Tag: mlb playoffs

Whit Merrifield rips Blue Jays for pulling Jose Berrios at 47 pitches

The Blue Jays’ decision to pull Jose Berrios not only backfired, but at least one member of the team was not thrilled with the decision.

The Twins eliminated the Blue Jays with a 2-0 win in Game 2 of their American League Wild Card Series on Wednesday, as Toronto gave Berrios a quick hook after just 47 pitches.

Infielder Whit Merrifield gave a candid response about the move, which did not help matters in the elimination game.

“I hated it, frankly,” Merrifield said after the game, according to Sports Illustrated. “It’s not what cost us the game, but it’s the kind of baseball decisions that are taking away from managers and baseball, at this stage of the game.”

Berrios had kept the Twins — his former team — scoreless through the first three innings before he gave up a leadoff walk to Game 1 hero Royce Lewis to start the fourth.

At that point, Blue Jays manager John Schneider decided it was time to move on from the righty and bring in Yusei Kikuchi, a lefty.

“Everybody was surprised with the decision, but there are things that you cannot control,” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said through an interpreter, according to Sportsnet. “You can ask yourself many times, but it’s not our decision. We were surprised.”

Blue Jays manager John Schneider, left, takes the ball from pitcher Jose Berrios during their season-ending loss.
AP

Things quickly went in the wrong direction when Kikuchi allowed the next three runners to reach, including Carlos Correa, who drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single.

Minnesota added one more run on a double play, which was more than enough to beat Toronto on Wednesday.

Berrios, who was officially charged with the first run, also seemed to be taken aback by the move.

White Merrifield spoke out against the Jose Berrios getting the early hook.
AP

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Berrios said, according to Sportsnet. “I can’t control that. I did my best [through] the first 12 batters, so it is what it is.”

For his part, Schneider said he wanted to “utilize” everyone in his staff but admitted things did not work out.

The Twins will next play the Astros.

“We had a few different plans in place. Jose was aware of it. He had electric stuff, tough to take him, and I think with the that they’re constructed, you want to utilize your whole roster and it didn’t work out,” Schneider told Sportsnet.

“You can sit here and second guess me, second guess the organization, second guess anybody.”

While the Twins won their first playoff series in 21 years, the Blue Jays have now gone seven years without a playoff victory.

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Rhys Hoskins’ wife Jayme buys Phillies fans beers at World Series

Tuesday night got better and better for Phillies fans.

As Game 3 of the World Series against the Astros got underway at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Jayme Hoskins, the wife of Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins, was spotted buying beer for fans at a stand.

Jayme is said to have purchased 50 beers in total, per Larry Brown Sports. She vowed on Twitter to buy 50 more for Game 4 on Wednesday.

“See you tomorrow for 50 more!!!!!!!” Jayme wrote.

The Phillies smashed five home runs in Tuesday’s 7-0 win over the Astros, which included a homer from the 29-year-old Hoskins. Philadelphia now has a 2-1 lead over Houston in the best-of-seven series.

The Phillies will remain at home through Thursday for Game 5.

Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins (17) hits a home run against the Astros in Game 3 of the World Series on Nov. 1, 2022.
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Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins after hitting a home run in the fifth inning against the Astros in Game 3 of the World Series on Nov. 1, 2022.
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Hoskins, who recorded his sixth home run of the postseason Tuesday, made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Phillies after being selected in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.

November is shaping up to be a big month for Hoskins, who will celebrate his third wedding anniversary with Jayme on Nov. 9.

For the couple’s special day in 2021, Hoskins posted a touching Instagram tribute to his biggest supporter.

Rhys Hoskins with wife Jayme
Rhys Hoskins with wife Jayme
Instagram/Rhys Hoskins

“Your love drives me to be the best I can be. cheers to life with you, Jayme,” Hoskins posted last fall.

Game 4 of the 2022 World Series begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.



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Bryce Harper’s late home run sends Phillies to 2022 World Series

Bryce Harper has sent the Philadelphia Phillies to the 2022 World Series.

Harper’s two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning put the Phillies ahead, and Philly closed the door in the ninth for a 4-3 win over the Padres in Game 5 of the NLCS, giving the Phillies a 4-1 series victory.

The Phillies will make their first World Series appearance since 2009, when they lost to the Yankees. They defeated the Rays in the World Series the year prior.

Bryce Harper hits a go-ahead two-run home run for the Phillies in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Padres on Oct. 23, 2022.
AP
Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper reacts after his go-ahead eighth-inning, two-run homer against the Padres on Oct. 23, 2022.
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Bryce Harper (3) is congratulated by Phillies teammates after his eighth-inning home run against the Padres on Oct. 23, 2022.
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Philadelphia benefitted from the expanded MLB playoffs, making it as the No. 6 seed to snap a 10-year playoff drought. But the team has been on a roll since the postseason started, sweeping the Cardinals 2-0 in the wild-card round and beating the Braves 3-1 in the NLDS before taking out the Padres.

The Phillies will face either the Astros or Yankees. Houston held a 3-0 series lead in the ALCS entering Sunday’s Game 4 in The Bronx, which was delayed by rain.

Harper is hitting .419 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in the playoffs.

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Mike Francesa slams Yankees as ‘losers’ after ALCS excuse

Like most of us, Mike Francesa saves his spiciest takes for Twitter.

The broadcasting legend slammed the Yankees after their 3-2 ALCS Game 2 loss to the Astros, after which starting pitcher Luis Severino said Houston “got lucky.”

“Yanks sound like losers after the game. Shut up about exit velo. Try hitting the ball,” Francesa tweeted on Thursday night.

Francesa was referring to Severino citing the exit velocity of Alex Bregman’s home run and Aaron Judge’s long fly ball that was snagged at the right-field fence by Kyle Tucker.

“[Bregman] hit it 91 mph,’’ Severino told reporters of Bregman’s three-run, third-inning blast into the Crawford Boxes in left field. “That’s the only thing I’m gonna say. And Judge hit it 106 [mph] and it didn’t go out. They got lucky.”

Francesa did not appreciate Severino’s dismissive tone as the Yankees are now in a 2-0 hole against their hated rivals.

Luis Severino walks off the mound during Game 2 of the ALCS against the Astros.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Judge’s eighth-inning shot to right, nearly a game-flipping, two-run homer, fell just short of the fence and into the glove of Kyle Tucker.

On his BetRivers podcast that the longtime WFAN staple recorded after the show, he took a more measured tone. Francesa still lamented the Yankees’ lack of hitting and correctly noted that the Yankees would have gotten shut out if not for starting pitcher Framber Valdez’s two-base error in the fourth inning. Still, Francesa liked the Yankees’ chances in Game 3 on Saturday in The Bronx with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound.

“The Yankees didn’t put two guys on base in any inning,” Francesa said. “Very hard to win hat way unless you’re going to hit a bunch of solo home runs. They did not and they struck out 13 times. That’s 30 times in two games. You have to put the ball in play, get some base hits, they don’t get any hits. Maybe the home cooking will be a difference-maker.”

Mike Francesa in 2018 at a DraftKings event.
Robert Sabo

Francesa did have two positive takeaways; the decision to move Harrison Bader to leadoff and the defensive wizardry of shortstop Oswald Peraza after the touted prospect made his first start of the postseason there on Thursday night.



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Yankees offense flopping at worst possible time

HOUSTON — The Bronx Bombers didn’t live up to their name, and that includes the newly christened Bronxville Bomber, Harrison Bader himself. For the first time in 24 postseason games, the Yankees didn’t hit a home run, which is a likely recipe for defeat in Houston’s house of horrors.

They don’t love Minute Maid Park under normal conditions — and they missed their main weapon in Game 2 of the ALCS. Their mojo is in their muscles.

The Yankees without a home run are Christmas without Santa Claus.

Like the Patriots without Tom Brady.

Like nails without a hammer.

They are incomplete, at best. And very likely lost.

The Yankees haven’t won here all season, and it’s hard to imagine them doing it without hitting even one measly home run. They came close when certain AL MVP Aaron Judge hit one to the wall in the eighth inning. But close is all they ever seem to do against these annoying Astros, who went up two games to none in this ALCS with the 3-2 victory Thursday night.

Let’s face it. While the Yankees posted the second-highest run total in the majors this season, they are heavily dependent on the long ball. If they don’t have it, they may not have much. The Yankees were a rare major league team to score more than half their runs on homers — it was 50.8 percent of their runs to be exact — and if they don’t go deep, they may be in deep.

Aaron Judge’s long drive was caught by Kyle Tucker at the wall in the eighth inning of the Yankees’ 3-2 ALCS Game 2 loss to the Astros.
Getty Images; USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps things will get better when they get back to Yankee Stadium, where they are a different team. They also won’t have to face all-time great Justin Verlander or All-Star Framber Valdez in either of the next two games.

To be fair, this was as tough a draw as possible. Houston had its pitching set up the way it wanted. Verlander is one of the greatest pitchers ever and he was having one of his better games in the ALCS opener. The Astros have about a 2.00 ERA for these playoffs, they are the only team yet to lose and they look like prohibitive favorites to run the table.

In an effort to jump-start things, manager Aaron Boone is making changes almost daily. Part of it is about the injuries, the locale and left versus right considerations. But there are enough alterations that it smacks partly of desperation.

Josh Donaldson walks to the dugout after striking out in the fourth inning of the Yankees’ Game 2 loss.
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

Boone promoted Bronxville’s own Bader, the sudden slugging star, into the leadoff spot for Game 2, and Bader acted surprised about the move on the pregame show when Lauren Shehadi of TBS asked him about the switch. Either he didn’t know, or he’s as fine an actor as he is a hitter.

While Bader contributed one of four Yankees hits and a walk, it didn’t quite do the trick. The Yankees had three singles and a double total against Valdez and a couple Astros relievers. The offensive highlight was a 50-foot grounder by Giancarlo Stanton that Valdez turned into a mess.

Judge had one of the other hits, but it was also a single, which started the two-run fourth inning that accounted for all the offense. Stanton, one of the better postseason performers in recent seasons, then hit the fairly soft grounder back to Valdez that sufficed as the Yankees’ best moment of the night.

Kyle HIgashioka heads back to the dugout after striking out in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ loss.
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

Although Stanton appears to be playing at about three-quarters speed, presumably the result of one of many foot injuries that have ailed the Yankees, Valdez panicked, turning a certain out (and maybe two) into a second-and-third situation. Anthony Rizzo followed with a run-scoring groundout and Gleyber Torres with a run-scoring ground single through the left side.

Unfortunately, that rally was all there was to write home about from an offensive standpoint. The good thing is they get to go home now, where they actually won a couple games against the Astros this season. They are now 0-5 here.

To win this series, of course, not only will the Yankees have to turn things around at home, they will eventually have to win at Minute Maid Park, where homers are indeed possible, especially into the Crawford Boxes in left field. Astros star Alex Bregman deposited the three-run shot there that became the defining moment of the game.

In the middle of the Yankees offensive ineptitude, Astros fans began chanting, “Yankees s—,” as if they were impersonating the Fenway faithful. There seems to be some surprising anger here at the team that keeps losing to their boys. If anything, you’d think they’d show some gratitude.

The Yankees continue to strike out a lot, too. After whiffing 17 times in Game 1, they fanned 13 more times. The team that eliminated the Yankees in 2015, 2017 and 2019 is threatening to do it again. The Yankees better start remembering who they are. Saturday back at the Stadium is the place to start.

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Yankees undone by Astros’ homers in ALCS Game 1 loss

HOUSTON — Here we go again.

The Yankees, fresh off their ALDS-clinching win over Cleveland in The Bronx on Tuesday night, came to the place where their last two ALCS appearances ended: Minute Maid Park.

This series didn’t get off to a promising start either for the Yankees, who dropped the opener, 4-2, on Wednesday.

Justin Verlander shut down the Yankees’ offense and Clarke Schmidt and Frankie Montas combined to give up three homers out of the bullpen, as the Astros pulled away for the victory.

Verlander gave up one run in six innings and struck out 11.

He went up against Jameson Taillon, who’d pitched just once since Oct. 4.

Taillon provided the Yankees pretty much what they could have hoped for, giving up just one run in 4 ¹/₃ innings before Schmidt took over in the fifth and got out of a jam.

Clarke Schmidt reacts dejectedly after giving up a solo homer to Yuli Gurriel during the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 4-2 loss to the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS.
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

But Yuli Gurriel hit a go-ahead homer to lead off the bottom of the sixth and Chas McCormick delivered another solo shot with one out later in the inning.

Montas gave up a leadoff homer to Jeremy Peña in the seventh to make it 4-1.

Anthony Rizzo homered with two outs in the eighth off Rafael Montero to get the Yankees within two runs.

Giancarlo Stanton singled to bring up the tying run, Josh Donaldson, who walked after striking out in his first three at-bats of the night.

Houston closer Ryan Pressly entered to face Matt Carpenter, who fanned for the fourth straight time — overmatched in his first start since Aug. 8 after missing two months with a fractured left foot.

Aaron Judge, who went 0-for-4, reacts during his at-bat in the fifth inning.
USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees had their chances to do more against Verlander, though.

They threatened in the top of the first — with some help from the Astros.

After Verlander got Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge to start the game, the right-hander drilled Rizzo with an 0-2 pitch and Stanton followed by reaching on a throwing error by Jose Altuve, who was shading up the middle.

But Donaldson went down swinging to end the inning.

With one out in the bottom of the frame, Peña belted a double over the head of Stanton in left.

Taillon walked Yordan Alvarez on four pitches to set up Alex Bregman, who hit a shot to right-center, where Judge made a fantastic diving catch for the second out. Kyle Tucker grounded to first for the third out.

Jeremy Peña watches his solo homer leave the yard during the seventh inning of the Yankees’ loss.
Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Harrison Bader gave the Yankees the lead in the top of the second with his fourth home run of the playoffs, a rocket solo shot to left-center.

The lead didn’t last.

Taillon retired the first two batters in the bottom of the inning, but McCormick lined a single to center and light-hitting catcher Martin Maldonado ripped a run-scoring double to right-center.

Rizzo walked and Stanton doubled to right with one out in the third, but Donaldson and Carpenter both whiffed, as Verlander went on to strike out six straight and retire 11 in a row.

Taillon was pulled for Schmidt with one out in the bottom of the fifth after giving up a second double to Peña .

An intentional walk to Alvarez put two runners on again for Bregman, who walked to load the bases — but Schmidt got Tucker to ground into a double play to keep the game tied.

Schmidt faltered in the sixth, however, giving up a leadoff homer to Gurriel on an 0-2 slider.

And one out later, McCormick went deep to chase Schmidt.

It’s just the latest postseason defeat in Houston for the Yankees, who have never won a playoff series against the Astros and were 0-3 in the regular season at Minute Maid Park.

After the last meeting between the teams here n July, Aaron Boone said none of it would matter once this time of year rolled around.

“Ultimately, we may have to slay the dragon, right?” Boone said on July 21. “If it comes to it in October, the proof will be in the pudding. Do we get it done?”

So far, they haven’t.

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Astros outlast Mariners in 18-inning classic to advance to ALCS

SEATTLE — Jeremy Peña homered in the 18th inning, and the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 1-0 on Saturday to advance to the AL Championship Series for the sixth straight year.

Peña drove a slider from Penn Murfee deep to left-center for the rookie shortstop’s first playoff homer, proving the only run in an afternoon full of dominant pitching and empty trips to the plate. The 18 innings matched the longest game in playoff history.

Spoiling Seattle’s first home playoff appearance since 2001, Houston completed a three-game sweep of the ALDS. Next up is the New York Yankees or Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS on Wednesday.

While Yordan Alvarez got the big hits in the first two games in Houston, it was Pena that set the table for Alvarez’s opportunities. As Game 3 made its way into its sixth hour, Peña delivered another painful blow to the Mariners that ended their short return to the postseason.

Jeremy Pena hits the game-winning home run in the 18th inning to give the Astros a 1-0 win over the Mariners in Game 3 of their ALDS sweep.
AP

After 21 years, Seattle fans welcomed playoff baseball back inside T-Mobile Park. They got their money’s worth, and then some.

Three previous playoff games reached the 18th inning before conclusion, one involving Houston. The Astros beat the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 18 innings in Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS on Chris Burke’s game-ending homer.

The game was scoreless through 17 innings, until the Astros won it in the 18th.
Getty Images

Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS between San Francisco and Washington and Game 3 of the 2018 World Series between Los Angeles and Boston also went 18 innings.

But those games had runs. This one failed to produce anything until Peña’s swing on a 3-2 pitch.

Seattle’s best scoring chance was Julio Rodríguez’s line drive that thudded off the wall in the eighth inning. Seattle had runners in scoring position in the 13th and 17th, but couldn’t get a key two-out hit against Houston’s superb bullpen.

Former Mets prospect Jarred Kelenic walks back to the dugout after striking out in the 10th inning.
Getty Images

Luis Garcia worked five innings for the win. The Astros bullpen allowed five hits and struck out 15 following six innings from starter Lance McCullers Jr.

Seattle’s bullpen was nearly just as good. After rookie George Kirby threw seven innings, nine Mariners relievers combined for 11 innings of five-hit ball.

The teams combined to strike out 42 times, topping the postseason record of 39 set by the Guardians and Rays last week in their AL wild-card matchup that was scoreless for 15 innings before Oscar Gonzalez’s home run sent Cleveland to the ALDS.

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Midges are back in Cleveland — please stop tweeting Joba Chamberlain

The midges are back — and Joba Chamberlain is hearing all about it.

The flying insects that impacted a Cleveland-Yankees playoff game 15 years ago swarmed the field and stands at FirstEnergy Stadium as the Browns and Los Angeles Chargers played Sunday.

During pregame warmups, players on both teams swatted away the pests, which seemed to be thicker along the Chargers’ shaded sideline.

“Terrible,” one Chargers player said as he headed to the locker room.

Chamberlain can relate. The former Yankees reliever was attacked by the insects during Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS. The lights-out reliever was protecting a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, but he walked two batters and threw two wild pitches to allow the tying run to score. This was all while trying to swat away the midges that attached themselves to Chamberlain’s body. The Yankees would lose the game in 11 innings and the series in four games.

Joba Chamberlain gets sprayed by Yankees trainer Gene Monahan during a midges attack in the 2007 ALDS.
AP
Chargers quarterback Easton Stick surrounded by midges before the Browns-Chargers game on Oct. 9, 2022.
AP

Fans were quick to hit Chamberlain up on Twitter to get his reaction to the midges’ return to a sporting event.

“My comment, I’ve experienced them and am not a fan!” Chamberlain said.

“Feeling wasn’t mutual,” Chamberlain responded to another follower who said the midges loved him.

The Yankees and the now-Cleveland Guardians start a best-of-five ALDS on Tuesday night in The Bronx with the series shifting to Ohio for Game 3 on Friday.

Will the midges still be waiting? At Sunday’s football game, which the Chargers won 30-28, a security guard standing near the tunnel said he swallowed two of the bugs. Fans were forced to deal with the pests as well, batting them away during the first quarter,

A Browns helmet covered in midges on Oct 9, 2022.
AP

The midges hatch along Lake Erie several times a year, and can get so thick they cover windows on cars and homes. The stadium’s press box window was speckled with the insects.

— With AP

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Mets’ season ends with whimper in wild-card series loss to Padres

The Mets’ once-promising season came to a crashing halt.

They lost to the Padres 6-0 in Game 3 of the wild-card series Sunday night, eliminating them from the playoffs. They previously lost Game 1 of the series Friday night, and won Game 2 on Saturday.

Joe Musgrove gestures to Mets fans after he was checked for an illegal substance.
Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Chris Bassitt reacts during the second inning.
Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Francisco Lindor strikes out in the fourth inning.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Pete Alonso reacts in the fifth inning.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Mets owner Steve Cohen watches the game from his suite.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Umpires check Joe Musgrove’s ear for an illegal substance.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Padres starter Joe Musgrove pitched seven shutouts innings and gave up just one hit. Mets starter Chris Bassitt, on the other hand, gave up three runs in just four innings pitched.

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Jacob deGrom’s grit was the difference in this Mets’ win

The job description was simple for Jacob deGrom — extend his Mets career by extending the Mets season.

And he began as if chasing land speed records and perfection. He retired the first six Padres in order over the first two innings with fastballs that edged toward 102 mph and sliders near 94 mph. So for two innings, he was Jacob deGrom. Unhittable and generally unfathomable — a two-pitch cyborg.

The thing, though, is he is not currently Jacob deGrom. At least not in full. He could not hold the same stuff or dominance. But he had said late in the evening after a Game 1 Mets loss that he cherished these moments and all that comes with it. “That’s what we love doing, competing, and going out there in big situations,” he offered.

He put action to those words. DeGrom did not sustain mastery. But he never lost his fight. He never lost control of this game. When deGrom needed to find big outs, he did. After disappointment last weekend in Atlanta to lose hold of the NL East and Friday night to fall behind in this wild-card series, the Mets’ stars finally came out. DeGrom was part of the galaxy.

He held the Padres to two runs in six innings — dogged over dominant. DeGrom handed a lead to Edwin Diaz. In the seventh inning. And the closer authored five key outs Saturday and by the time he was removed the Mets had blown the game open en route to a 7-3 triumph.

This tied this series at one game apiece. The teams will play a decisive game Sunday night. If it all worked out perfectly for the Mets, both clubs would fly to Southern California in the wee hours Monday morning — the Padres in tears home to San Diego; the Mets still with a whiff of victorious champagne on them to Los Angeles to take on the MLB-best Dodgers in the Division Series.

Jacob deGrom displayed grit despite not having his absolute-best stuff in the Mets’ 7-3 season-saving win over the Padres, The Post’s Joel Sherman writes.
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

But the Mets have work to do to complete the two-game winning streak necessary to launch into the next round. However, Job 1 was a one-game, season-saving winning streak Saturday night.

They produced this because Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso — empty at-bats last weekend in Atlanta and Friday night in Game 1 — both homered and both reached base three times. Brandon Nimmo had one terrific at-bat after another, slashing three opposite-field singles — one delivering a run in the fourth — plus a walk. Buck Showalter, who lost a decisive playoff game in 1995 by removing Mariano Rivera quickly as Yankee manager and another in 2016 as Orioles manager by never inserting Zack Britton, did not hesitate to get his best reliever (Diaz) into the game in the seventh inning.

And on the front end of the Mets’ first postseason win since World Series Game 3 in 2015, it was deGrom. He came out blistering, no sure thing when there was such concern about the blister on his right middle finger that abbreviated his previous start against the Braves. Beyond that, he had gone 0-4 with a 6.00 ERA in his last four regular-season starts, including allowing three solo homers in six innings to get the Mets off poorly in their pivotal series at Truist Park.

DeGrom had come off the injured list on Aug. 2. In the time since, the Mets were just 10-11 when deGrom and Max Scherzer started. The Mets had dreamed of getting to the biggest games and unleashing deGrom and Scherzer as the most formidable 1-2 starting punch in the game. But that malfunctioned in Atlanta and only worsened when Scherzer was strafed for four homers and seven runs in 4 ²/₃ innings as San Diego won the opener 7-1.

The Mets turned to deGrom, their 2022 season on life support. DeGrom announced himself with triple-digit authority. He threw 12 pitches in a 1-2-3 first inning, 10 were fastballs and seven of those were greater than 100 mph, including 101.6 mph to strike out Juan Soto and 100.9 for the first of three strikeouts against Manny Machado.

Jacob deGrom walks to the dugout after getting out of the sixth inning during the Mets’ victory.
N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

But Trent Grisham’s third-inning homer tied the score at 1-1 and a fifth-inning Jurickson Profar single tied it 2-2. Soto followed Profar with a single to put runners on the corners with one out. The tying run was 90 feet away. Degrom had essentially flip-flopped his pitching profile by this point. His fastball was no longer the early-game lethal weapon. This appears to be the endurance price for missing so much pitching time the last two years.

So, deGrom relied to a greater extent on his slider and preserved his fastball for particular spots. It helped him strike out Machado and Josh Bell to retain the 2-2 tie in the fifth and, after Alonso homered to give the Mets the lead in the bottom of the inning, deGrom went 1-2-3 in a nine-pitch sixth in which he threw just three fastballs — none reaching triple digits.

But his job was done at any speed. There is still no guarantee he will make another start this season. DeGrom said he is opting out after the 2022 campaign. He did, though, help guarantee the Mets another game — a decisive one Sunday — and a chance to get to the Dodgers. That would bring more starts for Scherzer and deGrom.

DeGrom might not be fully deGrom at present. But on Saturday night, he was fully up for a season-saving fight.

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