It’s unfortunate to lose a game 9-8, as the Pirates did to the Mets the other night. It’s terrible to lose such a game after being ahead 7-0.
The game started off well enough for the visitors. They sent eight batters to the plate in the top of the first inning, all but Maholm. The result: a 3-0 lead. They added another three runs, mostly on a homer by Neil walker, then topped it off by an extra run in the top of the third, 7-0. The historical record says that the visiting team wins 97 percent of the time starting from this point.
Then the dam broke, as it had to at some time. Maholm gave up three runs in the bottom of the third,with two singles and a homer. Even from here, the Pirates had a 90 percent chance of winning, as the Mets had used up one-seventh of their remaining opportunities to score those three runs.
Things were fine, with a blank score, for two more innings. But then Maholm fell apart again in the bottom of the sixth. He has a “last inning” problem, which means that he will crater unless he is “pulled” before reaches his limit. That limit was reached earlier than usual in Citifield, at 5.2 innings. Worse Chris Resop had a blown save, as the Mets tied it 7-7 on a passed ball and an inherited runner scored.
The next Pirate reliever, Jose Veras, took the loss in the bottom of the eighth. It started off with Ronny Paulino, of all people, the former Pirate ne’er do well who’s now a Met, having gotten to New York City via Philadelphia and Florida. He singled to center, and was lifted for a pinch runner, Harris.
A balk and wild pitch sent him to third. Then FOUR walks loaded the bases and sent home a runner, with Harris having scored in the meantime. Now it was 9-7 Mets.
The Pirates scored a run in the top of the ninth, not enough to close the gap.
It was an epic victory for the Mets, who had not come from so far behind in two decades.
Meaning that it was an epic loss for the Bucs.
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