NewsWright's clutch blast helps Mets stun Phils
Slugger hits go-ahead tater in ninth inning, drives in six runs
By Marty Noble / MLB.com
09/12/09 10:06 PM ET
PHILADELPHIA -- The thought was inescapable, but it remained mostly unspoken in the Mets' clubhouse Saturday evening during the quickly-passed afterglow of their improbable victory against the Phillies. It was left to an outsider to put the victory in context and in words, written words as it turned out. So shortly after the Mets had experienced an "are you kiddin' me" moment, a message was texted to one of the Blackberrys in their clubhouse."If you were about 18 games closer to the Phillies," the message said, "this would be one of your best games of the year."
Of course it would have been. Had the Mets come from behind to beat the Phillies, had David Wright hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning to secure a 10-9 victory while the Mets still were within, say, two games of the division-leading Phils, their 142nd game would have been canonized by now. The outcome of their doubleheader Sunday might have denied the Jets and Giants Monday's back pages -- and the Phillies an exclusive hold on first place. And someone would fantasize about a Subway Series reprise.
Indeed, this was a big one in the Hypothetical Division of the National League, a "what if" victory produced by the return of the home run to the Mets' offense and whatever forces were responsible for the Bill E. Buckner Ball in 1986, the Wall Ball in '73 and all of '69. But the Mets didn't put it in such terms or embrace the magic of it all. To discuss it conditionally -- "Imagine if we were two out" -- would be acknowledging indirectly how far they are from first place and any level of September relevance.
So they saw it as what it was, an isolated success achieved via resolve, uncommon run production and Wright's day in the sun -- or in the dark and dank of The Bank. They didn't see it from a team perspective. How many Mets even knew their second victory in seven games at Citizens Bank Park this season had ended their losing streak at four games? It had been a cool way to win and "Good for David!"
Wright was responsible for six of the runs; six, more runs than the Mets had scored in any of their previous six games and as many runs as he had driven in any of his big league appearances. His batting average down to .315 because of a 3-for-27 slump, Wright singled for two of the four runs the Mets scored in their blitzkrieg first inning, hit his ninth home run of the season, with a runner on base, in the eighth, when the Mets nearly tied the score, and hit his 10th in the ninth against understudy closer Ryan Madson.
Moreover, Wright had removed the LP hook from the mouth of Mike Pelfrey, who, after the Mets had established a lead for the first time in five games, allowed three home runs -- one each by Pedro Feliz, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez -- in an eight-batter sequence that spanned the second and third innings and put his team one run in arrears.
And it got worse before it got better. The Phillies led, 8-4, before Pelfrey was removed before the seventh. He had allowed 10 hits and walked one and taken another step back in his back-and-forth season. His 10-10 record, unchanged by the outcome Saturday, is precisely indicative of his performance in 28 starts. The Mets have won 15 of the 28, but he usually has more to do with their successes than he did Saturday.
The Phillies scored their ninth run against Ken Takahashi in the seventh after the Mets had scored their fifth in the top of the inning against Jamie Moyer, the starter, on an infield out. After Wright hit his first homer against Brett Myers, a single by Carlos Beltran against Myers and singles by Omir Santos and Daniel Murphy against Chan Ho Park produced the Mets' eighth run.
Given the resumes of both teams, the scoring was to have stopped at that point. The Mets were supposed to concede, the Phillies were to secure the victory and thereby push their victims to brink of elimination. Now the division leaders must sweep the day-night doubleheader Sunday to remove the mathematical chance of being caught by the Mets.
For all he accomplished in five at-bats Saturday, Wright was almost indifferent about his return to power. He hadn't hit a home run since Aug. 5, 71 at-bats.
"It feels good to be successful and help the team win," he said. "But it wasn't a goal to get to double digits in home runs."
He has come to believe a team can prosper with limited power hitting, all Mets' evidence to the contrary. The team is among the league leaders in batting, average with runners in scoring position, triples, stolen bases, sacrifice flies and sacrifice bunts, and no team strikes out less. And the Mets are 11th in runs.
And last in home runs.
Beltran hit his first home run since his return to active duty Tuesday after Wright's hit in the first. So now the Mets have hit 84 home runs. The Phillies lead the league with 202. And they have almost as many with runners on base, 83, as the Mets have overall. And they're in first place.
But a Mets victory, a rare occurrence of late, needn't be dissected and examined, only enjoyed. Manager Jerry Manuel appreciated the resolve and the power.
But as he said, "We needed a win regardless," he also said this: "[The game] was a microcosm of what we thought could happen here this year."
That seems to connect with: "If you were about 18 games closer to the Phillies, this would be one of your best games of the year."
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
