World Series Games 3 & 4

There isn't much to say about Game 2. The Royals played well, the Mets were flat. So that's why we'll focus on Games 3 and 4, which told a different story. One with a positive ending, the other with a brutal loss, but both showed some important things. Let's take a look at what went right and wrong in both games for the Mets.

Game 3

The Captain. David Wright opened the night with a 2-run homer, his first World Series home run in his career. It got the crowd and the team excited. For someone who has fought so hard throughout the season, it was a great sight to see at home. He wasn't done yet. With the bases loaded in the 6th, he hit a single up the middle, driving in two more runs for a total of 4 RBI on the night, second-most in team history. A great night for the Captain and a great night for the fans to be a part of.

Grandy Man. Granderson followed his first at bat with a 2-run homer in the 3rd. From getting on base this season through walks, to using his bat to drive in those runs, he's been a great person to have in that leadoff spot. He got on in the 1st in front of Wright's home run, and then he did his job to drive in Syndergaard with a home run of his own after he got on in the 3rd. Good things from Grandy all season, and it's continued in the postseason.

Thor drops the hammer. Despite giving up 3 ER, Thor kept the team in the game, striking out the Royals six times. Although not a lot compared to the amount he usually gets, that's a huge accomplishment against a team that barely strikes out and in his first World Series game as a rookie. He also had a single in front of Granderson's homer in the 3rd. The guy has great stuff, is a great pitcher now, and will only continue to grow over the years with the team. He's matured over this season and it's shown. He's not afraid to pitch inside; to send a message. He speaks well in interviews and because it was such a great quote, it must be mentioned: "If they have a problem with me pitching inside, they can meet me 60 feet 6 inches away." And that's all I'll say about that first pitch because it's been talked about way too much.

Uribe's return. Juan Uribe made a pinch hit appearance in the 6th, doing what he's done since he's joined the Mets. He added to the score with an RBI single and that was huge for him, the team, and the fans, because he really has proven to be the guy to go to in a big pinch hit situation. Good to see him back and healthy.

Game 4
Game 4 had both the good and the ugly... the really ugly. Let's start with the negatives, end with the positives.

Clippard in for the 8th. Tyler Clippard has been a shaky pitcher the last two months of the season. The fans react to that, and their worry was clear the second he was announced into the game. He was successful in getting the first out. Then followed it with a walk. That's where he should have been pulled. In that tight of a game, you have to go to Familia in that situation, especially against the Royals, who can play the running game and string together hits to go ahead. He stuck with him one more batter, and it didn't work out. He walked another one and then brought Familia in, who suffered the blown save as the Royals scored on Murphy's error. The Royals made a come back, as it seems they do or come close to doing every game they've played. The bleeding continued after that even with Familia in the game. A decision that was the beginning of a heartbreaking inning for the team and fans.

Errors and Misplays. Not every misplay was charged an error, but there were some ugly plays during the game. Cespedes had a misplay that wasn't ruled an error in the top of the 5th inning, which proved to be costly, that was tough to watch, especially since he's had a few in the postseason. A ball that seemed as though he wasn't sure whether to take it on a hop or dive for it, ended up being kicked away, and Perez got a double out of it. Murphy's error was a game tying play. It wasn't a bobble, or a bad throw, it was simply missing the ground ball. Unfortunately, it wasn't a harmless error. No error seems to be harmless against the Royals. Bartolo Colon had an error in the 6th inning, which actually didn't result in a run. Cain was on second and Colon threw over in an attempt to pick him off, since he had a large lead and was dancing off the bag. Colon had him with a good throw, but it sailed past Murphy and into center field, advancing Cain to third. Two officially scored errors and a defensive misplay is not the way you want to play defense in the World Series, postseason, or regular season game in general. Especially, in a game so close against a great team. Cespedes also had a base running blunder that ended the game. First and second, 1 out, Duda lined out to the third baseman, and Cespedes was caught off first base. He was nearly to second when the ball was caught. That may of had no change on the outcome, but it's a tough way to end a game. A base running mistake

Matz's Strong Start. Long Island native Steven Matz had a strong start, holding the Royals to two runs over 5 innings with 5 strikeouts. Despite missing time this season due to injury, he's pitched very well in the postseason. People always attribute experience to being successful, but the Mets young starting pitching as a whole pitched well and dominantly throughout the postseason.

The Rookie, Conforto. Michael Conforto. A rookie. Someone who wasn't expected to join the team this season. They gave him a shot, and he has shown his abilities both defensively and with the bat. The player that is the LF of the future for this Mets organization showed how much he will mean to this team. Not only his first World Series. His first home run in a World Series. He wasn't done there. Two home runs in a single World Series game. He energized the crowd, made it exciting. He was pumped as he trotted the bases. He's going to be an impact player and it'll be fun to watch him grow next year.

Game 3 had the outcome fans wanted. Game 4, not so much. Certainly winnable. It should have been a win, but it wasn't. The good of Game 4 is lost in the the negatives that happened. Managing wrong, fielding wrong, whatever you want to point fingers at, there were things that could have been done differently that might have changed the outcome. The excitement of the win from Game 3 was brought down by the loss of Game 4, and the way the loss came about was what hurt the most for fans.