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.

Travel And Anticipation

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

The Royals and Mets spent yesterday traveling to the east coast while the rest of the baseball world spent the day in eager anticipation of the match-up of two young, hard throwing, pitchers that are set to take the mound in game 3. This could either mean a contest dominated from the mound or we could be seeing some really long homeruns. Maybe both. These duels don’t happen too often in the World Series so sit back and enjoy a potential glimpse at future dominance.

Game 3 Preview:

These guys throw fastballs that buckle knees and test nerves and shatter bats. They challenge the body for sure, but they challenge the mind, too. Are you willing to crowd the plate when the guy out there is throwing 100 mph? OK, just checking. Take all the time you need to answer. Welcome to Game 3 of the 2015 World Series on Friday at Citi Field. This is power pitching versus power pitching -- Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard and Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura. At a time when 95-mph fastballs have become almost commonplace in baseball, these guys have power that's special even by the new normal. Syndergaard's fastball averaged 97.4 mph this season, tying him with Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi for tops among Major League starting pitchers, according to Statcast™. Ventura is a tick behind, with a fastball that has averaged 96.8 mph this season, which is third among big league starters. Syndergaard's fastest pitch was clocked at 101.4 mph this season and touched 99 mph three times in the first inning of his last start. Ventura has cranked it up as high as 100.6 mph this season. They generate all that power from different body types. Syndergaard is 6-foot-6, 240 pounds and 23 years old. He's the physically imposing textbook definition of a power pitcher, with a release that looks absolutely effortless. No team in baseball has handled 95-mph (and up) fastballs better than the Royals this season. They're also quick to point out that the Mets' kid pitchers are more than hard throwers. "It should be fun," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "I'm sure there'll be three digits up there a lot of times. Those guys over there, they don't just throw hard. In looking at Syndergaard's last start, he mixed up his stuff against the Cubs a lot. It wasn't just going out there and trying to pump heaters. I don't think you're going to see either guy doing that." Yordano is a year older than Syndergaard at 24. He's listed as 6 feet, 180 pounds and generates all that velocity with a whiplike delivery in which he drives smoothly off the mound to home plate. Part of the game inside the game on Friday will be the radar-gun readings at Citi Field. Hitters will use them to gauge how hard the pitcher is throwing in the early innings and if the velocity diminishes as the game wears on. And in a game like this, might both pitchers be glancing at their own velocity -- and also that of the other guy? Mets manager Terry Collins said it's far broader than that. "Both sides do [look at the radar-gun readings], believe me," he said. "You go to any park nowadays, and every team is looking to see how hard the guy is throwing. Because nowadays there are so many hard throwers that you kind of have to gauge. "I think it's become a huge part of the game to know how hard somebody is throwing. Because you've got to make adjustments at the plate. And all the film that you have on all these guys, you can't get a true feel until you get in the batter's box." Royals manager Ned Yost said: "Everybody looks at it. That's the first question they ask in a new stadium. Everybody up and down the dugout is asking, 'Where is the radar-gun reading?'" For his part, Ventura said there are more important things than simply throwing hard. "Right now I'm not focused on velocity," he said. "I'm simply focused on pitching deep into the game, keeping the game close and giving my team a chance to score runs. I just want to do my job." Likewise, Syndergaard said his game is to locate his pitches, mix them up and change speeds. If he does those things, he'll be effective at both 93 mph and 99 mph. Both pitchers have taken different paths to get to Game 3 of the World Series. Ventura was Kansas City's Opening Day starter, but spent a month on the disabled list at mid-season with an irritated nerve in his pitching elbow. He had some very good starts and some very bad ones after his return. He hasn't finished six innings in any of his four postseason starts, but is fresh off his best outing -- one earned run in 5 1/3 innings in the clinching Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against Toronto. Syndergaard made his Major League debut on May 12 as the latest in a string of heralded Mets prospects. He has been as good as advertised, especially in the postseason, during which he has a 2.77 ERA after two starts and a one-inning relief appearance. Collins said Syndergaard was in the conversation to start Game 1 of the World Series. "When he first got here, we saw 96 [mph]," Collins said. "What he's doing now, I have never seen that. I've never seen 98, 99 and 100. I've seen good, good power stuff. But I've seen a guy grow and learn how to pitch here, where he will go to his secondary stuff in certain counts." One of the best parts of all this is that Syndergaard and Ventura are so good and so young that they could rank among baseball's elite pitchers for years to come. But they may never pitch on a bigger stage than this one. They're both capable of delivering a World Series memory. Here's hoping.

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

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

World Series

Kansas City leads Series 2-0

Kansas City at New York

Game 3: Friday, October 30, at 8:00 PM

PHILS PHACTS:

Crawford Goes Down In AFL – J.P. Crawford's time in the Arizona Fall League has come to an end after just five games. The Phillies' top prospect, ranked No. 5 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, was the highest-ranked prospect in the Fall League this season. Crawford went 3-for-20 (.150) with three singles, two walks and six strikeouts for the Glendale Desert Dogs. Crawford sustained a mild left thumb sprain while making a tag in a Fall League game. An MRI exam revealed a partial tear of the UCL ligament, but it will not require surgery. Crawford's thumb will be in a splint for the next three to four weeks, but he is expected to be 100 percent healthy by Spring Training. The 20-year-old Crawford is a two-time Futures Gamer who spent most of the year in the Double-A Eastern League in 2015. He hit a combined .288/.380/.414 over 430 at-bats between Clearwater in the Florida State League and Reading in the Eastern League. To replace Crawford, the Phillies have sent infielder Drew Stankiewicz to Glendale. Stankiewicz was an 11th-round pick of the Phillies inn 2014 out of Arizona State who split the year between Lakewood in the South Atlantic League and Clearwater.

We Have A Dubee Sighting – Roy Halladay once said he respects few pitching coaches more than Rich Dubee. Dubee served as the Phillies' pitching coach from 2005-13, when the organization won one World Series, two National League pennants and five NL East championships. Dubee, who spent the past two seasons working in Atlanta's Minor League system, will return to the big leagues next year as the Tigers' pitching coach. Detroit announced the hiring Thursday afternoon. It is not a stretch to say Dubee has some supporters in Detroit. He is close with Tigers bench coach Gene Lamont. He worked for years in Philadelphia with bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer. He spent one season in Philly with hitting coach Wally Joyner. Dubee also served as Jim Leyland's pitching coach with the Marlins in 1998. Leyland is the Tigers' special assistant to the general manager.

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.