Marvel Superheroes Prevail In Gotham

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

The Mets returned to Citi Field and they looked comfortable being at home as Captain America came through at the plate and Thor dropped the hammer from the mound. The once lopsided series now looks to be a race to the finish but the questions still remain as to whether the Mets offense can have another night like they did last night or if the experience, grittiness, and textbook execution by the Royals will resurface in game 4? Seems like someone will have a trick and the other will have a treat tonight!

Mets Romp Royals 9-3

The largest Mets crowd in Citi Field history, 44,781, was already frothing, enthused by a pregame procession of Billy Joel, Mike Piazza and all the pomp and circumstance this postseason-starved borough could muster. The Mets may have been trailing at the dawn of Game 3 of the World Series, but they weren't dead. All they needed on Friday night was a spark. Noah Syndergaard provided it with a high-and-tight fastball that knocked Royals leadoff man Alcides Escobar to the ground, and over the next 3 1/2 hours, the tone of the World Series transformed. Charged by David Wright's homer and four RBIs, the Mets rolled to a 9-3 win that sliced the Royals' lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic to 2-1. And Syndergaard, in teammate Michael Cuddyer's words, was the one who "woke everyone up." "Incredible … incredible," was how Wright described the atmosphere at Citi. "We knew what to expect coming into this based on playing here throughout the postseason, but this was at a different level. To be able to fight back the way that we did, we were relentless tonight. And it seemed like every time they had an answer, we had an answer right back. That's the type of baseball that got us here." Twenty-nine teams have won Game 3 after losing the first two, and 11 of them went on to win the World Series, giving the Mets plenty of hope heading into Game 4 here on Saturday, Halloween night. "We were so looking forward to coming back here," said Mets reliever Tyler Clippard, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. "We didn't feel the pressure. We came in here expecting to win and got it done." Wright set the tone early with a two-run homer off Royals starter Yordano Ventura, who also gave up a third-inning homer to Curtis Granderson. Ventura allowed five runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. Syndergaard outperformed Ventura, but not without resistance. The rookie appeared shaky after what he admitted was a game-opening purpose pitch to Escobar. Six of the seven hits he allowed came during the first and second innings, with Eric Hosmer and Alex Rios driving in runs, but Syndergaard found his stride in the third, reeling off a run of 12 consecutive outs before getting in and out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. "I was able to stay locked in for the entire game," Syndergaard said. The Mets iced the game with a four-run sixth inning against Kansas City relievers Franklin Morales and Kelvin Herrera, with Wright's two-run single capping the rally. The Royals then spent their postgame hours vowing the only type of revenge that matters. "We have to forget about this," Escobar said. "The plan in here is to win."

POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6^th to see how many I have gotten wrong!

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

World Series

Kansas City leads Series 2-1

Kansas City at New York

Game 4: Saturday, October 31, at 8:00 PM

PHILS PHACTS:

Unique Way To Celebrate – On Tuesday, grand mascot arbiter "Good Morning America" surveyed MLB and named the Phillie Phanatic the best mascot in baseball in 2015. It was a well-deserved title, earned on the backs of countless souvenirs given and Darth Vaders trolled. But true champions never settle. They know that there's always a furry green alien or giant mustachioed brewer coming for their crown, and there's no time for resting on mascot laurels. So, just days after his coronation, the Phanatic was back at it, knowing he needed to go bigger than ever. Like, "31-foot-skyscraper" bigger. The stunt was for a good cause, too, raising funds for the Outward Bound School. And while Sixers mascot Franklin may have made it down first, he also doesn't have a hot dog cannon, so we all know who's really the winner here. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, there are some former Phillies still making headlines in the playoffs this year.