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 The victory, keyed by the strong pitching of Jacob deGrom and
another home run by Daniel Murphy, gave New York a 3-0 lead in the
best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
That margin has been overcome only once in Major League Baseball -
by the Red Sox over the Yankees in 2004.
The do-or-die Game Four for the Cubs will be played in Chicago on
Wednesday. One more loss and their quest to end a 70-year absence
from the World Series will end.
"The Mets have just pitched exceptionally well," said Cubs manager
Joe Maddon. "You've got to give them credit."
DeGrom yielded four hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts
and a walk, and retired his last 11 batters. Relievers Tyler
Clippard and Jeurys Familia went the last two innings as rain began
to fall in Chicago.
Home runs set the tone at Wrigley Field, with Murphy improving his
remarkable stats sheet with a third-inning blast to center. It was
his record-tying fifth postseason game in a row with a homer.
"I've watched a lot of baseball over the years and I don't think
I've seen anybody put on this kind of a show on this stage like he
has done so far," Mets manager Terry Collins said of Murphy, who hit
a career-high 14 homers this season.
"The question is, who is this guy? He's been unbelievable. Hopefully
he just keeps it up for a few more games."
'BUSINESS AS USUAL'
Chicago rookies Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber also homered as the
Cubs twice battled back from a run down to make it 2-2 through four
innings. For Schwarber, it was his fifth homer of the playoffs.
After Soler's home run in the fourth, deGrom turned unhittable as he
set down 11 Cubs in a row.
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Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks went four innings before manager Maddon
went to his bullpen.
Starting in the sixth, the Mets took advantage of some breaks.
Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes, who earlier had stolen third base,
dashed home when Michael Conforto swung at and missed a breaking
ball in the dirt from reliever Trevor Cahill in the sixth inning
with two out.
But the ball bounced past Cubs catcher Miguel Montero, leaving both
New York players safe.
"I went down to block it but unfortunately, I didn't," Montero said.
"It really hurts. I blocked pitches like that many, many times and I
didn't block that one."
The Mets added two more runs in the seventh off Travis Wood, aided
by loose fielding that led to an infield hit when Kris Bryant had
trouble taking the ball from his mitt, and a single for Cespedes
when his line shot glanced off leftfielder Schwarber's glove.
"From my perspective, business as usual tomorrow," said Cubs manager
Maddon. "Come out ready to play and take it from there."
(Writing by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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