Remembering Mets History (2015): NLDS Game #3: Mets Set Franchise Post Season Record Scoring 13 Runs

October 12th, 2015: Citi Field - Queens, New York: Tonight, marked the first post season game in the history of Citi Field. The first post season home game for the Mets since Carlos Beltran left a bat on his shoulder for the final out of the 2006 NLCS.

A full house came out to cheer on the Mets & show their support for Ruben Tejada. Tejada had been run into with a dirty slide from Chase Utley in Game#2 in Los Angeles. Tejada was injured & could not play. The dirty play made for MLB rule changes in sliding into fielders. 

Ruben Tejada got a huge ovation upon his pre-game introduction as he came out walking with a cane. The Met fans also came out to scream their frustrations at the Dodgers & public enemy #1 Chase Utless.

Mets manager Terry Collins sent Matt Harvey (13-8 / 2.71 ERA / 188 Ks) to the mound, in his first post season start. It all came down to this for Harvey, in his short but very newsworthy career.

It started in 2013, as he exploded on the scene as the next Mets phenom pitcher who would hopefully turn the organization around. He then started the All-Star Game at home in Citi Field. At the end of that August, he had arm troubles & then needed the dreaded Tommy John surgery.

First, he said no then two months later chose to go through with it. He then chose to rehab in New York to be near the team & missed all of 2014. Harvey then makes his triumphant return starting out 5-1. He then runs into some troubled starts & the Mets try to limit his innings, going with a six-man rotation.

Harvey gets better the Mets are in a pennant race & his agent says he should be limited to 180 innings period. Harvey does nothing to extinguish the fire.

The fans let him have it, with deGrom, Syndergaard, Matz & Wheeler on the staff, Harvey is not the only show in town. He then speaks out & says he will pitch in the post season, takes the ball & earns the win in the Mets NL East clincher...........

The Dodgers Don Mattingly sent Brett Anderson (10-9 / 3.69 ERA / 116 Ks) to the mound to face Harvey in Game #3 with the series tied at one game each.

1973 NLCS Mets star; Rusty Staub recovering from a recent heart attack threw out the ceremonial first pitch to get things going.

After a quiet 1st inning, the Dodgers struck in the 2nd. Matt Harvey was not himself tonight, in the 2nd inning L.A. collected four straight singles, with Yasmani Grandal's base hit to right clearing the bases after Curtis Granderson's throwing error.

Grandal had not gotten a hit with runners in scoring position in what seemed like forever for the Dodgers came through here, it was quickly 3-0. But these Mets answered right away.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Yoenis Cespedes singled on an infield grounder to Jimmy Rollins. Lucas
Duda then singled to right field. The Mets fans came back to life, making lots of noise.

 Travis d'Arnaud then singled home the Mets first run, scoring Cespedes. Wilmer Flores then singled as well to load the bases. Curtis Granderson, "The Grandyman" delivered with a bases clearing double off the right center field wall, putting New York ahead 4-3.

In the home 3rd, with one out, Yoenis Cespedes singled to right field, for his second hit of the night. Travis d'ARnaud followed with a long HR to left field putting the Mets up 6-3.

In the home 4th, Juan Lagares doubled to start things off. Matt Harvey struck out & then Curtis Granderson grounded out for the second out. L.A. Manager Don Mattingly chose to walk David Wright & pitch to Daniel Murphy. 

But Murph, who was becoming the hottest hitter on the planet came through again, driving in Lagares with a base hit to left field.

Then Yoenis Cespedes launched a tremendous HR into the second deck in left field, an estimated 425 feet, putting the Mets up 10-3.

Citi Field went wild, as Cespedes came out for an old-fashioned Mets curtain call. Cespedes had three hits, a HR & 3 RBIs.

With the big lead the Mets fans began to chant "We want Utley"!!

Matt Harvey pitched with heart tonight, he went five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out seven & walked two. Harvey was relieved by Mets folk hero, Bartolo Colon. 

Colon came on to pitch the top of the 6th inning & to the delight of the Citi Field Faithful, struck out the side in his first inning of work. He got Yasmani Grandal looking, then Enrique Hernandez swinging. Colon then blew away Yasiel Puig for the third out as the fans went wild.

Colon gave up a HR in the 7th, but in two innings of work, he allowed a run on two hits with three strike outs.

The Mets added to the rout, tacking on three more runs in the 7th inning. Travis d'Arnaud started off with his third hit of the night, a base hit to center. Dodger reliever Pedro Baez the walked Wilmer Flores & Juan Lagares to load the bases.

 Don Mattingly went to his pen again, bringing in J.P. Howell. Michael Conforto came through with a pinch-hit sac fly.

After JP Howell through a high tight one to Curtis Granderson, he answered with another shot off the left field wall, driving in two more runs, bringing his RBI total to five on the night. 

Trivia: Granderson tied Rusty Staub's franchise record for most RBIs in a post season game.
Staub had driven in five runs in Game #4 of the 1974 World Series at Shea Stadium. 

The irony that Staub was in attendance & would be the guy who threw out the ceremonial first pitch is Amazing. It was now 13-4 Mets, setting a Mets record for most runs in a post season game.

Addison Reed came on to pitch the 8th & retired the side in order, striking out Grandal to end the inning. 

Terry Collins brought on Eric Goeddel for the 9th. But he struggled immediately, giving up two straight singles & then a three run HR to Howie Kendrick, making it an 13-7 game.

Collins went to his closer, Jeurys Familia, he struck out Adrian Gonzales for the first out. He then retired pinch hitter Justin Ruggiano & Andre Either to end the game. The Mets won it 13-7 with Matt Harvey earning the win. The Mets took two games to one lead in the series. 

Trivia: The twenty runs scored combined by two teams is an NLDS record.