New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies: One Girl’s Pain

On Monday evening, we made the trip to Citi Field to watch the New York Mets take on the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the four of us (Ryan went back to Siena earlier in the day), one of Caitlyn’s friends and a couple whose son is friends with Matthew. Beatrice and I remained neutral while everyone else (minus Caitlyn) was a Mets’ fan. If you know the result of the game, then you know that one of us went home not happy. In fact, after today’s game, it became clear that Caitlyn was almost ready to throw the towel in on the Phillies’ season.

This was the third time we have seen Aaron Nola pitch in person. And for the third time, Philadelphia came out on the short end of the score. We had good seats, section 329 row 16. In came in handy when on this chilly night, we managed to avoid the brief drizzle that fell during the course of the contest. When Francisco Lindor led off the first inning with a home run and Jesse Winker led off the second inning with a home run, Caitlyn knew it was not a good omen. It didn’t help her cause watching Tylor Megill whiff ten Phillies’ batters, either. For Matthew and the rest of the Met fans, it was sheer delight when Lindor cranked a three run homer in the seventh inning to give the home team what seemed to be an insurmountable 5-0. It was around this time that Caitlyn reminded me emphatically that the Phillies needed bullpen help and that I would tell her they would be fine. Their second highest bullpen ERA that flashed across the TV screens above us made me a liar. She did have some joy in the ninth inning when Bryson Stott smacked a three run home run of his own to cut the lead to 5-4. Unfortunately for Caitlyn, Bryce Harper struck out to end the game, leading to yet another disappointing stadium outcome for her.

This is why I love my kids and marvel at how wonderful they are. There was no trash talking between Matthew and Caitlyn. Matthew was surely thrilled his Mets were victorious but was happy for Caitlyn that she got to see a big Phillies’ rally. As for Caitlyn, the rest of this series went as poorly you can get. Cristopher Sanchez left Tuesday’s start early with forearm trouble. Wednesday’s game was an extra inning loss, even after Philadelphia took the lead in the tenth inning. The series sweep left the team with a record of 13-12 and a certain young lady in my house ready to challenge them all to a fight.

Author: Tom Lynch

Family is everything to me. Baseball is a close second. What better way to combine my two favorite passions than to write about them! My three children each have a different baseball team, hence the title, "Three Unassisted". I write about not only my thoughts but also the musings of Ryan (Yankees), Caitlyn (Phillies) and Matthew (Mets). I may have grown up a Yankees fan but since family is greater than ball, I also root for the Phillies and Mets. I love talking about my kids. I love talking about baseball. That lethal combination will keep you coming back for more. Happy reading! View all posts by Tom Lynch