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New York Mets: 5th NLCS appearance
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On a gray October afternoon in Cincinnati, the defending World Champion New York Mets reminded us once again why October baseball so often belongs to the resilient.
Down 3–1, and later 4–3, the Mets—calm, steady, almost expectant—found a way. In the top of the ninth, they rallied for two runs to take a 5–4 lead. And in the bottom half, with the Reds faithful on their feet, hoping for one last reprieve, closer Rey Gonzalez walked a tightrope. Two singles put the winning run on base. But in a moment that will linger in Mets lore, pinch hitter Ramon Ocasio rolled into a double play, ending the series, ending the Reds’ hopes, and sending New York on to the National League Championship Series.
It is the fifth NLCS in franchise history for the Mets—a team whose story continues to be written in bold October chapters. Just two years ago, it was Cincinnati who stunned them in this very round. Tonight, the Mets returned the favor, completing a sweep, as if to declare: the champions are not yet done.
Rey Gonzalez, the southpaw with the calm demeanor and a steely edge, was named series MVP. Two wins, a 1.93 ERA, and the kind of postseason performance that turns a pitcher into more than just a name in a box score—it turns him into a character in the continuing narrative of this remarkable franchise.
And so, the Mets wait. Will it be Milwaukee, seeking their first World Series crown after more than two decades of pursuit, or the Dodgers, still chasing the same elusive dream? Whichever team emerges, they will face a Mets club that, once again, has shown the rarest and most enduring quality in October baseball: the ability to bend but not break.
From Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, the Mets move on, still very much alive in their quest to repeat.
This… is Major League Baseball.
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