Mets' late moxie returns for Game 1 triumph in Philly

PHILADELPHIA -- Shortly after the Mets finished doing what they always seem to do these days, shaking off a sluggish start to score five runs in the eighth inning of a 6-2 win over the Phillies, Brandon Nimmo was asked if he believes in any or all of the following: magic, mojo, momentum.

Nimmo laughed, turning to his teammate Mark Vientos: “What do you think?”

“No,” Vientos replied. “I believe in us working hard and the results will happen after.”

Perhaps this October run is indeed nothing more than the product of some good old-fashioned elbow grease. Or perhaps something divine is in the air. Regardless of the source, it’s clear these Mets have stumbled upon something unique: an ability to turn games on their heads, to steal wins from the clutches of defeat, and to do so over and over and over again in all the most important spots.

On Saturday in National League Division Series Game 1, the Mets mustered just one hit through seven innings against NL Cy Young candidate Zack Wheeler. The moment Wheeler departed, they erupted for five runs on five hits in the eighth. Vientos hit a game-tying RBI single. Nimmo followed with a go-ahead, run-scoring hit. And the Mets never looked back at Citizens Bank Park, stealing Game 1 to position themselves as the new favorites in this best-of-five series.

Under the current DS format, teams that have taken a 1-0 lead on the road have gone on to win the series 73 percent of the time.

“This is the craziest team I’ve been on,” said designated hitter J.D. Martinez, a 14-year big league veteran with a World Series ring to his credit. “We laugh about it. We make fun of each other, and we’re like, ‘This is a zoo.’ Because we just never know what’s going to happen.”

Mostly, Martinez was referring to the personalities in the clubhouse -- the types of people who celebrate wins with miniature pumpkins or release hit pop songs in their free time. Yet when pressed, he acknowledged what’s been happening on the field is a little wild, too. This week alone, in the span of six days, the Mets have won three crucial games that they trailed in the eighth inning or later. More than that, the team appeared overmatched for the first seven innings of all of them.

Consider:

• In Game 1 of their doubleheader in Atlanta on Monday, the Mets were 3-for-24 before erupting for eight runs on eight hits in the eighth and ninth innings.
• Three days later, in Wild Card Series Game 3 in Milwaukee, the Mets were 2-for-26 over the first eight innings before Pete Alonso launched a three-run homer en route to a four-run ninth.
• In NLDS Game 1, the Mets were 1-for-21 in seven innings off Wheeler before going 7-for-11 with six runs the rest of the way.

“How many times have you seen it?” Martinez asked in the postgame clubhouse.

The Mets became the third NL team to win consecutive playoff games that they trailed in the eighth inning or later, falling behind on a Kyle Schwarber leadoff homer against Kodai Senga and continuing to trail until their fateful rally. They also scored at least five runs in an inning for the second time this postseason, the first time in franchise history that’s happened.

• Senga rebounds from leadoff HR with 2 sharp innings

This version of the Mets may have been born Sept. 11 in Toronto, where Bowden Francis took a no-hitter into the ninth only to watch Francisco Lindor tie the game with a leadoff homer en route to a six-run, game-winning outburst. Not that the Mets hadn’t had their share of comebacks before that, but since that time, they’ve developed a knack for winning frequently when it appears all hope is lost.

“Exactly the same,” Mets reliever Ryne Stanek said, comparing the Francis game to Wheeler’s performance on Saturday. “Like, a guy just absolutely dominated. He’s as locked in as can be. All right. You wait for one mistake and you move. And it was great. We have a lot of guys that aren’t panicking in these situations, especially in a hostile environment.”

Citizens Bank Park was nothing if not hostile in Game 1, featuring 45,751 souls screaming and booing from long before first pitch. Yet by the final two innings, many in attendance were jeering their own team, perhaps unaware of the inevitability of these Mets.

“When you compete,” said second baseman Jose Iglesias, one of the spiritual leaders of this team, “it’s just a matter of time.”