MILWAUKEE — There is nothing quite like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, getting a glimpse of land when you are awash at sea, seeing the food at the table — near but still an arm’s length away.
The Mets were so devilishly close to mimicking what had been done in the AL, where a pair of road underdogs — Detroit and Kansas City — had ventured into Houston and Baltimore and swept two games and upset their way into the Division Series.
That was finalized earlier Wednesday. And here at night the Mets were out-Brewering the Brewers. Milwaukee won the NL Central behind defense, baserunning and bullpen. And for nearly two games the Mets were better in each of those phases.
The key element in that previous sentence was “nearly.”
The Mets spent most of Game 2 leading. It was 3-2 in the eighth. There was the light on the way to Philadelphia. There was the glimpse of land to the Division Series. There was the food — to be washed down with a lot of champagne in another clubhouse soaked in joy.
So close.
But Carlos Mendoza pulled Ryne Stanek, though he had delivered as dominant an inning in Game 2 as he had in the opener. The Mets manager did not turn to Edwin Diaz, feeling he needed to limit the closer to no more than four outs after his heavy workload to close the regular season. Instead, Phil Maton came in and allowed a leadoff tying homer to Jackson Chourio and a two-out, two-runner to Garrett Mitchell.
That made the final 5-3. It meant there would be a decisive Game 3 on Wednesday night.
It meant the Mets are going to need heroes.
So that means Jose Quintana at the beginning and Diaz at the end. It means Starling Marte continuing to excel and Francisco Lindor perhaps finding just a bit more magic at the end of his bat.
But more and more, I keep returning to one name — Pete Alonso.
Is this really how potentially his last season — and days — as a Met are going to go? With him so bereft of big hits in his walk year? In a season when a big hit or two could have kept the Mets out of the excruciating baseball dungeon that was the last few days of the regular season. And now when one might be able to get them to Philadelphia for the Division Series.
The Brewers have three homers in this best-of-three, two by Chourio, who at 20 years and 205 days is the youngest player to homer in a postseason game since Bryce Harper, at 19, in 2012. He also robbed Marte of a homer in Game 1.
Alonso is the Mets’ expected main power source. Yet, he does not have a homer since Sept. 19. He basically has not hit one off a brand name in a while — the closest is Clemens, but that is Phillies utility man Kody Clemens.
“Pete is a power hitter and he’s just one swing away from, you know, getting a big one,” Mendoza said. “He’s got another opportunity tomorrow. And he’ll step up.”
Except he hasn’t to this point. Alonso had his worst year with runners in scoring position (.232) and his biggest hit of the season was arguably a ninth-inning tying homer off Detroit’s Alex Faedo on April 4 that helped the Mets win their first game after five losses. His five biggest hits by win probability added were all in the first half.
In the first inning Wednesday, runners at the corners and the Mets up 1-0, Alonso hit a grounder to short and probably would have beaten the double-play pivot. But he had shockingly tripped on his bat and fell.
“It’s weird, listen it sucks,” said Alonso, who acknowledged it was an RBI if he didn’t fall.
So rather than 2-0, the Mets still batting and perhaps a quicker trip into the Brewers pen, Milwaukee starter Frankie Montas was out of the inning.
At this point, there is more Mark Grace to Alonso’s game than might. He is fielding as well as he ever has, drawn some walks, flipped a single here or there. But he has not been a consistent part of strings of good at-bats by the team. However, there is at least one more day … in this series … perhaps in his Mets career.
“I just need to keep swinging and good things will happen,” Alonso said.
But that has been a mantra during an empty-calorie season — and such a vital one. He is about to embark on free agency. A strong season would be driving the fans further into his corner, perhaps forcing the Mets to work hard financially to keep him. He continues to say he is not thinking of that, only of helping the Mets move on.
Great. They need his help. The Mets require heroes to survive a do-or-die Game 3 on the road. Lots of candidates, of course.
But here is the thing, is Pete Alonso really going to never deliver a big moment late in this season?