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Milwaukee Brewers: 3rd NLCS berth
1904 1909 1924
MIKE FRANCESA (voice and tone):
Alright folks, let’s be honest here — it was bound to end sometime. You can’t win forever. The Mets came into these playoffs as three-time defending champions. Three straight titles! That’s almost unheard of in modern baseball. But you could see it this year. You could feel it. They just weren’t the same team.
They finish 90–72 — listen, that’s a nice record, okay? That’s a playoff team. But it’s not the Mets we’ve seen. Not the 108, 122-win, machine-like, destroy-everyone Mets we’ve been watching the last few years. They didn’t even win the division. They had to grind through the Reds in the Wild Card round — barely got out of that alive. And then, the Milwaukee Brewers — the top seed, the class of baseball this season — they smelled blood in the water.
And let me tell you, Milwaukee pounced. That’s what great teams do. They didn’t mess around. They swept the Mets out of the building. Game 3, they come into Citi Field, 6–3 win, 13 hits, they controlled the whole game. Josh Tidwell — this kid was unbelievable. Hits .462 for the series, two homers, six RBIs. He owned that lineup. He gets MVP of the series, and rightfully so.
And for Milwaukee — hey, credit where it’s due. This is their first trip to the NLCS in 15 years. Fifteen years! And now, they’ve got a real shot at their first World Series title. They’ve got the lineup, they’ve got the arms, and they’ve got the confidence after knocking off the champs.
As for the Mets — look, the dynasty’s not dead, but the reign is over. You win three in a row, you make history, but you can’t do it forever. Pitching got thin, lineup got streaky, the magic just ran out. That’s baseball.
So congratulations to the Brewers. They did what great teams do — they took advantage of a fading champion. Now they wait on Atlanta or Arizona, but make no mistake — right now, Milwaukee is the team to beat in Major League Baseball.
(pause)
And for the Mets? Enjoy the banners, boys. You’ve earned ’em. But the parade route is closed this October.
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