Mets 7 Yankees 6

What a game! What an incredible game! This is one that I will remember forever. I have a lot to say about it so forgive me if this comes out a little disjointed.

First off, as with most Mets-Yankees games, getting there is half the battle. Thankfully, traffic for me wasn't too bad, it took me about 90 minutes, and I arrived at 6. As for my dad, he likes to get there at 4 and nap in the car. There was a bad accident on the Grand Central Parkway and he was stuck for three hours or more. He had to get off and take some streets. He found his way and actually got to the seats before me.

Jeremi Gonzalez was horrible. They were killing him in the first inning, every ball was hit hard. But the Met fans didn't feel out of it because we know Johnson has struggled this season.

Carlos Beltran's 3-run homer in the first inning was huge. I've talked about this 100 times already, it's so psychologically crucial to come right back after a team gets a few runs on you, and get right back in the game. Thanks to Beltran the Mets were still in the game after the first inning. Everything else that happened can be traced back to that home run.

Interesting goings on for the Yankees after the first inning. Despite having his gear on Jorge Posada developed "back spasms", and Kelly Stinnett replaced him in the 2nd. It's well-known that Johnson hates Posada, and the timing was very suspicious especially since they had to have a coach warm up Johnson between innings while Stinnett suited up. Stinnett ended up getting two hits, one to drive in a run so it didn't work out terribly for the Yankees.

Gonzalez couldn't do anything so Oliver had to come in, he allowed the inherited runner to score but otherwise pitched two good innings.

Huge home run by Nady and a clutch RBI single by Matsui tied the game.

Tying the game was huge because it meant they had to take out Johnson and the Mets bullpen is a strength, especially compared to the Yankees'.

After the 5th inning the game completely changed, it went from a slow slugfest with a lot of walks, to a pitcher's duel.

I thought Willie made the right call going to Heilman in the 6th, and it worked out. He was fantastic. His changeup was unhittable. And he was so effective through his first two innings, that he threw only 17 pitches, and Willie rightfully left him in for a third. But it sort of bolsters the argument that he is too valuable in the bullpen to be moved into the rotation.

Yankees bullpen was good too, Proctor and Farnsworth pitched three perfect innings. The guys next to us were joking about Proctor, calling him proctologist and saying things like "nice pitch, assman" in the Seinfeld inflection.

So now we move on to the 9th, Wagner or Sanchez, tough call, but Willie chose Wagner, since he wouldn't be able to get a save anyway. The place was going nuts during "Enter Sandman." Even I sang "sleep with one eye open." Wagner was awesome. He absolutely blew away Giambi, Gay-Rod and Stinnett. The Mets even had some Sandman graphic on the scoreboard, just to rub a little salt (sand?) in the wounds of the Yankees, their fans and fat Francesa.

Bottom of the 9th, tie game, in comes the best closer in the history of the known universe. Reyes makes out, LoDuca doubles down the line. I really thought they should have brought in Endy Chavez to pinch in case of a weakly hit single, but the Yankees outfield arms are so bad that I guess the Mets had no fear. Beltran strikes out (he gets a pass for his 1st inning heroics) and Delgado is walked. Up comes David Wright.

Earlier in the game I had been arguing with my dad about Wright's Piazza-ness. In the first Wright got up with a man on and no outs with a chance to continue pounding nails into Johnson's coffin, but he struck out. In his next two at bats, he got hits with the bases empty. So now he comes up with a chance to win the game, or send it into extra innings...against Rivera. So either he was going to be exactly like Piazza, or he was gonna be a hero. I'm sure you know what happened, with two strikes (his favorite count) he crushed one over the head of Damon, and the Mets win, thhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Mets win.

The place went nuts, the upper deck was shaking. Fans were huggging each other, doing the obligatory "Yankees suck!" chant, just a fantastic few minutes. In the crowd of people on the concourse on the way out the merriment continued, the chanting and the taunting of Yankees fans.

A couple of other notes, there was a huge fight in the stands at one point around the 7th inning. Security took a long time to get there, one guy got dragged down about 5 steps by his shirt. Punches were actually thrown and landed, and it took about 30 security guards and 15 minutes to clear it up.

There was a Yankees fan sitting next to my dad, and during the 9th inning he stood up. A Mets fan behind him, probably 20 years older than him wanted him to sit down. So he got right in his face, then for some inexplicable reason he grabbed the guy's arm. The Yankee fan went nuts, slapped his hand away and I really thought they were going to fight. Luckily, they didn't and the older guy's young female companions (daughters?) starting calling the Yankee fan a faggot and a homo.

Between inning entertainment: Some guy traded a clock for waste basket #3 and won 2 Delta Air Lines tickets in "Mets Make a Deal." I didn't see the Kiss Cam because I was trying to track down a hot dog vendor. "Learn Spanish with Professor Reyes" was disappointing. The word was "avion" which means airplane. He gave a one guy a "C for that one" but told another woman "I like your style."

The parking lot was a madhouse, they closed off some exits and it took me over two hours to get home. But it was well worth it. Not only did we beat the Yankees, we did it when we started Jeremi Gonzalez against Randy Johnson. We came back from 4-0 in the first inning. And we beat Mariano Rivera. The best relief pitcher to ever throw a baseball. Pedro and Glavine have to keep this euphoria going.