The Giants are moving on to the divisional round of the playoffs in the National League because Conor Gillespie hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning of the Wild Card game last night in New York.
Or, more accurately, because San Francisco had Madison Bumgarner.
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The Mets could not touch the Giants’ ace, who tossed a shutout while allowing only four hits, leaving the only question as the night went on to be who would come up with that clutch hit the visitors needed to break hearts in the Big Apple.
That let the big North Carolina native improve his postseason record to 8-3 and lower his ERA to 1.94.
He extended his postseason scoreless streak to an insane 23 innings, and the way he did it had to deliver some schadenfreude for Reds fans.
That's because now Mets faithful can relate to what Cincinnatians were feeling 17 years ago when Al Leiter crushed the surprising Reds' dreams of postseason glory.
Back then it was not a Wild Card game but a one-game playoff, but that’s pretty close the same thing.
The Reds waited another 10 years before finally making it back to the postseason (where they hadn’t been since 1995).
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Will it be that long for the Mets? Who knows?
But the Cubs better start studying up on the other Giants pitchers because we know of at least one they probably won’t be able to touch now that the calendar has crossed into October.
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