Just when you thought it was safe to count the New York Mets out, they’re very much alive in this thing.
The Mets’ bats woke up Friday night, erupting for nine runs on 12 hits as New York beat the Kansas City Royals 9-3 in Game 3 of the World Series at Citi Field, and they now trail 2-1 with Game 4 coming up Saturday night.
New York came into Game 3 with only seven hits in the last 17 innings. The Mets needed their offense to come alive with Daniel Murphy’s struggles, and they got that with two-run home runs from David Wright and Curtis Granderson.
After falling behind twice in the early innings, New York chased Yordano Ventura out of the game after 3.1 innings and after scoring five runs off the 24-year-old Royals pitcher.
Meanwhile, the Mets got more than enough from young ace Noah Syndergaard, as he went six innings and struck out six while allowing only three runs in his first start in 11 days.
We now know there will be a Game 5. The question becomes, will Kansas City bounce back and take a 3-1 lead, or are we on our way to a best-of-three series heading back to Kauffman Stadium? Here’s the info you need to know for Game 4 and what both teams were saying after Game 3.
Game 4 Info
Where: Citi Field
When: Saturday, Oct. 31
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
TV: Fox
Projected Starters: Chris Young (KC) vs. Steven Matz (NYM)
Game 4 Odds
What Are the Royals Saying?
Kansas City had a chance to put a stranglehold on this series, but it became a rough three-plus innings for Ventura.
And the fireworks started early, well before any runs were on the board.
On the very first pitch of the game, Syndergaard threw a fastball toward the head of Alcides Escobar. Yes, the very first pitch of the game. Twitter user @mocc88 has the video:
Many of the Royals players were upset at Syndergaard‘s up-and-high pitch, and Escobar was very subtle in his response, per Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.
But the most vocal was first baseman Eric Hosmer, who went 0-for-4 in Game 3. Hosmer said his teammates were angry at the rookie’s actions and that the Royals won’t forget this anytime soon, per Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star.
“Any time a guy throws at one of your teammates’ heads, it’s not going to go over easy,” Hosmer said. “Of course we’re going to be angry, of course we’re going to be upset. But we’ll find a way to get back at him.”
Shots fired.
In terms of performance on the field, Royals manager Ned Yost said Ventura “just wasn’t sharp” Friday night, per Fox Sports Kansas City.
Ventura came into Game 3 having won his only two career starts in the World Series, which came last year against the San Francisco Giants in Games 2 and 6. The young pitcher gave up only a combined two runs in those games but gave up five and allowed two home runs to the top of the Mets lineup.
“[Ventura‘s] fastball velocity was down, made a couple of mistakes,” Yost said. … “It was just one of those days where he wasn’t sharp. It was cold out there, I don’t know if that affected him.”
The usually reliable Royals bullpen also fell apart in the sixth inning, mainly Franklin Morales, who only pitched a third of an inning and allowed all four runs scored by the Mets to go up 9-3. Morales has now allowed 11 runs in 3.1 innings pitched in his World Series career.
What’s the ERA for that, you ask? Tyler Kepner of the New York Times has the answer:
This was one of the rare times the Royals’ pitching has failed them, and they missed a golden opportunity to put away this series Saturday night. Now, Kansas City turns to Chris Young, who got the win in Game 1 after pitching three innings of no-hit baseball. Young is a reliable veteran the Royals will be able to turn to for this situation. If things go wrong in Game 4, it may be more of a trick than a treat for the Royals on Halloween night.
What Are the Mets Saying?
After reading all of what was said regarding the fastball Syndergaard fired at Escobar‘s head, you’re probably wondering if that was intentional.
The answer is a definitive yes, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan:
Thor doesn’t hold back in the movies and apparently doesn’t hold anything back on the mound.
Syndergaard hadn’t pitched since the National League Championship Series on Oct. 18, and it appeared the rookie jitters got to him early, giving up three runs in the first two innings and falling behind 3-2 despite David Wright’s go-ahead homer in the first.
Coming into Game 3, Escobar was batting 6-for-9 on the first pitch of the game. Again, Syndergaard wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, per Phil Taylor of Sports Illustrated:
But the real hero was Wright, who had a career postseason-high four RBI and drove in four runs for the first time since 2013. Wright has been battling back pain all year long, and there was a point where no one thought he’d return for the Mets this year after suffering from spinal stenosis earlier this year.
Wright isn’t even thinking about said back pain, per CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.
“Nobody’s complaining,” Wright said. “It’s the World Series. … This is what you dream about as a kid. Running around the bases, it’s like floating.”
It’s unclear whether or not this offensive explosion by the Mets was an aberration or not. New York desperately needed to get its offense going, whether it be from Murphy or someone completely different. One thing is for sure, though: The Mets are going to need this Wright going forward if they want to go back to Kansas City with a chance to win this series.
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