In 2023, my baseball highlight was probably not shared by anyone else in the world. During the World Baseball Classic, GB had made an array of infield misplays, so Nick Ward’s pick at first base to save two runs and keep Great Britain’s lead intact against Columbia was heart-stopping sport. You probably had to be there, and very fortunately, I was.
By contrast, my 2024 highlight will be shared by many, especially Brits, especially Mets fans, and especially those who attended the games in London.
Quick reminder: Mets played the Phillies over two days in June 2024. Philadelphia, top of the NL East with a stonking 17½ game lead over the woeful Mets, easily won the first game. In Game 2, in front of 55,000 at the London Stadium, the Mets extinguished the Phillies early 3-0 lead to make it more of a competitive tie, only to fall behind again to a home run from David Dahl. Let’s be honest, not many of us in the stadium knew that David Dahl was in the bigs, much the less on the Phillies.
Fast forward to the ninth inning with the Mets still trailing, and I committed a sin that still makes me cringe today. My brother, a recent convert to the religion of baseball, had a train to catch. I suggested he leave before the ninth started to avoid the crowds, with the confident exclamation, “The Mets aren’t coming back in this one.”
And then we witnessed one of the greatest ninth innings that any of us had ever seen in person. Mark Vientos drove in Tyrone Taylor to level the score, and then, with the bases loaded, the Mets’ best player, Francisco Lindor, came to the plate. Anticipation levels were ratcheted up, but the Puerto Rican superstar struck out swinging. Typical Mets! They lure you in and then let you down.
With the bases still loaded, Pete Alonso, one of the most prolific home run sluggers of the last few years, was next up. With his future with New York unsettled, a homer in front of the Mets’ biggest crowd since 2012 [citation needed] would show Steve Cohen what he was letting go. Instead of a home run into West Ham’s stands, Alonso took a Jose Alvarado pitch on his thigh, allowing Jeff McNeil to walk in the go-ahead run.
Then, Alvarado, who had only allowed four earned runs in his previous 28 appearances, fired wide of the plate, crossing up JT Realmuto and allowing Jose Iglesias to run home to increase the score to 6-4.
With some Phillies big hitters coming up in the bottom of the ninth, this was no time for faint hearts.
Someone needed to get on base to ensure that the London crowd saw Bryce Harper bat one more time. And surprisingly, that person was the light-hitting Cristian Pache. An excellent centre fielder, Pache has never hit in the majors, as his .275 slugging percentage affirms, but his line drive was exactly the start to the inning that the Phillies needed.
Since the start of 2022, only Aaron Judge had more home runs than Kyle Schwarber, but with the opportunity to tie the game, the Phillies leadoff hitter popped up for the first out of the inning.
Mets pitcher Reed Garrett hit JT Realmuto to put runners at first and second, bringing the potential game-winning run to the plate. Cometh the moment, cometh the man, but this time Bryce Harper couldn’t produce the Hollywood storyline of the previous day. Although, his line drive loaded the bases to maintain the pressure on New York.
Bottom of the ninth inning, one out, Mets up by two, Phillies with the bases loaded. This is why baseball is the best.
Drew Smith, who had been brought on to face Harper, walked Alec Bohm to take the score to 5-6. Still bottom of the ninth, one out, Mets now only up by one, and the bases still loaded. Breathe Gav, breathe.
And so to my highlight of the 2024 season.
Nick Castellanos found himself in an unfavourable 0-2 count, but the Phillies fans in London were louder than at any time during the weekend. On the third pitch, Castellanos chopped the ball into the ground just in front of homeplate. Garrett Stubbs, on as pinch runner for Realmuto headed home. Luis Torrens, playing only his sixth game in a Mets uniform, was the clearest thinker of the 55,000 in the former Olympic Stadium. He scampered to corral the ball and quickly stepped back on the plate to get Stubbs, who was still two metres from home. Torrens launched the ball just before getting flattened by Stubbs. Pete Alonso, arguably the worst defensive first baseman in the league, safely doubled up Castellanos in a bang-bang play.
Momentarily, no one was sure exactly what had happened. It was only later that we discovered it was the first ever game-ending, 2-3 ground-ball double play in history.
I’m not sure my brother will ever forgive me.
Featured image of Alex Bierens de Haan
Article by Gav Tramps. Want to share your baseball opinion with a Bat Flips & Nerds audience of 10,000+? Click on the “Write for us” link above.
