Mets’ magical ride showing no signs of stopping

PHILADELPHIA — After barely surviving in their house of horrors in Atlanta, then winning late and spectacularly in Milwaukee, the competition got even tougher and the stakes even more serious for the magical Mets here against another of their hated division rivals.

Yet, none of that matter to the Mets these days.

They have magic, momentum and mojo on their side. No reason to worry, that may be all they need.

They continue to be the baseball story of October, coming from behind once again in a 6-2 victory over the Phillies that put them up 1-0 in their Division Series.

The opposition’s getting tougher, but things are looking easier for the team from Queens. This was supposed to be a transition year. But anyone who bets against them now is a fool. Their roll is that amazing, and getting more so by the day.

The Mets’ five-run eighth inning won them yet another big October game and cast a pall over Citizens Bank Park, where it’s perpetually deafening. Fans were loud early, and they continue to be loud late, although it was mostly boos after the latest, greatest Mets rally.

On paper, this could not be a much tougher assignment here against ex-Met Zack Wheeler (maybe the second best pitcher the Mets let go after Tom Seaver), Philly’s star-studded lineup ready to go, the Phillies being well-rested (although that may be a detriment) and all those wild and kooky fans here in Philly.

Yet, it seems nothing can stop the Mets now.

One great thing about the Mets is they can do nothing most of the game and it doesn’t matter. As long as they have an at-bat or two left, they are very much alive.

On paper, they may not be the best team still going. But they feel like the most dangerous team in the derby now.

Perhaps this win wasn’t quite as dramatic as the double comeback in the doubleheader in Atlanta or certainly Pete Alonso’s 11th-hour homer that rescued them in Milwaukee, when Alonso said hold my beer. But this may be more impressive.

The Mets didn’t take it all the way to the ninth inning (their personal favorite frame) this time. They simply waited until Wheeler was out of the game after seven and capitalized the moment the Phillies inserted human pitchers. None of the vaunted Phillies bullpen (the first two middle relievers manager Rob Thomson inserted were All-Stars!) could handle the Mets, who had one hit in seven innings against Wheeler and five hits in the winning rally.

The Mets, in many ways, had the toughest draw in this derby. Wheeler is not only great, he presumably doesn’t love the Mets after the way they handled his free agency.

The Phillies feature a star-studded, win-now lineup that got to the World Series two years ago, and should have gotten there last year, too. This time, unlike the last two times, they were favored by many to go to the World Series because the Dodgers pitching staff is decimated.

Even the fans are tough here. They are legendarily loud, and some say they are rough or even rude (Santa Claus might concur). They didn’t stop from first pitch until last.

The Philly faithful deserve credit, but my guess is they may be hyped up on cheesesteaks or something harder. I’m pretty convinced, too, it’s not their players who do steroids but their fans (some of them look awfully buff). Anyway, the game started loud, and got louder.

Nonetheless, the Phillies fell to 28-14 in postseason games at Citizens Bank Park, which is about the best home mark in MLB history. The park is cozy, the fans crazy.

But it’s mostly about the team, of course. This is a pretty special Phillies team that ran away in the National League East.

So the Mets know they have quite a task here. But they surely understood they were stepping up in class.

The Braves are the Mets’ annual thorn, but they weren’t themselves. Half their stars were on the shelf, and some of the others were slumping.

The Brewers are a tough one for them, too, having triggered their terrible 2023 season with a surprise season-opening sweep and won all the 2024 regular-season meetings except the last one, which was meaningless to Milwaukee.

The Mets came in on quite an October roll.

That good feeling lasted only three pitches into the Phillies first as surprise starter Kodai Senga, who apparently looked fantastic on the backfields of Port St. Lucie, served up an early meatball to frequent October star Kyle Schwarber, who hit it about a mile. They said it was 425 feet, but I think they must have gotten the digits mixed up. I’m saying 524. Anyway, it was deep into the second deck in straightaway right field.

If the idea to start Senga was to surprise the Phillies, it didn’t really work. But that’s about the only thing that isn’t working for these mysteriously excellent Mets now.