[Amazin69]

Hey, guess what?? Chris Bassitt is 8-1, 2.22 since August 1st. Tied (w. Kyle Wright) for most wins in MLB over that span, 4th in ERA.

So that's three aces! Take that, Bravos!

Jacob deGrom ($35,500,000): 6 IP, 3 ER, L
Max Scherzer ($43,333,333): 5.2 IP, 4 ER, L
Chris Bassitt ($8,650,000): 2.2 IP, 4 ER, L

Total : 14.1 IP, 11 ER (6.91 ERA), 0-3. All for the low, low price of $87,483,333. (average salary: $29,161,111)

Odds the Mets win World Series: .0001%
Odds the Mets beat San Diego and get past the Numfred Round (™Westheim): ~20%
Odds the Mets win one game against San Diego, instead of just getting swept: ~30%

Odds the Mets win one game, period, rather than going 0-8 after Wednesday's "Escobar to the Rescobar!" semi-miracle: ~60%
Odds the Mets take 2/3 from Washington, reaching 100 wins for the 4th time in team history: ~33%

Odds that Schmuck Bowalter will admit the season was a ****ing disaster: less than 1%

"I'm not going to apologize for winning 100 games or close to it" —Schmuck Bowalter, three-time Manager of the Year.

Remember, Schmuck has never won a World Series. He's never reached the World Series. His career post-season record is 9-14, losing 4 of the 5 series he's been in, and also a wild-card game.

It's all well and good to have a strong start, Schmuck…but the goal is to FINISH THE JOB. Loser.

(OTOH, the 1996 Yankees and 2001 Diamondbacks both won the Series immediately after firing Schmuck. So…opportunity awaits?)

Note: I'm on delay, so I'm writing this BEFORE the top of the 9th. Let's make one last prediction:

Odds Kenley Jansen strikes out the side in the 9th, 1-2-3: ~40%. (I think McNeil might make contact. But it won't matter, anyhow.)

Ha! Nimmo grounds to SS! That'll show me!
Lindor grounds to 1B! Oooh, the Mets have their hitting shoes on!!
And McNeil takes Acuña to the track! Hit Show! Devil Rays, center stage, Hit show! Yeah, baby!

(I guess I have to watch the next few games, just to see if McNeil wins the batting title. Plus it will be my last few games with Gary, Ron and possibly a Keith cameo. But I'm gonna vomit listening to them talk about getting ready for the playoffs, knowing that there's precious little chance they'll do anything but choke, again, some more. Maybe I'll just skip it.

Bye, baseball! Bye, Mets!! It's been fun.

Just not as much as it could have been.)

ETA: To be fair, in the 1969 NLCS, the Braves (led by Henry Aaron's 3 HRs) scored 5 runs off of Tom Seaver, 6 runs off Jerry Koosman, and knocked Gary Gentry out of the game in the 3rd inning. The difference is that those Mets could hit.

(Key hit, Nolan Ryan [BA .103] singling to set up Garrett's series-winning HR. Never mind Nolan's arm, apparently we needed his bat. Huh.)