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Welcome back to the Amazins in Astoria, a season long chronicle of my life in relation to the 2022 New York Mets!
For the first entry in this series, click here.
For the previous entry, click here.
May 30th-Game 50 vs. Washington Nationals (32-17)
I awake late Monday morning to a street fair outside my door. From 30th to 41st, all of Broadway is closed down for tents selling their wares and snacks. I know it's Memorial Day Weekend, but I also like to think that it's to celebrate this big Phillies sweep. Either way, I head down to the first gyro stall I see, then it's right back to my apartment to check out some of the day games.
As Queens cools down and everyone settles in from the weekend, the Mets look to send us all back to work with something good to talk about. What more can I say that the box score doesn't cover? The boys are rocking this Monday evening, and this one is pretty much over before the 5th inning. I'll give the Nats credit, they came out strong with 3 runs in the 1st, but they just could not match what the Mets were doing at the plate. For the 6th time this season, the Mets hit tally finishes in double digits.
The greatest part about Monday? The fact that Nick Plummer was able to carry his momentum from Sunday into the next day, going 3 for 4 with 4 RBI's and another dinger-of-all-dingers. I'd say it's good for guys like Plummer to step up and give Alonso and Lindor some breathing room, but they're firing on all cylinders tonight. Alonso cranks one into center in the 8th off of 1 pitch. It's a real beauty too; the way he scoops the bat, the effortlessness of it, the way that Josh Rogers' soul leaves his body while watching it clear the fence. Just the creme-de-la-creme of watching a team with this tight of a chokehold on their division.
May 31st-Game 51 vs. Washington Nationals (33-17)
Late in the afternoon, the Mets announce that Dom Smith is being optioned to Syracuse so that RHP Adonis Medina can get called up. Am I sad to see Dom off the roster? Of course. However, is it justified? Yeah. Dom is struggling, the field is loaded, and we just need to throw some arms at the rest of the majors while our big boys recover.
As the Mets get going for Game 2, I'm actually in the Bronx, watching those other guys take on the Angels. Being a sports fan in a two-team town can be very contentious sometimes, but it has it's privileges, such as getting to see guys like Trout and Ohtani when my own team isn't hosting them all season. That being said, I definitely am not seeing any Angel at their best, as the Yanks shellac them 9-1.
As I'm watching this beatdown unfold, I'm obessively glancing over at the out-of-town scoreboard, and like the fact that the Mets score keeps climbing. Turns out it's a good day for the rotation, as four Amazins hold Washington scoreless. I check the box score around the 6th and hey! Look at that! Drew Smith and his pinky live to pitch another day, striking out 4 over 1.2 innings. Medina gets in a scoreless inning to close out a 10-0 win as well. Nothing too flashy when I check the replays later on, but enough to keep this rotation afloat for the next 2 months or so.
June 1st-Game 52 vs. Washington Nationals (34-17)
Another series wrap-up, another 1:10 First Pitch. On a Wednesday. I hate it.
I'm in and out of the radio broadcast while I'm at work, but that's ok. It seems like Carrasco has it under control without me. One of the few shining lights of the expected preseason rotation that hasn't gone down yet, Carrasco fans 5 in 5 innings. I'm assuming he's fueled in this start by the presence of his dad, who gets to watch his son pitch in person for the 1st time ever. Baseball. Truly the home of some beautiful stuff.
Carrasco's strong start lets the offense cool off a bit, but they still manage to snag 5 runs on the Nats before sending them on their way to Cincinnati. You wouldn't think Lindor would break his RBI streak today, right? At 10 games? Come on.