The 16-inning thriller between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants ended up in bitter disappointment for the Mets. After Pete Alonso drilled a solo home run in the top of the 16th, the Giants responded with two runs in the bottom half to steal the victory.
To the seagulls and beyond! pic.twitter.com/y4ueAKXIBL
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 19, 2019
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
This certainly was the most heartbreaking loss of the season. The game did not finish until 2:32 in the morning on the East Coast. Much like their 18 inning loss in Milwaukee earlier this season, they had to trust an unproven pitcher to close the game out.
Last Man Standing
Chris Mazza was the last man left in the Mets bullpen and had the job of closing out the Giants. He threw two innings the previous day and already pitched a scoreless 15th inning. Mazza looked gassed in the 16th, in which he failed to record a single out. The Mets were also short a reliever because Jacob Rhame was serving his one game suspension for throwing at Rhys Hoskins earlier in the year.
Donovan Solano hopes you all get home safely.
#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/VotFyoIJfU— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) July 19, 2019
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Mets bullpen was great Thursday night, regardless of Mazza’s performance. They held the Giants scoreless for 8 straight innings before they broke through to win. The bullpen Mets rose the challenge ahead of them all night, but unfortunately Mazza did not have enough gas to finish it out.
There is Still Hope
A lot of the criticism says Jacob deGrom could have pitched out of the bullpen, but I do not think there was any reason for him to come in. Possibly for the 17th, if it went that far, but the right choice was to give Mazza the opportunity to finish the game out. The Mets are better off trying to rebound and win today with deGrom on the mound and fully rested.
The result yesterday sucks, but they have a great opportunity to rebound tonight. deGrom is facing a pitcher with an ERA over five and deGrom has pitched great over his last few starts. Tonight is a 100 percent a must win for the Mets. They will not be dead in the water if they lose, but the road back to get a split in the series will be a long windy road.