New Hope, New Fish ~ A Miami Marlins Dynasty (MLB The Show 16)

[Number999]

Justin Bour is now forever a hero and legend in Miami

All series long against the Chicago Cubs, the Miami Marlins had failed to hit a home run.

Until it mattered most.

Have you ever been in that position? That so very rare position as a fan. This is probably one of the most unique, from totally bleakness, doubt, hope, everything... to utter jubilation and happiness. There's nothing else like it. In the movies, it's partially expected. In sports, there is no script to go after. With two quick outs just like that, the season was supposed to be over for the Marlins. Dee Gordon and Christian Yelich were one of the few guys who actually got some hits tonight. Giancarlo Stanton had been hitting awfully all series, and it was almost fitting in a gloom and doom way that the series would end on his shoulders in under-whelming and under-performing fashion.

But it didn't. and not only did it not, it ended in the best way possible. You never like the terror in sports when it comes to your fandom, but it's what makes some of the greatest feelings and moments in sports possible. Going into a series, if you were asked would you rather blow someone out or have a close intense series where you barely survive at the end, you choose the later. Why? The terror is almost in a sense, paid off when it goes your way. It's why Game #6, Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals where it felt like everything was over was so magical. It was over till it wasn't, and that's the moment in sports we're always waiting for.

Just to give you an idea, take a look at Hector Rondon. He is a 28-year old closer who's been in the majors since 2013. In 2015, he was insane. He went 6-4, 70 innings, 30 saves, and was really good for the Cubs. This year? Not so much. Many believe it was injuries that haunted him to start the year, but he finished the 2016 season with a record of 1-5, 40.2 innings, 38 saves, and an ERA at 4.87. That is horrendous. But, towards the end of the year he improved and Joe Maddon decided to have some faith in him. He hoped he could re-conjur up some of the magic he showed in 2015. Instead, it didn't happen. He is due for arbitration this upcoming year, but it's doubtful many Cubs fans will want him back with the way it ended and how awful he was for the majority of the season.

Now look at it from the Marlins perspective. Your season was over. Down 2-3, bottom of the 9th, 2 outs with your superstar coming to the plate. Yeah it looks fine now in retrospect, but here were Stanton's numbers this postseason that should still be a concern as they enter the NLCS vs the New York Mets. 22 at-bats. 3 hits. 2 runs. 3 RBIs. .136 batting average. 2 walks. 10 strikeouts. That is awful stuff man. Yet, Stanton knew not to press or try too hard as the Marlins final out. Rondon was scared of him. That results in a 4-pitch walk. Next up was Justin Bour who has arguably been the Marlins best hitter this postseason neck-and-neck with Dee Gordon. He had a solid year... but to do THAT, in THAT moment? That's how you become a legend. A hometown legend, and he'll remember that for his entire career no matter what happens the rest of the way.

So, for the 2016 NLCS it will be the Miami Marlins vs New York Mets. That is something magical honestly. The Mets pitching arms will be insane. The Marlins failed to get a win against Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester, but it didn't matter as they made the back-end of the rotation in Kyle Hendricks, Jason Hammel, and John Lackey ultimately suffer. Daniel Hudson, Neil Ramirez, and Hector Rondon will all have to hide their faces in Chi-Town for awhile. For the Mets though... the situation is different. Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and even Steven Matz are all damn amazing pitchers. With the way they performed to end the year, this series will be far from a cake-walk, and if they want to advance to the World Series, it will require Giancarlo Stanton(and Dee/Yelich/Bour of course) to step up big-time and be the superstar he was all of the 2016 MLB Regular Season.

Other Marlins Celebrations:

Spoiler

Bour's homer was just insane, here's the shot


Bour can't believe it as he rounds 1st base, 4-3 win


Everyone celebrating at home plate around Bour


The celebration continues with everyone on the field

[Number999]

2016 MLB Playoffs Review, Divisional League Series

American League

Divisional Matchup: Toronto Blue Jays (1) vs Detroit Tigers (3)
Recap: Alright so before the series started, I had predicted that the Blue Jays would win this series in 4 games. I was of course wrong. Just great offense by Detroit man, there's nothing else I can say. In Game #1, it was Jordan Zimmerman vs Marcus Stroman and Zimmerman just barely edged him out, going 9 innings and allowing just 3 hits compared to Stroman's 8 innings allowing 6 hits and 1 run. In Game #2, it looked like the Blue Jays bounced back. Donaldson, Brown, and Martin all tore it up for them against Anibal Sanchez and Francisco Rodriguez. But, the Tigers took care of business at home. Winning Game #3 in 5-4 fashion and Game #4 in 8-4 fashion. Ian Kinsler was great as was Justin Upton. After making the ALCS last year, the Blue Jays are now eliminated and there is no historic Jose Bautista bat-flip. Props to Detroit though, since 2011 they've made the playoffs 5 of the last 6 years. That's impressive management, especially in baseball.

Divisional Matchup: Houston Astros (3) vs Boston Red Sox (2)
Recap: Hey check me out! I actually nailed the 3-2 series prediction with the Astros advancing! Woo! It didn't look pretty to start though. The Red Sox crushed the Astros in Game #1 in Texas in a fashion of 8-1 with everyone hitting well. Dallas Keuchel was chased after the game in 4 innings, while Clay Buchholz pitched a complete game for Boston. In Game #2... holy bleep the homers by Houston. Altuve, Gomez, Correa, Springer, and Rasmus all went yard leading to a 6-3 victory as the Astros bounced back. Game #3 was quite possibly the best game of the postseason if you love offense. The Red Sox were losing 3-7 entering the bottom of the 7th. They rallied. Scoring 3 in the 7th, 2 in the 8th, and 1 in the 9th to walk-off against Houston. A horrific performance by the Astros bullpen, many believed that would break Houston's poor back. But... they learned something from last year after collapsing vs Kansas City with a 2-1 series lead and blowing a lead late. They needed to have a counter-punch... and man did they hit hard. In Game #4, down 3-4 in the top of the 9th... their season could be over, THEY. SAID. NO. Scoring 3 runs, they won the game 6-4 by getting all 3 off Craig Kimbrel(ouch). Going back home to Texas, they won 5-3 and are now on to the ALCS. Incredible comeback, and RIP Boston.

Championship Matchup: Houston Astros vs Detroit Tigers
Preview: You wanna talk about some teams... I have no idea who could win between these two. I like the Astros just because they showed that resilience in Game #4 when their season could have easily been over. They did all that against an elite closer like Craig Kimbrel. Luis Valbuena and Carlos Gomez have each also been scorching hot for them. On the other hand, you have a team like the Tigers who have tons of experience and guys like Miggy and Ian Kinsler who are lighting it up. I feel like the Tigers have better pitching personally, and they showed that with how they were able to dismantle the Blue Jays and not let their monster bats like Encarnacion, Donaldson, Tulowitzki, and Bautista all kill them. I'm gonna go with the Tigers in 7 games against the Astros in one hell of a series, but Texas fans hearts being broken at home(and Kinsler is gonna do it as a guy who played for the Rangers 8 years)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National League

Divisional Matchup: Miami Marlins (3) vs Chicago Cubs (2)
Recap: How about them Marlins... sheesh, I don't even know what to say about this series with the amount I've covered it. The Marlins felt like they could have had Game #1 with less mental mistakes, and they played scared like a team that's never been in the playoffs before. In Game #2, Jon Lester was just insane and there was nothing you could do about it. To respond, down 0-2, going on the road, and stealing 2 games on the road in extra innings is insane. Then, at home, down 2-3 after allowing a run in the top of the 8th, down to your final out, you have your superstar walk and the clean-up man behind him walk you off into the NLCS? That's just stupid. Cubs fans are going to have to live with being haunted over these 2 extra inning games. It is total and utter heartbreak in every way, but you have to give credit to the Marlins for clawing back like that when nobody in the world thought they would.

Divisional Matchup: San Francisco Giants (1) vs New York Mets (3)
Recap: Stinkin' Mets... I had the Giants in 4 games, and of course, the Mets win 3 straight after dropping Game #1. Just great hitting by the Mets is all I can say. David Wright has been spectacular hitting .360+ and it's brought rejoice to the hearts of many Giants fans. Curtis Granderson is doing great, as is Travis d'Arnaud. The one thing to note though? Yoenis Cespedes... has vanished after an amazing 2016 year. In 22 at-bats, he has just 1 hit. That's all. He's hitting .045 and is making Giancarlo Stanton look like Barry Bonds. You have to wonder if both of their bats are going to wake up and make this look like a home run derby. As for the Giants, tough break man. Your pitchers didn't come through. Hunter Strickland, Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jake Peavy, and Jeff Samardzija all had an ERA north of 6.00, you're not gonna win in the MLB Playoffs like that. Just like that, the Mets have eliminated the NL West from playoff contention in back-to-back series, rough stuff California.

Championship Matchup: Miami Marlins vs New York Mets
Preview: Miami vs New York. Oh baby. Yeah, many people would have enjoyed a rematch of last years NLCS between the Mets and the Cubs to see if Chicago could redeem themselves, but the Cubs slipped up. Now it's the Marlins chance to break the hearts of the Big Apple. I've already touched on Stanton and Cespedes going ice cold, but the real key of this series is going to come down to if the Marlins top of the lineup can generate anything against the Mets power arms. Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard, Matz, and even Wheeler. Those guys are gonna be a pain in the ***, and the Marlins top hitters like Dee Gordon, Christian Yelich, Justin Bour, and Martin Prado all have to be seeing the ball well if they want to make the World Series and take on either Detroit or Houston. If I had to make a final prediction... I'm gonna have to go with the Mets. I just feel like their pitching will be too much. I am gonna go ahead and take the Mets upsetting the Marlins in an intense and competitive 6 games.

Those are the 2016 National League Divisional Series recaps and 2016 NLCS previews.

[BlueJays09]

Wow, what a great series and great write up. I had Goosebumps the whole way through. Did you play those games or simulate, or watch CPU vs CPU?

Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the next series vs. New York. I am excited to start my playoffs now haha!

[Number999]

Quote: Originally Posted by BlueJays09

Wow, what a great series and great write up. I had Goosebumps the whole way through. Did you play those games or simulate, or watch CPU vs CPU? Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the next series vs. New York. I am excited to start my playoffs now haha!

Thank you! For playoff games, I play the full 9 innings(or I guess in this case 11/12 innings lol) I think baseball is awesome, but to do a franchise that I can stay focused on and keep posting about, I can't do Game #67 vs Milwaukee with a full write-up, at least sure as hell not consistently for multiple seasons. Playoffs though is so much fun. In case you ever wonder what difficulty I'm playing on(All-Star atm for both sides which is perfect with how close that series was) you can check the front post where I have all the details there.

[Number999]

Miami Marlins vs New York Mets, Game #1

New York Mets at Miami Marlins
Oct 15, 2016	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York (0-0)	1	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	4	8	0
Miami (0-0)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	5	0
W: Jacob deGrom (1-0) L: Jose Fernandez (0-2) S: Jeurys Familia (4)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			NYM	MIA
NYM	1	Michael Conforto homered to center field	1	0
NYM	5	Yoenis Cespedes doubled to right field, deGrom scores, Wright scores	3	0
NYM	6	Asdrubal Cabrera doubled to center field, Walker scores	4	0
MIA	9	Justin Bour homered to center field, Yelich scores	4	2

New York Mets
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
David Wright (3B)	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	.348
Michael Conforto (LF)	4	1	1	1	0	1	1	.125
Yoenis Cespedes (CF)	4	0	1	2	0	2	0	.077
Lucas Duda (1B)	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.250
Travis d'Arnaud (C)	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.273
Neil Walker (2B)	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	.304
Asdrubal Cabrera (SS)	4	0	2	1	0	1	0	.273
Curtis Granderson (RF)	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	.316
Jacob deGrom (P)	4	1	0	0	0	1	0	.200
Jeurys Familia (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TEAM TOTALS	36	4	8	4	0	11	1
BATTING: 2B: Yoenis Cespedes, Neil Walker, Asdrubal Cabrera (2) HR: Michael Conforto RBI: Yoenis Cespedes (2), Michael Conforto, Asdrubal Cabrera

Miami Marlins
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Dee Gordon (2B)	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.385
Christian Yelich (LF)	3	1	1	0	1	0	0	.346
Giancarlo Stanton (RF)	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.115
Justin Bour (1B)	4	1	2	2	0	1	1	.435
Tomas Telis (C)	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.095
Marcell Ozuna (CF)	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	.267
Adeiny Hechavarria (SS)	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.143
Martin Prado (3B)	2	0	0	0	1	1	0	.174
Jose Fernandez (P)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Keone Kela (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Ichiro Suzuki (PH)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.062
Bryan Morris (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Avery Romero (PH)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.500
Mike Dunn (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TEAM TOTALS	29	2	5	2	2	7	1
BATTING: 2B: Justin Bour HR: Justin Bour RBI: Justin Bour (2) HBP: Dee Gordon GIDP: Martin Prado, Adeiny Hechavarria, Avery Romero

New York Mets
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Jacob deGrom (W, 1-0)	8.2	5	2	2	2	7	1	3.00
Jeurys Familia (S, 4)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	10.13
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	5	2	2	2	7	1

Miami Marlins
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Jose Fernandez (L, 0-2)	4.1	4	2	2	0	8	1	4.70
Keone Kela	1.2	4	2	2	0	2	0	4.50
Bryan Morris	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.45
Mike Dunn	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	8	4	4	0	11	1
PITCHING: WP: Jose Fernandez

Game Recap: Gah... dammit man.

There isn't exactly difficult math to do here regarding tonight. Jose Fernandez was still gassed from his Game #4 performance. He had to go 6 innings then and allowed just 1 run to Kris Bryant on a homer. While he would not get the win, the Marlins would eventually stun the Cubs in extra innings. Tonight, he was asked to go above and beyond... and... it was just too much for him. At least when it reached a breaking point. In the 1st inning, he struck out David Wright, gave up a homer to Conforto, and then struck out Cespedes and Lucas Duda. That seems to be the theme of Fernandez these playoffs... he's making that one mistake, and it's hurting his team badly these playoffs.

The Marlins offense failed to do much of anything the first... well basically the whole game really. These were the notable things that happened through the first 4 innings. A Yelich single in the 1st which led to nothing since both Stanton and Bour struck out after him. Ozuna singled in the 2nd inning, but it was totally negated by the fact Hechavarria grounded into a double play which was a ball-busting momentum stopper. Nothing happened in the 3rd inning. Finally in the 4th inning with 2 outs as Yelich and Stanton failed to generate anything, Bour was able to hear roars from the ground as he lined a double in the gap. Tomas Telis would then ground out to end the nothing. Just 0 fluid offense. Crappy offense. Infuriating and frustrating offense for all the fans.

By the top of the 5th inning, Jose Fernandez was at 70 pitches. Considering he was really only around half-stamina full from his Game #4 start and was totally drained, image if this was like his 140th pitch if this had all happened in 1 game. Yeah, he was drained. Still, he told Mattingly to please let him pitch the 5th. He could handle one more. After working a 1-2 count, Curtis Granderson grounded to center field for a single. Next up was Jacob deGrom. He tried to advance the runner on a bunt, but failed as Telis gunned out Granderson at 2nd. With a man on 1st and 1 out in the inning, Mattingly told Fernandez he had done his job. He pulled him for Keone Kela. Kela failed at his job. He let David Wright single to right field. Michael Conforto the grounded out to the mound for the 2nd out of the inning while runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd. To keep the game even, all Keone Kela needed to do was get out Yoenis Cespedes.... but he couldn't. He allowed him to RIP a ball twirling towards the right field foul poll. It looked like it was gonna be a homer, but instead it banged off the fence as Stanton was too slow to make a diving acrobatic save off the wall. 2 runs scored. Kela retired the next batter, but now the Mets added two more runs and led 3-0.

The bottom of the 5th started well. Marcell Ozuna grounded to center field once again for a single and you started to feel like the juices may start flowing. Nope. Instead, Hechavarria flew out and Prado grounded into a double play to end the inning. That was just the sort of day the Marlins had going for them all night. Stop-and-go. More stopping than going. No one could do anything right. The maximum wish you had was the bullpen would hold the only run to a Conforto homer at 1-0, and then maybe you could scrounge together some small-ball and crappy offense to make anything happen. It just wasn't our night. The next inning, Kela continued to prove that. Neil Walker doubled to left field. Then Asdrubal Cabrera doubled to bring Walker home. A dreadful 1.2 inning performance... fans are frustrated with the former Texas Ranger to say the least, and that leads to criticism of the front office for the move.

Not much else really happened. In the bottom of the 6th, Dee Gordon got hit by a curve-ball that curled too much. But Yelich and Stanton ddi nothing. Bryan Morris shutdown the next 2 innings of the Mets offense. Wright, Conforto, Cespedes, Duda, d'Arnaud, and Walker all failed to get a hit off him which at the very least grew his confidence hopefully. The Marlins didn't do anything. Their best chance to finally retaliate came in the bottom of the 8th. Hechavarria struck out, but Martin Prado earned a tough walk to get on base! Woo! Comeback! Let's go! Pinch-hitter baby! Romero's been good all playoffs! LETS GOOO-... grounded into a double play. End of the inning. DAMMIT!

The Marlins... even at their bleakest moment, did finally manage to put something together. Even if many felt it was pointless. To start off the bottom of the 9th after Mike Dunn retired the Mets offense in 1-2-3 fashion, Dee Gordon grounded out to David Wright. Christian Yelich worked a walk. Stanton please finally come through!?!?!... no. He flew out on 1 pitch. This'll be a bigger issue later. Down to their final out, the Marlins had the HERO at the plate in Justin Bour. His home run shot in Game #5 vs Chicago should have a statue once he retires. On a 2-0 count, he crushes a ball high in the zone to center field for a home run blast. Now it was only a 4-2 lead for the Mets. But, there was no final rally. Telis grounded out to end the ballgame. The New York Mets now led the National League Championship Series over the Miami Marlins, 1-0.... why do we always insist on doing this to ourselves?

Other Marlins/Mets Photos:

Spoiler

Intro for Game #1 of the 2016 NLCS


Justin Bour's somewhat useless homer to make it 2-4

[enyc718]

If you were playing any other team, I'd be rooting for you.....Let's Go Mets!!

[Number999]

Cespedes comes through for the Mets, Stanton cannot

During the 2016 MLB regular season, Giancarlo Stanton and Yoenis Cespedes were battling each other neck and neck in a remarkable race. Both were on top flight NL East clubs looking for just that extra edge. Cespedes has an edge in defense, but Stanton proved how dominant he could be all year when healthy. Despite the fact Jose Fernandez ended up winning the NL MVP Award, the stats each of them put up were remarkable.... Stanton had 45 homers, 115 RBIs, a .291 batting average, a OPS over 1,000 and a WAR at 8.31. Cespedes strung together a year of 43 homers, 124 RBIs, a .291 batting average, a OPS at .930, and a WAR of 7.80. Both frigging amazing years. But now... despite both of their teams are fighting in the NLCS, here are their postseason stats respectively.

Playoff Statistics:
Giancarlo Stanton: 6 games, 26 ABs, 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, 0 homers, 3 RBIs, .115 | .179 | .154 | 12 strikeouts
Yoenis Cespedes: 6 games, 26 ABs, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 run, 0 homers, 2 RBIs, .077 | .111 | .115 | 11 strikeouts

What the hell even are those stats mean?.... HOW ARE THESE THE TOP TWO HITTERS FOR TWO TEAMS IN THE NLCS!?!?!?! The one difference? In Game #1 of the NLCS, when the time mattered, Cespedes stepped up to the plate. He hit a double off the fence in the 5th inning that busted open the door giving the Mets a 3-0 lead. With a 2 outs and a massive spot... he came through clutch. Giancarlo Stanton has failed to have even one of those moments this postseason. It has been Justin Bour who has been forced to be the miracle man, and you have to wonder when that run of luck may run out of the big man. Stanton has to step up soon, or he may begin to receive that Clayton Kershaw / Barry Bonds reputation of being a hall of famer in the regular season and in the postseason, oof...

As for Game #2 in Miami, there's a hell of a lot riding on it for the Marlins. They really, really don't wanna go down 0-2 AGAIN headed on the road these playoffs. We already saw what sort of shenanigans it took just to survive against Chicago. A team with experience and elite pitching like the Mets won't allow that to happen again. Matt Harvey who's the Ace of the pitching staff for New York will get the start. As for Miami, it will be the man who came through for a monstrous Game #3 performance vs Chicago... Adam Conley. He went 6 innings vs the Cubbies elite lineup and did not concede a single run while striking out 6 batters. He needs to have a performance similar to that to give the Marlins a shot to even the series up and not dig themselves in another bad hole.

That's enough blabbering though, let's get on with Miami vs New York in Game #2 of the NLCS!

[Number999]

Miami Marlins vs New York Mets, Game #2

Mets at Marlins |
Oct 16, 2016	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Extras	R	H	E
New York (1-0)	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	17th Inning: 1	4	8	0
Miami (0-1)	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	17th Inning: 0	3	10	2
W: Antonio Bastardo (1-0) L: Jarred Cosart (1-1) S: Jeurys Familia (5)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			NYM	MIA
NYM	2	Curtis Granderson tripled to center field, Cabrera scores	1	0
MIA	3	Dee Gordon hit an inside the park homer to center field	1	1
NYM	5	Yoenis Cespedes doubled to left, Harvey scores, Wright scores	3	1
MIA	7	Avery Romero doubled to center, Telis scores	3	2
MIA	7	Christian Yelich hits a sacrifice fly to left field, Romero scores	3	3
NYM	17	Yoenis Cespedes homered to left field	4	3

New York Mets
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
David Wright (3B)	7	1	2	0	0	1	0	.333
Michael Conforto (LF)	7	0	0	0	0	1	0	.097
Yoenis Cespedes (CF)	6	1	2	3	1	2	1	.125
Lucas Duda (1B)	6	0	0	0	1	3	0	.200
Travis d'Arnaud (C)	7	0	0	0	0	2	0	.207
Neil Walker (2B)	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.269
Dusty Coleman (PR, 2B)	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Asdrubal Cabrera (SS)	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	.320
Alejandro De Aza (PH)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Danny Muno (SS)	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.200
Curtis Granderson (RF)	6	0	2	1	0	2	0	.320
Matt Harvey (P)	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Jerry Blevins (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Hansel Robles (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Kevin Plawecki (PH)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Jim Henderson (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Dilson Herrera (PH)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Antonio Bastardo (P)	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Jeurys Familia (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TEAM TOTALS	57	4	8	4	2	15	1
BATTING: 2B: Yoenis Cespedes 3B: Curtis Granderson HR: Yoenis Cespedes (2), Michael Conforto, Asdrubal Cabrera RBI: Curtis Granderson, Yoenis Cespedes (3) HBP: Neil Walker GIDP: David Wright
BASERUNNING: CS: David Wright (2), Dusty Coleman

Miami Marlins
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Dee Gordon (2B)	7	1	4	1	0	0	1	.424
Christian Yelich (LF)	5	0	0	1	1	1	0	.290
Giancarlo Stanton (RF)	6	0	1	0	1	3	0	.125
Justin Bour (1B)	7	0	1	0	0	4	0	.367
Martin Prado (3B)	7	0	0	0	0	1	0	.133
Marcell Ozuna (CF)	7	0	2	0	0	3	0	.273
Tomas Telis (C)	7	1	1	0	0	1	0	.107
Adeiny Hechavarria (SS)	6	0	0	0	1	2	0	.111
Adam Conley (P)	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Ichiro Suzuki (PH)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.059
Bryan Morris (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Mike Dunn (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Avery Romero (PH)	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	.600
Carter Capps (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Chris Johnson (PH)	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Keone Kela (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Tony Sipp (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Miguel Rojas (PH)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Jarred Cosart (P)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Jeff Mathis (PH)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TEAM TOTALS	58	3	10	3	3	17	1
BATTING: 2B: Justin Bour, Marcell Ozuna, Avery Romero HR: Dee Gordon RBI: Dee Gordon, Christian Yelich, Avery Romero SF: Christian Yelich SAC: Jarred Cosart GIDP: Christian Yelich
FIELDING: E: Jarred Cosart, Justin Bour

New York Mets
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Matt Harvey	6.1	6	3	3	2	8	1	2.49
Jerry Blevins (BS, 1)	0.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Hansel Robles	2.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0.00
Jim Henderson	3.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Antonio Bastardo (W, 1-0)	4.0	1	0	0	1	4	0	1.69
Jeurys Familia (S, 5)	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	7.36
TEAM TOTALS	17.0	10	3	3	3	17	1

Miami Marlins
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Adam Conley	5.0	6	3	3	2	1	0	2.45
Bryan Morris	1.1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1.80
Mike Dunn	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Carter Capps	2.0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0.00
Keone Kela	0.2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3.86
Tony Sipp	2.1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2.16
Jarred Cosart (L, 1-1)	5.0	1	1	1	0	6	1	1.59
TEAM TOTALS	17.0	8	4	4	2	15	1
PITCHING: WP: Bryan Morris

Game Recap: I'm not sure if a loss has ever hurt quite like this... geez man.

I don't even know where to begin...

I don't believe there has ever been a more crushing loss in the postseason in Miami Marlins history. Perhaps there's a couple of factors taking place there... for one, this happened last night so recency bias is a factor. Another thing is that the only other postseason games the Marlins have ever played in were back in 2003 and 1997.... yeah... just a tiny bit ago. Regardless, this game vs a divisional rival and a team that is coming off a World Series appearance was a frigging grind man. 17 innings. At home. Down 0-1. You're going on the road for 3 straight games after this... when the result doesn't go your way, it's just simply devastating and there's nothing to console that feeling of it all.

The 1st inning for both sides was fairly normal. Conley allowed a single to Wright, but he was gunned out trying to steal by Tomas Telis. Michael Conforto grounded out, Cespedes walked(good sign for Mets fans), and Lucas Duda grounded out to end the top half of the 1st inning. For the Marlins, Dee grounded out while Yelich flew out. Giancarlo Stanton though singled to right field on a line drive right past Duda. Cespedes earned a walk, Stanton with a single, perhaps each of them were starting to finally wake up? Bour struck out to end the inning but both of these early signs potentially pointed towards each of the sleeping giants to finally wake up.

The 2nd inning sadly did not go the way the Marlins wished. Adam Conley performed well vs the Cubs, and you were hoping despite a rocky regular season for the 25-year old, he would come through clutch for you in a big Game #2 in the NLCS.... he kinda did that I guess? Travis d'Arnaud grounded out to Hechavarria, then Walker repeated that action but then... geez. Asdrubal Cabrera singled on a basic ball to right field. Easy, no problem. Then Curtis Granderson stepped up. With all due respect, Granderson's best days are well behind him and while he's doing the best he can right now... this isn't Tigers or Yankees Granderson. Still, on a fastball left hanging in the zone he crushed a ball to right center field. It looked like it was gone... until Stanton ran up and nearly robbed Granderson.... but he was just a little short and a little late to make a gold-glove Jim Edmonds-like catch. The ball bounced off the ball and luckily Marcell Ozuna was there to throw it to the cut-off man. Granderson got his triple, the Mets got their 1-0 lead, and now the Fish trailed just like in Game #1. Matt Harvey grounded out to end the half inning.

The next two half innings saw little to no action. All the Marlins could muster up after conceding that run was a single by Ozuna after Prado flew out, and Telis and Hechavarria both failed to convert on anything to end the 2nd inning. In the top of the 3rd, Wright, Conforto, and Cespedes all went down in order.... and that's when things finally got interesting. After Adam Conley struck out after working the count a bit, Dee Gordon stepped up to the plate. It looked like he hit a solid fastball up in the zone for a single to center field... but Yoenis Cespedes was having none of that. He tried to dive all out and make a spectacular play... except he was a solid foot short. The ball rolled to the warning track of center field as Dee dashed around the bases. Granderson collected the ball and launched a ball in to the cut-off man who then sent it home, but Dee just managed to slip his hand in and was safe at home plate. An exhilarating inside-the-park home run to tie up the ballgame at 1 run a piece. It looked like the Fish could even extend and bust open the game as Yelich and Stanton each walked consecutively to have runners on 1st and 2nd with just 1 out, but sadly Matt Harvey recovered and re-focused to get Bour/Prado striking out to end the inning.

After a 4th inning where Duda walked, d'Arnauad/Walker/Cabrera went down in order and Ozuna/Telis/Hechavarria went down, the 5th inning sparked some flames re-igniting an even ballgame. Curtis Granderson leading off the inning for the Mets singled to center field, it felt like he was just on the button all night... next up was Matt Harvey. He bunted on a pitch high in the zone. Telis quickly scooped it up, and launched the ball to 2nd base just barely getting Granderson out and getting the force out. David Wright singled to right field, and then Mattingly started getting the bullpen busy with Keone Kela and Bryan Morris. Michael Conforto then grounded out to the pitcher, but he allowed Harvey to advance to 3rd and Harvey to advance to 2nd. 2 on. 2 outs. Yoenis Cespedes now coming to the plate. There was an open base at 1st but with how awful Cespedes had been hitting all postseason... why not throw to him? He ended up making the Marlins pay. Dearly. A dribbler that found it's way down the 3rd base line, it allowed both Harvey and Wright to score as Cespedes advanced to 2nd on the throw home. 3-1 lead for the Mets, stupid idea to pitch to him considering he had a double with 2 outs that drove in 2 runs in the 5th inning in Game #1 but DAMMIT MAN! Lucas Duda struck out to end the inning, just infuriating with how awful he's been hitting he comes through big in the biggest spot.

That would be Adam Conley's final inning as he was pinch-hit for by Ichiro in the bottom of the 5th. Dee Gordon singled which gave some hope with the top of the lineup stepping up now!.... but Yelich struck out and Stanton flew out. In the top of the 6th, Bryan Morris entered the game. Travis d'Arnaud popped out, Walker struck out, Cabrera singled and advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch but then Granderson grounded out. For hitting in the bottom of the 6th, Bour grounded out, Prado grounded out, and Ozuna grounded out. Harvey was hitting his stride all over again. Morris continued pitching for the Marlins despite having worked 2 innings in Game #1. He got Harvey to ground out, but Bour then allowed Wright to reach 1st on an error on a ball that slipped past him. Conforto then struck out, and for the 2nd time in the game Wright tried to steal with Cespedes batting but was gunned out. What was the feeling entering the bottom of the 7th? Gloom. Why? Cause Cespedes came through clutch... the offense was just being crappy other than those 3 at-bats in the 3rd inning. Just a feeling of helplessness.

Luckily, that feeling was wrong.

In the bottom of the 7th, Matt Harvey stayed on the mound for the Mets as he had finally found a rhythm. On the 1st pitch, Tomas Telis gashed a base hit up the middle for a single. Adeiny Hechavarria then struck out chasing an inside fastball. A runner on 1st, 1 out, and Avery Romero stepped up as a pinch hitter for Bryan Morris who had served his purpose dutifully with his 2 innings of work. Romero had hit remarkably well despite fulfilling the role as just a pinch hitter in the postseason... this time, he came through once again. He blasted a double into the left center field gap driving home Telis. Harvey was then instantly yanked by Terry Collins for Jerry Blevins. Still, it appears as though the momentum was felt by the rest of the lineup as Dee Gordon was the next batter up and hit a single to center right through his legs, Romero held up at 3rd with Cespedes having a monster arm in center field. Christian Yelich batted next, and his job was simple. Tie up this frigging ballgame. A double play would be the worst thing possible. Despite getting a sinker low in the zone, Yelich used all his force to drive a ball to left field in the air. It wasn't that deep, but due to a stumble it allowed Romero to score home easily. All new ballgame tied up at 3-3 in the 7th inning, despite Stanton striking as the next batter, it didn't matter... Marlins Park was electric.

Now, let's calm down for a second and do a little math right here. It's a tied up ballgame at 3-3. The game went 17 innings. It ended in a 4-3 result. What can be determined? Basically... no one scored for a solid 9 straight innings, a whole ballgame in it's own right essentially. Many people like to complain about the "dullness" of baseball and how it's difficult to get zoned into a game that takes so long and such. Not in this case. Every bottom half of an inning with just one swing of the bat a Marlins player could send the entire place into a frenzy. The same could be said for the Mets, only their would be chaos and despair to go around. The larger point? The innings where nothing happened still count to the mythology of a game, and that's why I'll cover them.

But before getting into extras... the 8th and 9th innings needed to be wrapped up. Carter Capps entered the 8th inning for the Marlins and managed to strike out the side of Cespedes, Duda, and d'Arnauad. The Marlins offense then took over with Hansel Robles pitching. Bour struck out, Prado grounded out, and Ozuna struck out looking. Headed to the top of the 9th, Capps stayed out there and started off shaky. A curve-ball messed with him and flew inside hitting Neil Walker on his leg to advance to 1st easily. Dusty Coleman replaced him as a pinch runner, and Alejandro de Aza pinch hit for Asdrubal Cabrera. Thankfully, none of the Mets changes panned out for them. Coleman went on a hit-and-run where de Aza couldn't make contact and was gunned out trying to steal. Then de Aza grounded out. Then Granderson struck out looking. What did all of this mean? Well it meant that if the Marlins were going to win this game, it would have to come from a walk-off scenario... but there was no hero or savior tonight. Telis grounded out, Hechavarria flew out, and C. Johnson who pinch-hit struck out to send the game to extras.

The 10th inning was basic stuff. Keone Kela was going to get some work in just cause he needed too after giving up a few runs in Game #1. He got Plawecki to pop out and got Wright striking out. He was then replaced for Tony Sipp who comfortably sat down Michael Conforto. With Jim Henderson now pitching for the Mets, the Marlins batters almost seemed confused by his speed pitches. Gordon, Yelich, and Stanton sat down in order. The 11th inning didn't get much better if you're a fan of hitting. Cespedes, Duda, d'Arnauad all went down and Miami responded with lifting the hopes and dreams of a fanbase before quickly extinguishing them. Justin Bour was the lead-off man and despite falling behind early in a 1-2 count, he worked it back to a full 3-2 setup and then blasted a double over into right field. A runner on 2nd, no outs, bottom of the 11th. This was the Marlins chance. But they failed. Martin Prado tried to bunt Bour over to 3rd but Bour didn't advance then Ozuna flew out, and then Telis popped out. The winning run was so close and... it would be one of the closest opportunities the Marlins would get to a game-winning play.

In the 12th inning, Tony Sipp continued his dominance and sat down Coleman, Muno, and Granderson. With the lineup continuing to rotate, after Hechavarria popped out Sipp was replaced by Miguel Rojas to pinch-hit. He just flew out. Finally, Dee Gordon had cooled off after his amazing start to the game and grounded out to end the inning. Jarred Cosart now entered the game after warmign up in the bullpen for the Marlins. Why? Because the Marlins only had David Phelps(didn't wanna use) and AJ Ramos(closer) remaining otherwise. It was figured Tom Koehler would get the next start anyways so who cares about his rest. Cosart's first opponent didn't go great for him in the 13th. Dilson Herrera was pinch-hitting and hit a blopper right back to Cosart but he bobbled the ball and reached 1st safely after the error. But, instead of letting that cost him, he bounced right back. He got David Wright to ground into a double play to make up for that mistake, and then Michael Conforto grounded out to end the inning. After Yelich/Stanton/Bour got sat down in order by Antonio Bastardo, many fans started settling in realizing this game could be in for a doozy.

By this point in the 14th inning, it seems both managers and teams has resigned to one way of thinking. Jarred Cosart and Antonio Bastardo were going to be our last pitchers until their arms fall off. It appeared as though fatigue also started draining on the hitters who had been at the plate at one time or another for 5+ hours at this point. Cespedes, Duda, d'Arnauad down for the Mets.... Prado/Ozuna/Telis down for the Marlins. On to the 15th. Coleman/Muno/Granderson down for the Mets!..... and then things got interested. This was the Marlins best shot to win the game, no question. Adeiny Hechavarria was the 1st hitter and somehow earned himself a walk despite not hitting well all game. Jarred Cosart stayed in the game with no one knowing how long this match could go. He sacrificed bunted Hechavarria up to 2nd base. Then Dee Gordon stepped up.... he singled to center. Hechavarria held up at 3rd. Why? A sacrifice fly gets the job done. There is no reason throwing away this much of a prime opportunity to likely get called out at the plate with Cespedes having a monster arm in center field. Yelich stepped up... and... he just didn't get the job done. He didn't even allow his star player to do the thing he does best (getting the ball in the air) to step up. Instead, Yelich grounded into a double play by just being a foot short at 1st, Hechavarria looked in agony as he crossed home plate. The game stayed alive, and the Marlins were demoralized.

In the 16th inning, Antonio Bastardo stayed out there hitting for the Mets. He struck out. Then Wright flew out. Then Conforto grounded out. For the Marlins, Stantons truck out, Bour grounded out, and Prado grounded out. After a blown shot in the 11th, and now a blown shot in the 15th, when the hell would this game ever end? At this point, would they have to consider calling it off and continue playing tomorrow or something? That would ruin just about everyones plans. Sadly... those fears no longer existed in the next half inning. In a 2-2 count, after falling off numerous balls and sinker attempts, Yoenis Cespedes entered a legend status amongst Mets faithful. Jarred Cosart left a ball too high in the zone... he crushed it to left field. Mets lead, 4-3. Duda, d'Arnauad, and Coleman were sat down swiftly after that but the damage was dealt, and the dread of falling behind 0-2 in a series where you'd have to win multiple games on the road to keep your season alive again over-whelemd Miami.

But the Marlins still had some fight left in them. Bottom of the 17th, down 0-2 in the count, Marcell Ozuna fought all the way back to 3-2 and managed to lace a high fastball thrown by Jeurys Familia who came in the game to replace Bastardo down the right field foul line. It tailed towards the corner, and Ozuna dove head-first into 2nd base and made it safely. Man on 2nd, 0 outs. If the Marlins scored, this would have been joked about as the Game of Eternity. But, the rest of the bottom of the lineup couldn't come through clutch lie Ozuna had managed. Tomas Telis simply grounded out in a spot where Ozuna couldn't advance. Then Hechavarria popped out. and now with the pitchers spot up... Jeff freaking Mathis had to pinch hit for Jarred Cosart, he grounded out, and the game was over. The New York Mets now took a commanding 2-0 series lead vs the Miami Marlins in the 2016 NLCS, now headed back home to New York where they hope to finish this series off.

Other Marlins/Mets Photos:

Spoiler

Curtis Granderson's triple that hit off the wall, Mets 1-0


Cespedes attempt that flals short, Dee inside HR 1-1


Cespedes doubled that drove home 2 runs, 3-1 Mets


Telis just barely getting in safe at home-plate, 2-3


Sacrifice fly that drove home game-tying run, tied up 3-3