The New York Mets crushed the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. Monday’s win put New York on the verge of the NLCS for the first time since 2015. Since then, they have not had a ton of playoff success. And Philly has struggled of late in the postseason. Those two trends mean something has to give on Wednesday, according to Paul Casella of MLB.com.
Something has to give tomorrow. The Phillies are 0-4 in their last 4 potential elimination games — and scored just 5 runs in those 4 games,” Casella posted on social media. “The Mets are 0-4 in their last 4 potential series-clinching games at home — and have been outscored 15-2.”
One of those games for the Mets was Game 3 of the Wild Card Series in 2022, which they lost 6-0 to the Padres. They lost 3-0 to the Giants in the 2016 Wild Card Game and 3-1 to the Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2015 NLDS. The fourth game was in 2006 when the Mets lost Game 7 of the NLCS to the Cardinals. While this core has only lost one of those games, it is a grizzly history.
The Phillies’ four losses are also spread apart. They lost to the 2023 Diamondbacks, 2022 Astros, 2011 Cardinals, and 2010 Giants, all eventual World Series participants. Their 2023 collapse is on the front of everyone’s mind, as they were up 3-2 in the NLCS before losing in seven games.
Phillies and Mets looking to change poor trends
Both of these teams need to buck these trends to change the conversation around their teams. The Mets have been the little brother to the Phillies, Braves, and Yankees since their 2015 pennant and can stop those conversations with a win. With Grimace on their side, they’ve made another miracle run. They cannot let this series get back to Philadelphia or the noise will get louder.
For the Phillies, it is more of a conversation about the personnel on their team. This core brought the franchise to the World Series after a 13-year drought in 2022. After last year’s collapse, the bright lights are on this team to win their first championship since 2008.
Game 4 will be on Wednesday back at Citi Field. The crowd was raucous on Tuesday and with good reason, as the Mets dominated in the 7-2 win. Sean Manaea was excellent, pitching into the eighth inning and only allowing one run.
The Amazins will give the ball to Jose Quintana with a chance to advance to the NLCS. He will face Ranger Suarez as the Fightins look to force Game 5.
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