BASESLOADED,
twoouts,bottomoftheninth.My
friendGabiandIwere inthenosebleedsofthenow-
demolishedQueensbaseballslumknownasShea
Stadium,hoppeduponhopeandhotchocolate.
HopebecauseourNewYorkMetsweredownbytwo
runsandatbatwasourbestslugger,CarlosBeltrán,
whowasmorethancapableofcatapultingthenext
pitchsomewhere intothenot-so-scenicFlushingBay
andsendingourteamtothe2006WorldSeries.
Hotchocolatebecause it’sallwecouldafford.As
hadbeenourcustomthroughouttheMets’glorious
October,we’dspentallbutoursparechangeonthedarn
playofftickets,sowehadtoquenchouryelling-induced
thirstwiththescalding,powderybeveragewhich,bya
quirkofstadium-concessionpricing,wascheaperthan
bottledwater.
Metsfansreadingthiswill likelybeexperiencing
traumaticflashbacks.Infact,Ishouldhavestartedthis
columnwithatriggerwarning:Thisstory includes
St.LouisCardinalspitcherAdamWainwright.What
happenednext isamongthemorepatheticmoments
oftheMets’nearlyfive-and-a-half-decadeexistence in
Gotham,wheretheteamplayedthemalnourished,sad
puppytotheflashy,bejeweled-collaredLassiethat is
theNewYorkYankees.
Ninth-inninghurlerWainwrighttossedan
incrediblecurveballwithanarcthatpossesseda
crueltythatcouldbefeltevenfromourcheapseats.
Beltránfroze, theumpirecalledstrikethree,andGabi
andIsattherestunnedasthestadiumquietlyemptied
amidanappropriatelybleakfalldrizzle.
Whatfollowedforseveralyearswasaglutton’sbuffet
offailures,astheMetsrepeatedlyblewdivision leads in
historicfashionanddidnotmake itbacktotheplayoffs
fornearlyadecade.HavingmovedoutofNewYork,I
watchedthecarnagefromanemotionalandgeographic
distance.Ieventuallymovedbackandstartedbuying
ticketsagain, tenderlyexploringtheprospectof
another live-inrelationshipwiththeMets,evenasthey
weremired in losingseasons—whilequietlybuilding
thebestyoungpitchingstaff inthegame.
Thencame2015.TheMets,underdogsatevery
step,wontheirdivisionandthenvanquishedtheLos
AngelesDodgersandtheeven-more-historically-
beleagueredChicagoCubstomake ittotheWorld
Series.Havingscoredticketsthroughagloriousand
mysteriouspromotionalemail,IagainspentOctober
inthenosebleeds—nowatCitiFieldandnowwithmy
wife insteadofGabi,whosadlyspiraled intodeepNew
YorkKnicksfandomfollowingthatWainwrightpitch.
IswoonedoverthecleatedboybandthatwasDaniel
Murphy,YoenisCéspedes,NoahSyndergaard,Jacob
deGrom,MattHarvey…I’mgettingverklempt.
WemettheKansasCityRoyals intheWorld
Series. (Metsfansonthisplanearehavingflashbacks,
I’msure.)TheMidwesternersnevergaveusachance.
BythetimetheRoyalsweredog-piling incelebration
onourfield,mywifeandIwerespeedingawayfrom
Queens like itwasaburningcity.Thatheartbreak
tookawhiletorecoverfrom,butnotyearsthistime.
Baseball’sbackafterthewinterchill,andI’m in love
again.ButIstillcan’taffordabeerattheballpark.
THELASTWORD
138
APRIL2016
AMERICANWAY
CurveballsandHeartbreak
Baseball seasonprovidesall thehighsand lowsofawell-thrownpitch
What
followed
forseveral
yearswas
aglutton’s
buffetof
failures.
BY
JOE MURRAY
ILLUSTRATION
KYLET.WEBSTER
