven Matz needed. He utterly and completely dominated the Nationals in winning his seventh straight start. At one point, he retired 16 in a row. He only had two 2-0 accounts. He got a huge out by retiring Bryce Harper as the tying run in the eight. His final line was eight innings, four hits, no runs, one walk, and seven strikeouts.
Matz has lowered his ERA from a gawdy 37.80 in his first start to 2.36. Since that nightmare first start, he has gone 7-0 with a 1.13 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. He’s clearly the early favorite in the Rookie of the Year voting. He’s also due consideration for the All Star Game and even the Cy Young Award.
Matz wasn’t the only young Met who had a big day. Matt Reynolds got his first big league hit in the fifth. He scored his first big league run in the seventh off of a Rene Rivera RBI single. The inning was set up by a Daniel Murphy error on what should have been an inning ending double play off the bat of Eric Campbell. The ball went right through Murphy’s wickets and the Mets lived to put up another run on the board. Reynolds would finish the day 1-3 with a run and a walk. Rivera would finish the game 1-3 with an RBI. He would also throw out Michael Taylor in the third.
The Nationals would rally in the ninth putting the first two on against Jeurys Familia. Famila bore down and got the next three outs to preserve the 2-0 win. Familia is now a perfect 16/16 in save attempts this year.
Overall, this was just a terrific win by the Mets. They came into Washington and took 2/3 from the Nationals. They evened the season series at 3-3. They’re now only a half game behind the Nationals for the division. The Mets are in for a dog fight for the division, and they have showed they’re up for the fight. This is going to be a fun run this year.
Game Notes: Reynolds was pressed into action as Asdrubal Cabrera left the game with a stiff back after the top of the first. Cabrera was technically in the game despite not having had an at bat or taking the field by his being in the starting lineup.