Resilient Mets remind everyone why they're in the NLCS after loss to Dodgers: 'This is who we are'

NEW YORK – Friday night at Citi Field began with The Temptations singing their 1965 hit single “My Girl,” an ode to Francisco Lindor's walk-up song. As Lindor warmed up on the field, he smiled and sang along to the song's lyrics. Pete Alonso, stretching before what could be his final home game as a Met, also joined in, and soon the crowd – understandably tense before an elimination game – relaxed a bit. Watching the happy scene in Queens, it was hard to tell that the Mets were backed into a corner.

If they seemed loose and carefree just minutes before southpaw David Peterson threw the game's first pitch, it was because that's how they appeared before Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at Citi Field. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza walked into the batters' meeting and everyone was smiling. Just hours before their biggest game of the year – yes, another one of those – New York's cavalier attitude foreshadowed the pain they would inflict on the Dodgers.

“This is who we are,” Mendoza said. “There is no tomorrow for us. But we've been in this situation before. So nothing new.”

After Peterson pinned Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani at second and third base in the first inning – raising the crowd's energy from unease to optimism – Alonso followed up by fending off a three-run blast from Jack Flaherty in the bottom of the frame. The Polar Bears' fourth home run of October was a harbinger of the offensive outbreak to come. The Mets scored 14 hits, the second-most in postseason franchise history, in their 12-6 victory over the Dodgers in Game 5.

The attack was the result of sticking to the plan, taking advantage of Flaherty's loss of speed and refusing to leave the zone. In the end, the Mets tagged Flaherty for eight runs in just three innings. In addition to Alonso's long balls, they scored crucial runs, enjoyed timely strikes and played small balls to overwhelm the Los Angeles pitching staff. Starling Marte went 4-for-5 with three RBIs, Lindor had a stand-up RBI triple, Jesse Winker reached base in four of his five plate appearances and catcher Francisco Alvarez also went 3-for-4 -Result. Aside from all the runs scored, the Mets didn't strike out once.

It was the kind of all-out effort the Mets needed to remind themselves of their ceiling.

“The quality of our offense, the intensity we needed in every inning, we understood that,” Lindor said. “And we had to give it everything we had, and we did.”

When the Dodgers threatened to end that improbable run, the Mets leaned on the experience and results that got them to this point. Their hard-hitting first baseman has been in the thick of things over the last few winning weeks. Of Alonso's five career postseason home runs, four have given the Mets the lead – including three in the last two weeks alone. Not bad for one of baseball's most powerful hitters, who is just weeks away from entering free agency.

As Mookie Betts said Wednesday, the Mets didn't make it out of luck to be one of the final four teams remaining. They didn't get to this point because of a McDonald's mascot or a hit Latin pop song. On Friday, the Mets reminded everyone why they are just two wins away from advancing to the World Series: When they're at their best, they can beat anyone.

“We will be ready. We love opportunities,” said Alonso. “That’s what we want to keep playing for. Today was all about: Figure it out and get to Game 6. And we have that opportunity, and it's going to be the same mentality: Figure it out and get to Game 7. That's what it is. And we did it. And we are very excited about the opportunity ahead.

In a season full of surprises, the Mets have an opportunity to pull off their biggest upset yet. They forced a return trip to Los Angeles for Game 6, set for Sunday night at Chavez Ravine, by focusing only on the 27 outs that could save their season rather than letting the bigger picture overwhelm them. All baseball teams like to say that they don't look too far ahead and prefer to take it day-to-day, but Mendoza's Mets have executed that attitude better than most this season.

The Mets are trying to become the ninth team in LCS (AL or NL) history to come back from a 3-1 hole. For motivation, they will remember that they are 2-0 in elimination games this year.

“We have been successfully focused on the process for four to five months now, and now is not the time to change it,” Brandon Nimmo said. “We’re just trying to beat this dam until it finally breaks, and it broke tonight.”

On The Temptations' official website, the Motown legends describe their story as “an epic journey of courage, struggle, triumphs, setbacks and ultimately international superstardom.”

Sounds a lot like the 2024 Mets.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Deesha, the daughter of Indian immigrants, grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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