Tim Britton
@TimBritton
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Senior writer at The Athletic covering the New York Mets. Every opinion I've ever expressed is mine alone. DMs open.
Traipsing across ballparks
Joined March 2011
When I took this job, there were two Mets games I wanted to explore in-depth. Covered the first one last fall (, got to the second one today. This was extremely fun to write:
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The Brewers' home opener included a flyover of the stadium. The roof was closed.
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Crazy: Bryson Stott is the first player to ever reach base four times in the same game against Max Scherzer.
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Jeremy Hefner had told Edwin Díaz he was done after the eighth. When Francisco Lindor gave the Mets the lead again, Díaz went right to Carlos Mendoza. “I’m going back out. I don’t care what you say, I’m going back out,” he said. “I got this shit.”.
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Jacob deGrom said his plan is to opt out at season’s end.
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Sunday scenarios in the NL wild card race:. -ATL clinches with win or ARZ loss.-NYM clinches with win and ARZ loss.-ARZ clinches with win and losses by ATL and NYM.
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Several old-timers spoke today about feeling welcome with the Mets in a way they hadn't in a long time. Ray Knight made the subtext of this Old-Timers Day explicit: "I love the New York Mets. I don't like the Wilpons.".
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The Mets are going to name Jessica Mendoza as part of their front office, according to multiple sources. Mendoza will serve in a player-evaluation role, among other responsibilities. She will continue her work on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
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The Mets and Atlanta haven't lost on the same day since the All-Star break. The Mets are 10-0 on days when Atlanta loses (including one off-day), and Atlanta is 11-0 on days the Mets lose.
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HOME RUNS SINCE JUNE 12:. Kyle Schwarber: 14.The Mets: 14.
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METS STARTER ERA SINCE JULY 1. Max Scherzer: 1.36.Jacob deGrom: 1.62.Carlos Carrasco: 1.69.Chris Bassitt: 1.79.Taijuan Walker: 4.78 (most of which was run up by one very bad start).
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The advertising patch has been updated, smaller and in Mets colors.
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With the Braves' loss, the Mets' 4.5-game lead in the NL East is their largest since the end of the 2015 season.
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Jacob deGrom: "Kinda displeased with my mechanics. I was flying open. Everything seemed to be flat. Just wasn't able to make pitches when I needed to.". He allowed a run on three hits over six, with nine strikeouts and one walk to the best offense in baseball. He lost 1-0.
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Luis Severino has allowed 30 earned runs in his last seven starts. Jacob deGrom has allowed 31 earned runs this season.
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Keith Hernandez: "I don't know why, but I'm trending for some reason.".
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Source confirms the Mets and Francisco Lindor have agreed on a 10-year, $341M contract extension to begin in 2022. No opt-outs, by the way.
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Loved how much Ryne Stanek appreciated Manaea's outing, especially the last part of it:. "That was Big Boy Shit."
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Syndergaard blasts the Mets' trip to Syracuse for a workout this week: "I don't think that's what championship teams do.". Full comments:
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Noah Syndergaard is the only Mets starting pitcher to win a World Series game in the last 32 years.
@TimBritton @AnthonyDiComo A guy who’s done nothing- shut up and pitch- win some games.
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PINCH-HITTING THIS SEASON. Mets: . 268/.340/.500/.840. The rest of the NL: . 199/.293/.327/620.
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Jared Porter when he was introduced as the Mets' GM, 35 days ago: "What we've talked about the most is a cultural shift, for one. Adding good people to the organization, improving the organizational culture.". Hard to see how he can be a part of that process now.
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The Mets' peak win probabilities for these four games in Philadelphia:. MON: 68.2 percent.TUES: 86.1 percent.WED: 95 percent.THRS: 92.6 percent. They went 0-4.
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MOST PITCHES THROWN BY A METS STARTER THIS SEASON. Chris Bassitt (tonight): 114.Chris Bassitt: 110.Chris Bassitt: 109.Chris Bassitt: 109.Chris Bassitt: 108.Max Scherzer: 108.
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Stroman, Syndergaard and deGrom are lined up to face the Nationals this weekend.
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Marcus Stroman’s pregame attire for his Mets home debut? A throwback Darryl Strawberry jersey, complete with racing stripes.
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The Mets have spent 289 days in first place the last two seasons -- more time than any other major-league team. They have not spent either of the right days in first place.
The Mets will host a Wild Card Series starting on Friday.
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With the 10th pick in the draft Sunday night, the Mets have selected Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Kumar Rocker. Rocker has been one of the best pitchers in college baseball since he was a freshman.
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Sean Newcomb is done after five scoreless. The 32 opposing starters against Jacob deGrom this year combined for a 2.45 ERA in 173 innings. The only National League pitcher with a better ERA is Jacob deGrom.
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Since June 1, the Mets have played at a 100-win pace. They've lost 7.5 games off their division lead to Atlanta in that time.
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If the DH is adopted next season, one player in each April game must be designated the on-base jacket-wearer.
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40-HOMER SEASONS. Pete Alonso: 3.Every other player in the Mets’ 62-year history combined: 3.
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AN OVERDUE NOTE. You haven’t seen much from me on the Mets this week, and you won’t see much from me on the Mets for the next several weeks, because I’m now on parental leave, waxing poetic to a new potential fan about 3-6-1 double plays and going first to third.
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Francisco Lindor: “Hats off to Musgrove. He flat out beat us.”.
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Chris Bassitt: “We only have one goal, and that’s to win it all.”.
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Max Scherzer on passing Bob Gibson on the all-time strikeouts list:
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Dominic Smith: "We showed tonight we're not just going to shut up and dribble, shut up and play ball. We stand up for what we believe in.".
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Hard not to think how close the Mets were to a wildly different setup in October. One more win in Atlanta — maybe one more win anywhere — and they’d be preparing to host the Phillies in a Division Series starting tomorrow.
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Pete Alonso found out the shoe size and brand for all his teammates and ordered custom cleats for September 11. His reasoning:
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--The Mets can clinch the NL East with a weekend sweep in Atlanta. --Taking 2 of 3 would lower the magic number to 1 for the final series of the season. --Winning one would mean the Mets still control their destiny in the final series.
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I think we just watched the greatest regular-season game in Mets history.
NYM 8.ATL 7.Final. Teh Mets win the damn thing. They're going to the playoffs. The Mets are 89-72.
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From the Mets: “The last time the Mets won on a walk-off error with two outs in extra innings was Game 6 of the 1986 World Series vs. Boston.”.
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Here's Pedro's complete answer when asked about Cowherd's comments: http://t.co/xhR1qlWsS8.
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HOME RUNS AT CITI FIELD IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST. The Giants: 5 (in 13 innings).The Mets: 5 (in 70 innings).
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Knight: "It's a special thing for me to be here and think maybe I'm back to being a part of this organization. Mr. Cohen spoke to me today. I hadn't spoken to Jeff Wilpon in 30 years.".
Several old-timers spoke today about feeling welcome with the Mets in a way they hadn't in a long time. Ray Knight made the subtext of this Old-Timers Day explicit: "I love the New York Mets. I don't like the Wilpons.".
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An early sign of the Mets’ popularity? They’re already scheduled for four Sunday Night Baseball games next season:. May 2 v. Philadelphia.May 30 v. Atlanta.July 4 v. Yankees.Sept. 12 v. Yankees. Their season-opener (April 1 v. Washington) will also air exclusively on ESPN.
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Daniel Murphy attended Jacob deGrom's 14-strikeout game in Atlanta this past season: "At that moment, I knew being in the stands was where I was meant to be.".
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Canó: “I’m happy that things are turning around so you guys aren’t killing me in the paper anymore.”.
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Matt Harvey: "I didn't really know what to expect, and what the fans gave me here was pretty incredible. I'm not going to lie: I was holding back tears. It was something I'll never forget.".
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Francisco Lindor was asked if Steve Cohen's Wednesday tweet sent a message to the clubhouse. In his response, he was blunt in his assessment of his own play this season:
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Chris Bassitt on throwing a Mets’ season-high 114 pitches tonight: “I want to go 115 to 120 every start, but Buck don’t let me.”.
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An underrated Cy Young candidate: Whoever opposes Jacob deGrom, as that pitcher has combined to toss 147 2/3 innings of 2.50 ERA ball this season.
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Pretty strong answer from Phil Regan on incorporating "new-age" information, and what he learned by doing some scouting of the Astros in the minors:
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Porcello: "This is a big deal for me. I grew up a lifelong Mets fan as a kid.".
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If the Mets go 7-0, they need either:. 3-5 from the Nationals.2-4 from the Brewers.
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Noah Syndergaard said he hasn't thought much about free agency yet as he's focused on his rehab. He did add, "I can't imagine leaving New York or leaving the Mets.".
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Asked if he’s happy the Mets didn’t sign Trevor Bauer, Luis Rojas: “You know what what I’m happy for? That we signed Taijuan Walker.” Praised Walker’s performance on the field and his impact in the clubhouse chemistry.
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Max Scherzer is not pitching in today’s simulated game as initially planned. Mets will provide an update on why later.
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A typical week in Mets fandom. (These are from the same person.)
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Some baseball news that is actually happening: Next week is my last at the Providence Journal, after which I will start work @TheAthleticNYC covering the Mets. I am beyond excited for the chance to join the outstanding team we've built not just in NYC but around the country.
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Pete Alonso: “I want to be celebrating on a parade float, drunk as hell. That’s the goal.”.
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Here's the conversation between Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez in the bottom of the third inning about Jason Vargas on SNY:
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Dion Lewis: “Amendola is a f****** animal. A f****** animal. I’m cursing, I don’t care.”.
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Francisco Lindor: "I'm back to being an offensive player and helping the team. It feels good.".
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Eduardo Escobar: "I still can't believe we signed Scherzer.".
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DeGrom reiterated that he'd love to spend his whole career with the Mets, and he said he'd be in constant contact with them throughout the upcoming offseason. But he doesn't want extension negotiations to be an in-season distraction -- the same tact he took in 2019.
Jacob deGrom said his plan is to opt out at season’s end.
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Daniel Vogelbach: "I don't know that I've played in an environment like that, as the home team. That was pretty special.".
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Keith Hernandez on wearing braces in seventh grade: "I had a crush on a girl named Michelle, and they didn't help.".
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Brandon Nimmo on Jacob deGrom: "Jake has seen the work we put in every day on our end. He knows we're not trying to go out there and sabotage him.".
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Can confirm the Mets have acquired Daniel Vogelbach from the Pirates for RHP Colin Holderman. @JonHeyman and @ByRobertMurray had it first.
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What was Matt Harvey's favorite moment as a Met? . "One of the pretty surreal moments was sitting in the dugout early in my career and having the "Harvey" chants or "Harvey's better!" That was something you really couldn't dream of as a kid.".
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Robin Ventura*.
Mets to hit a postseason grand slam, all-time:. 1. Edgardo Alfonzo.2. Francisco Lindor.
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ATL 6.NYM 0.Final. The Mets are 52-65. They've been outscored 34 to 3 in the first three games of this series -- the worst run differential over a three-game stretch in franchise history.
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Seven of the eight Wild Card series over the last two years have been sweeps. The Mets-Padres series last year is the lone exception.
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Red Sox have a chance to make history: No team has ever trailed for all 27 innings in a Division Series sweep.
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NYM 10.PHI 9.Final. The Mets are 79-44. They lead the National League East by four games. You'll remember this game for a long time.
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Free agent to be Seth Lugo said he headed back to the field one more time to take it all in. “It’s all I’ve ever known,” he said of the organization he’s been in for a dozen years. “The future is a mystery.”.
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Since June 1, Atlanta is 47-13 against teams that aren't the Mets (and 5-7 against New York).
@TimBritton CAN NO ONE BESIDES THE METS BEAT THEM, LIKE SERIOUSLY.
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Mets announce Kevin Pillar "suffered multiple nasal fractures" and "will be meeting with a facial specialist in Atlanta to determine next steps.".
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Jacob deGrom's elimination start in LA, 2015: 6IP, 6H, 2ER, 7K, 3BB. Jacob deGrom's elimination start tonight: 6IP, 5H, 2ER, 8K, 2BB.
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Luis Rojas: "This is the Francisco we all expect. This is the Francisco that Mets fans are going to get for years.".
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These are the called strikes this evening to Bryce Harper, who was just ejected from the dugout:
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Hearing the Mets will address today's postgame clubhouse incident sometime on Monday. Van Wagenen is expected to be in Philadelphia.
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Mark Vientos has been named as a replacement for the Futures Game next weekend. He’ll join his Syracuse teammate Francisco Álvarez representing the Mets.
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The year is 2031. Francisco Lindor is in the final year of his contract and Jacob deGrom is on the Hall of Fame ballot. Adam Wainwright is still tossing six scoreless at Citi Field, and Yadier Molina has two hits.
Adam Wainwright has had to labor a bit this evening, but the box score would hardly show it. He's notched six scoreless innings against the Mets at Citi Field. Cardinals lead, 3-0.
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Fun fact: Billy Hamilton is the first switch-hitter to start a game for the Mets since Jose Reyes.
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Francisco Lindor on the atmosphere at Citi Field tonight: "It gave me a little taste of what the playoffs would be like in New York.".
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