No Party Like a Lynch Baseball Party

It took all the way until game 161 but all three teams in the Lynch household have made the playoffs. The New York Mets’ incredible 8-7 victory against the Atlanta Braves in Monday’s opening game was one for the ages. It is too bad I was stuck at work missing arguably the most exciting game of the year (thank goodness for MLB At Bat). For the second time in three years, it will be a playoff party in our house with the Mets, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies all playing in the postseason. Though the Mets lost early two years ago, Matthew was lucky enough to attend game three with my sister, Kathleen. Despite the loss, he called it the greatest sporting event he has witnessed. Playoff baseball does that to you.

This isn’t going to be about predictions. Instead, I am going to gauge the confidence of the kids in the house on how they feel their respective teams are going to do over these next six weeks.

Yankees: I don’t think Ryan is very confident about this group. There have been too many scars from playoffs past to change his mind about 2024. He expects the same same script as 2022: no clutch hitting. We both agree the American League is set up for the Yanks to make the World Series. Anything less than a World Series appearance this year would be a huge failure, one that I haven’t seen in at least a decade. It might be on par or surpass the 2010 ALCS loss to the Texas Rangers. Though Ryan has seen plenty of playoff series for the Yankees, they have never gotten back to the heights of the 2017 ALCS, a Game 7 loss……..pre Aaron Boone.

Mets: I don’t know how you can top what we saw in Atlanta. I kept getting texts from Matthew that shows the emotion baseball can provide. He went from running around the living room with joy in the top of the 8th inning, calling Edwin Diaz a bum in the bottom of the 8th inning to having no words after Francisco Lindor’s home run in the 9th inning. But he has also been educated in the woes that comes with the territory if being a Mets’ fan. He does think they will beat the Milwaukee Brewers in three games. I think that will give him great joy and he will call it a successful season. Of course, a series win over the Brewers sets up an NLDS match with…..the Phillies.

Phillies: The Hunt for Red October makes its third consecutive appearance. Caitlyn’s big fear is this: the Phillies lose in the NLDS this year after making the World Series in 2022 and the NLCS in 2023. The National League is so much harder than the American League in that any one of the six teams has a chance to win it all. She is a Nervous Nelly during regular season games; with playoff games she paces around enough to complete a marathon. There will be lots of talking to the TV and out loud to anyone who will listen (usually me). As far as her confidence level goes, she believes this is the year it all comes together.