The Morning After - The First Big Citifield Win!

It's not what most fans would have predicted. I certainly didn't. With Santana on the mound, the Mets figured to compete. We expected to have an opportunity to win. But who would have predicted a 6-5 win for Santana? Who would have thought Santana gives up 4 - count them - 4 home runs, hits his own drive 'em in double and then uses his fielding prowess to shag Victorino's line drive, turning it into a double play? That would not have been predictable.

Santana? The man can pitch. He can hit. He can field. As he said before handing over the ball to Manuel in the 8th, "I'm a man. I'm a man." He certainly is. Even with the home runs given up last night, he seems like superman.

Now who would have thought that the Mets would hit their fair share of home runs too. Wright! Beltran!! And Church with the 420 dead center field shop into the new Apple!!! Maybe with Church healthy and in form, the team has found some of its lost power. More likely, the warmer air is making Citifield a launching pad of its own, a la Yankee Stadium.

After Feliciano does a big job in the 8th, Krod does his usual 9th inning close. Where was Lidge? Oh, to have a reliable closer. Whereas Lidge was the best in the NL last year, Krod holds that title so far this year. No surprise there.

What a game! What a game! The best game so far at Citifield. Having attended in person was terrific. The place was shaking despite only 38,000 or so in attendance. And though the weather held, the storm last night was from the Mets and the Phillies. And for one night, the NY storm won, 6-5.

So now, what happens. Cole - Mr Offseason Big Mouth - Hamels pitches tonight. He has had an up and down season. His last game against the Dodgers was big. A shutout. Now Mr. Big Mouth should be ready to get his dues paid back. Of course, the power needs to stay with the Mets for another day and the Pelf needs to take a big step forward from his last game, the one where he let the team (and himself) down.

Look at it this way. If the Mets go 3-3 against the Phillies and the Yanks this week most fans would be happy. With this first win under the Mets' belt, they would need to win 2 of the next 5 to arrive at that modest goal. With Santana pitching in the final game of the Yankee series Sunday, let's assume for a moment that we win that one. That means if we win 1 of the other 4, the 3-3 record is achieved. And let's get a little greedy now. Let's suppose we split those 4 games, suddenly the Mets would be an unimaginable 4-2 against the Phils and Yanks during the critical period of 6 games. Impossible? Improbable? To find out, let's play ball, Go Mets!