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“We will win”

Posted on by Vanessa
“We will win”

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NEW YORK – New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz didn't hesitate.

He didn't try to express his feelings.

If bravery becomes a bulletin board, then so be it.

“We’re going to win the next two games,” Diaz said flatly after getting the final six outs on Friday.

“We can beat them. We can do this.”

Maybe it wasn't Joe Namath in 1969 who guaranteed the Jets a Super Bowl win, but in this day and age when everyone is trying to keep a tight watch, it's as close as you can get.

The Mets, who seemed dead when they took the field before elimination, instead rose up and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers into submission, writing another chapter in this Cinderella season.

“We wouldn't be here if we didn't win like that,” Mets DH JD Martinez told USA TODAY Sports as he packed his suitcase. “We've been doing this all year. Why stop now?”

The Mets, who fell twice in the series, defeated the Dodgers 12-6 and scored the second-most runs in franchise postseason history before a sellout crowd of 43,841.

“We've been trying to beat this dam until it finally breaks,” Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo said, “and tonight it finally broke.”

The Mets still trail the Dodgers 3-2 in the best-of-seven National League championship series, with their next two games at Dodger Stadium beginning Sunday night.

The 2003 Miami Marlins are the only team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NLCS by winning their last two road games and defeating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field – a series made famous by Cubs fan Steve Bartman became.

Still, the Mets believe, perhaps now more than ever.

“Why not us?” Nimmo said. “We played with our backs against the wall all year and we managed to rise to the challenge. Some might even say that this is when we are at our best.”

“If any team can do it, we can do it.”

Who can blame the Mets for being dizzy?

This is a team that is the first to not be eliminated in a postseason game since the Los Angeles Angels in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series.

“This is crazy,” said Mets DH Jesse Winker, who also hit his first triple in four years. “I still can’t imagine that. …This is the era of the strikeout. It’s special to do that.”

“We have a special lineup. We had a really good game plan tonight. Our backs were pressed against the wall. We knew we wanted something special. We know we have to continue to do some special things.

“And I believe we can do it.”

Everywhere you turned in the Mets clubhouse there was a hero and confidence.

First baseman Pete Alonso, who may have played his last game at Citi Field in a Mets jersey, launched a three-run, 432-foot home run in the first inning on Dodger starter Jack Flaherty's 85-mph slider, which was barely a meter away feet above the ground.

“Honestly, it’s inexplicable,” Alonso said. “It's the magic of the postseason… I mean, I didn't really notice how low the pitch was.”

Then again, as Alonso's teammates raved, it's the polar bear. You wouldn't expect anything less.

“For the rest of us mortals, we’re flying out,” Nimmo said. “But for him it’s just an absolute bomb. So, you know, regular Pete.”

There was young catcher Francisco Alvarez, who had batted .158 this postseason without an extra-base hit or an RBI. He hit a double in his first at-bat, scored a single and a run in his next two at-bats, and then thanked teammate Starling Marte for the pep talk.

“I think the biggest difference was his confidence,” Marte said. “He’s the type of player you can tell something to and he’ll put it into action.”

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said: “I know when you're in trouble, you have a lot of people on your ear and you have to do this and that. Especially at this time of year, the simpler the better. He did that.

“I know it's easy for me to sit here and say it, but so does he. He's a really good player. I said it. And he's showing it right now.

Marte did plenty of damage himself in the Mets' attack with 14 hits and 22 baserunners. He went 4-for-5 with three doubles and three RBI, becoming the first Met to record three doubles in a postseason game.

“I can go 0-for-5 and it doesn’t matter,” Marte said. “As long as I give 100%, the team performs. It's definitely exciting. As long as I’m on base, I feel like we can have success.”

And of course, shortstop Francisco Lindor was once again in the thick of things. The Mets' leadoff hitter went 2-for-4, reached base three times, scored two runs and drove in another. Lindor is the straw that stirs the Mets' drink. The Mets go like Lindor.

He opened the game with a single. He hit a run-scoring triple in the third.

“We’re playing with a lot of confidence at the moment,” said Lindor. “We know what we are capable of.”

Now the Mets head to Los Angeles for Game 6. They will have their best pitcher, Sean Manaea, on the mound. The Dodgers will play a bullpen game. The last time they faced off this way in Game 2, the Mets walked away with a 7-3 win. When it comes to Game 7, pitting Luis Severino against Dodgers starter Walker Buehler, anything can happen.

“You just learn not to panic,” Nimmo said. “If you're new here, you can definitely panic and start changing things. But we've had success focusing on the process for four or five months now and it's not the time to change it.

“We can do this.”

The Mets have proven it all year, so why stop now?

“If you don’t believe, you shouldn’t be here,” Lindor said. “We must believe.”

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

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