September 5, 2008

Home games: great weeked theater in Mets v. Phillies

NewYorkology contributor Scott Ross keeps you abreast of upcoming Mets and Yankees home games in New York City. Jack Donaghy convinced Ross to join the GE family in the summer of 2008. Here’s your look at major league baseball in New York City this week:

Hats off to the New York Mets. When the Fourth of July fireworks fizzled to an end, the team sat in third place, 5 ½ games behind the Phillies. Since then they’ve gone 37-17 and now find themselves atop the NL East with a month to play.

Much like his cross-town counterpart Jason Giambi, many believed that Carlos Delgado was done, an expensive albatross. And like Giambi, Delgado has risen from the dead, leading the Mets’ offense in the second half by going .299/.392/.592 during the Mets’ surge, with 16 homeruns and 47 RBI.

On the other side of the ball, Johan Santana returned to the form that made him the big prize of last year’s off-season. Don’t be fooled by his good-not-great record of 12-7 – it includes a stretch of six starts during which he had a 2.48 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 40 innings, of which the Mets won exactly zero. Just as important to the Mets’ return to relevance has been Mike Pelfry, who’s gone 11-2 with a 2.98 ERA since May 31.

This weekend the second-place Phillies come to town accompanied by the ghosts of 2007. Whether the Mets deliver the kill-shot or stumble as they did last year should make for great theater, especially given both teams are sending out their three best pitchers.

The ageless Jamie Moyer faces the aging Pedro Martinez on Saturday. Moyer, as has been noted in this space before, has been winning baseball games long past his sell-by date, an art that Martinez must now dedicate himself to learning. Moyer has pitched nine seasons and won 124 games since he was 36, the age Pedro is now. Sunday’s game is even better, as Santana goes against Cole Hamels, who does as well with the ladies as he does with his nasty change-up. And you can get a Johan bobblehead!

Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets
Friday @ 7:10 p.m., Randy Myers (8-10) vs. Mike Pelfry (13-8), dog day
Saturday @ 3:55 p.m., Jamie Moyer (12-7) vs. Pedro Martinez (5-3), T-shirt day
Sunday @ 8:05 p.m., Cole Hamels (12-8) vs. Johan Santana (12-7), Johan Santana bobblehead

Next Week: The Yanks head off to Los Angeles before returning to the Bronx for three games against the Devil Rays, while the Mets play host to the Nats and Braves.

Tickets to Mets games can be purchased here, while directions for getting to and around the stadium are also available. (The New York Water Taxi will not be running the Mets Express to Shea during the 2008 season but Rocks Off Concert Cruises and Seastreak are hitting some games.)

Image source: American Needle’s New York Mets Retro Logo Pastime Cap

September 5, 2008 9:09 AM in Kids, Out of Manhattan, Sports

®Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved