The Mets won the ballgame Wednesday night, 4-3, but that’s really just semantics.
Try this one on for size:
The Mets didn’t lose the ballgame, 4-3.
Yeah. This wasn’t exactly one that would’ve made those old Tom Emanski baseball videos, let’s put it that way.
For six innings, it was a beautiful pitcher’s duel, one sure-fire Hall of Famer (Justin Verlander) and one might-be Hall of Famer (Gerrit Cole) going punch-for-punch, each one surrendering a run, both of them looking terrific.
After that?
Well. Let’s just take a good look at what happened once the grown-ups were removed from the game.
Let’s just take a look at the seventh inning.
Let’s take a look at how the Mets begged the Yankees to throw a few more spadefuls of dirt on them in the top half. First-and-second, one out in a 1-1 game, Jeff Brigham induced Isiah Kiner-Falafa to bounce to short.
No way they get a double play there.
Francisco Lindor fielded it cleanly, tossed to Jeff McNeil.
McNeil should’ve eaten the ball.
McNeil didn’t eat the ball.
McNeil threw to first base, a bit wide.
Mark Vientos, playing first, needed to come off the base, or at the least knock the ball down.
Vientos didn’t come off the base.
Vientos didn’t knock the ball down.
The ball squeezed past Vientos, Josh Donaldson came lumbering home, and the Yankees led 2-1.
The Yankees fans in the sellout crowd of 44,121 let out a roar that was soon overtaken by a Mets-fan groan.
Brigham came out.
Brooks Raley came in.
IKF, realizing the Mets were on their heels, stole second, and had it stolen.
Francisco Alvarez should’ve eaten the ball.
He didn’t eat the ball.
He threw it into center field, and IKF reached third. Right away, IKF looked frisky.
Eduardo Escobar was playing off the bag. Raley was in a full windup.
No kidding, for a second, Kiner-Falafa danced like Jackie Robinson used to dance before stealing home. And holy cow, no kidding, here IKF came.
Raley sure seemed to know he was had. It sure seemed like he was trying to hit Billy McKinney to try and make the play dead.
He didn’t.
Citi was as still as a morgue, as if even the Yankees fans were too embarrassed to cheer. It was 3-1.
Oh, lord. The Mets.
Except the Yankees were in a generous mood.
Jimmy Cordero loaded the bases, and Aaron Boone summoned Ron Marinaccio.
Marinaccio hit Brandon Nimmo on the elbow with a pitch. It was 3-2.
Then, Marinaccio threw three straight balls to Starling Marte. He threw a strike. Then, Marte sizzled a base hit to right field.
The tying run scored. Joey Cora, for some reason, held up Vientos, but Nimmo didn’t see that until he was halfway to third.
He scampered back.
He was called out.
The Mets challenged.
He was still out.
It was 3-3.
Who knew Nike had started developing clown shoes with spikes, in both navy blue and royal blue?
Nimmo was allowed to redeem himself in the 10th inning, and he lofted a ball over Jake Bauers’ head in right (Boone had summoned lefty Nick Ramirez even though Nimmo was hitting .337 against lefties, one final coup de grace).
The Mets walked off the field with four runs.
The Yankees walked off with three.
They’re in no mood to wait around for style points.
On this night, that was a good thing.