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In an ideal world, we’d have four decisive win-or-go-home games today. Alas: We only have one. But one is still plenty exciting! It’s particularly exciting when the two teams involved have so much on the line. The Mets are trying to keep what has felt like a blessed OMG! season going … with a chance to take on the rival Phillies in the NL Division Series, no less. The Brewers have had a rather blessed season themselves, one in which they ran away with the NL Central despite losing their manager and Cy Young winner before the season and their MVP during it. Someone’s going to have their heart broken tonight.
But who will it be? Here’s a look at three major storylines heading into a game both fanbases are likely to remember forever.
Three years ago, he was traded from Tampa Bay to Cleveland for former MLB Pipeline No. 1 prospect Junior Caminero. Two years ago, he was DFA’d by the Giants and then released by the White Sox. One year ago, he was putting up a 5.03 ERA for Double-A Biloxi. Now? Now Myers is the guy the Brewers trust most with their season on the line.
Myers has been fantastic for the Brewers this year, particularly in the second half, putting up a 2.86 ERA in 12 starts. (And if we go all the way back to June 1, he has a better ERA than Tarik Skubal.) He doesn’t throw a lot of innings, though: It has been three weeks since he threw more than four innings. He did throw four scoreless innings in his last appearance, against the Mets just last week, striking out five, walking none and giving up just one hit. He’s incredibly stingy with walks, having allowed just 36 free passes in 138 innings this year. And he’ll have help, of course: This is a team with the best bullpen ERA in baseball this year, though it has been worked hard the past two days.
Bottom line: This is a 26-year-old rookie who was recently waiver bait pitching with his team’s entire season, a glorious season, on the line.
Sure, he’s still only 20 years old, but don’t let yourself be fooled: Chourio is the best thing the Brewers have going in their lineup. Chourio has two of the three Brewers homers in the series, and he’s hitting .500; combined, he and Brice Turang have nine of the Brewers’ 19 total hits this series. He’s a budding superstar, and, as we saw in Game 2, he has the whole Brewers fanbase in the palm of his hand. (There is a sound that stadium makes when he hits the ball that reminds you of the old County Stadium, and Robin Yount.)
You have to wonder if the Mets are going to start pitching around Chourio, even with Blake Perkins (2-for-3 on Wednesday) and William Contreras behind him. Chourio is a transcendent talent who is clearly writing the first chapter of an incredible career this very series. The Mets may be wise to not give him the opportunity to write any more.
If the stage is set for any Met this series, it is probably Alonso. Famously entering free agency this offseason — and therefore potentially playing his last game as a Met — Alonso is a beloved Met who is third on the franchise’s all-time home run list, but also one who doesn’t have an unusually memorable homer, one that would secure his place in Mets lore. He actually hasn’t homered since Sept. 19 (or had any extra-base hits for that matter), and perhaps cost the Mets a run in Game 2 when he tripped out of the batter’s box in what turned out to be a fairly significant double play when the Mets were on the verge of taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
Alonso has been with the Mets for some very lean times, and the fanbase is itching for him to have an epic moment during this inspiring, at-times delirious season. The Mets haven’t yet homered in this series, and there is no better time — there may never be any better time, ever — than right now for Alonso to show off the power that has made him a fan favorite.