Eduardo Escobar hit a grand slam, Chris Bassitt tossed eight quality innings, and the Mets defeated the Oakland Athletics 9-2 in the series opener. In doing so, they expanded their NL East lead to two and a half games, and their magic number now stands at nine.
The Mets suffered a crippling injury blow for these last couple weeks of the season—or at least, their television booth did, as Keith Hernandez is heading to the injured list.
One of the main reasons the Mets are in the position they’re in is because they nailed their free agent signings last offseason.