File photo/TheNYExtra.com
The Mets knew when they took the field at Citi they had to win the rubber game of this series with the Marlins and were also aware that Edwin Diaz was activated for this game and could play a major role in the outcome of this contest. Both things came to pass and the Mers left Citi with a huge smile on their faces.
Luis Severino pitched another solid game giving the team six innings of one-run ball keeping the Mets in the game. They plated a run in the 7th inning to cut the deficit to 2-1 and then the trumpets filled the ballpark with the noise of Edwin Diaz strolling to the mound for the ninth inning. He delighted the fans with a 1-2-3 ninth inning showing velocity on the fastball nearly touching 100 miles per hour and the Met crowd was delighted to see that. Little did they know the real drama of the night would come in the bottom half of that frame.
The Amazins got a leadoff walk from Francisco Lindor followed by a stolen base. And with one out, JD Martinez stepped up to the plate crushing a 3-1 pitch over the wall for a walk-off game winning home run. It was the first time in his fabulous career that he had a game-winning walk-off homer which is hard to fathom as the Mets now have 6 walk-off wins which is the most in the major leagues this season.
But more importantly, the Mets got a taste of what a healthy Edwin Diaz could mean in a playoff run as this team now only trails that last NL Wild Card playoff spot by 3 games actually trailing most of teams ahead of them by a mere 1 or 2 games in the loss column.
One of those teams–the San Diego Padres are coming to town this weekend and the Mets look to take the momentum into that series. In the last 19 games, the Mets are 12-7 and have found their offense which is a great sign. Still 7 games under 500 there is so much work to do but the vibe I feel from this team reminds me of 2015 when they began to find that offense right around this time of year that season.
But the guy you feel the best for is Edwin Diaz. I have gotten to know him in the past few seasons and he is an emotional man who cares so much about team wins. And on the night of his return, we saw the pitches we saw 2 years ago. Not just the velocity but the late movement on his pitches and this appearance reminded me so much of his 2022 season. And that may be the biggest part of this night at Citi–seeing the right arm of the best closer in the sport look like we all know it could look.
This could become a night Met fans proudly look back on if a playoff push comes in the next few weeks.
