Granderson's homer gives Mets walk-off victory

[May 28, 2016]  By Jerry Beach, The Sports Xchange
 
 NEW YORK -- Friends and acquaintances of Curtis Granderson asked the New York Mets right fielder if he could pick them up the 1986 replica jersey handed out to fans at Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Granderson gave them something better: A 1986-esque walk-off win snatched from the jaws of potentially disastrous defeat.

Granderson led off the bottom of the ninth with a homer as the Mets overcame an implosion by closer Jeurys Familia in the top of the inning to edge the Dodgers, 6-5, at Citi Field.

"Great game of baseball," Granderson said. "Never think anything's over until the final hit."

The Mets are celebrating one of the most dramatic "final hit" wins in baseball history this weekend, when the world championship 1986 squad returns to Citi Field for a 30th anniversary get-together. Those Mets were down to their final strike in the 11th inning of Game 6 of the World Series before scoring three runs to stun the Boston Red Sox, 6-5, and force a Game 7 that New York won two days later to earn the franchise's second and most recent title.

Most of the living members of the 1986 team will be honored in a pre-game ceremony Saturday night. The Mets will wear their 1986 pinstripe uniforms all weekend.

"Really neat and cool, being here in New York, hearing the number of fans talk about the '86 team -- where they were, how they saw it, how they felt, the number of family members that are named (after the '86 Mets)," Granderson said.

"I thought this T-shirt giveaway today was probably one of the biggest ones, considering everybody put them on instead of (bringing) them home. I think everybody wanted to get a chance to be a part of tonight."

The win Friday obviously didn't carry the long-ranging implications of a World Series victory, but it sent home happy a team -- and a sellout crowd of 43,462 jersey-wearing fans -- that rode a roller coaster of emotions in the ninth inning.

Jacob deGrom and two relievers combined to limit the Dodgers to four hits through the first eight innings, but Los Angeles loaded the bases with one out against Familia via consecutive singles by Adrian Gonzalez and Howie Kendrick and a one-out hit by Yasiel Puig.

Familia then struck out pinch-hitter Trayce Thompson, but longtime Mets nemesis Chase Utley -- who was booed prior to every plate appearance by fans still furious he broke the leg of ex-Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada with a hard slide in Game 2 of the National League Division Series last October -- crushed a three-run double into the right-centerfield gap on the next pitch.

"If the leadoff hitter gets on, who comes in because it became a save situation?" Collins said. "In a game like that, you know what, you can't worry about tomorrow. We've got to win tonight. so you bring him in."

Utley was stranded at third -- he advanced on the throw home -- when Familia struck out Corey Seager. That set the stage for Granderson, who hit Pedro Baez's second pitch just fair down the right field line.

"That happened awful quick," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

The ninth-inning comeback spared 19-year-old left-hander Julio Urias the loss in his major league debut. Urias, who didn't allow a run in his final 27 innings at Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to his promotion, allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three over 2 2/3 innings. He gave up an RBI double to Neil Walker and a two-run single to Juan Lagares in the first and was chased with the bases loaded in the third, when Chris Hatcher struck out deGrom.

"There was a lot of excitement," Roberts said. "I thought he kept his composure. I thought he had good stuff."

Urias is the first teenager to pitch in the majors since Felix Hernandez debuted with the Seattle Mariners as a 19-year-old in 2005 and the youngest Dodgers pitcher to appear in a game since Fernando Valenzuela reached the bigs as a 19-year-old in 1980.

David Wright and Lagares hit solo homers in the fourth and fifth for the Mets (28-19), who moved into a tie for first place in the NL East with the Washington Nationals.

DeGrom allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven over seven innings.

Utley lofted a third-inning sacrifice fly and reached base three times in four plate appearances for the Dodgers (25-24), who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

NOTES: To make room for LHP Julio Urias on the 25-man roster and the 40-man roster, the Dodgers optioned RHP Luis Avilan to Triple-A Oklahoma City and moved RHP Yumi Garcia (right biceps) from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. ... Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, who underwent shoulder surgery 12 months ago, threw four shutout innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday. It was the third rehab start for Ryu, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2014. ... Mets INF Wilmer Flores (left hamstring) was eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list Friday but went 1-for-4 in his fourth rehab game at Double-A Binghamton instead. He is expected to start at first base when he returns. ... Mets manager Terry Collins turned 67 on Friday. He is 8-4 as a manager on his birthday.

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