The Dodgers pitching beast that had looked so invulnerable for the last two games of its series with the Padres and its first nine innings against the Mets suddenly toppled in the beginning of NLCS Game 2. Such are the momentum swings of the postseason, and such is the damage that sophomore third baseman Mark Vientos can do when he locks onto a ball from the batter's box.
After a glum 9-0 loss on Sunday night, it was Mr. Smile himself, Francisco Lindor, who gave the Mets a pick-me-up with a lead-off dinger to right against Dodger opener Ryan Brasier. That longball not only punctured L.A.'s lengthy scoreless streak, it also helped set up the key moment of the ballgame as Landon Knack labored through the second inning. Scooping up a couple of outs while allowing a single, a walk, and an RBI double, Knack was set to face the 1-for-1 Lindor with men on second and third and the score already 2-0. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts directed his man toward the correct strategic decision, sending Lindor to first on an imaginary quartet of balls. But the choice to face the next man in the order over Lindor only steamed up the Mets' two-spot hitter, who's no slouch himself.
A hyped prospect who's really exploded as a 24-year-old after an underwhelming first impression at the major-league level, Vientos stood out with 27 big flies across just 111 games and proved himself as the team's second-most important bat after Lindor as they made their second-half charge. He is, however, an aggressive hitter whose powerful swing can also produce a ton of whiffs, and compared with the expertise of the veteran Lindor, Knack couldn't have hated his chances of inducing an out.
But after an 0-for-5 start to the series with three Ks, Vientos dug in for a grueling at-bat that wore Knack down until he delivered the exact brand of cheese the hitter was looking for. Contending almost exclusively with Knack's slider, Vientos watched a ball, fouled off three straight, and then alternated balls with fouls until reaching the ninth pitch of the AB. This one was dead center without any movement, and Vientos was ready to meet it. Without overswinging, he lifted it to deep right-center, where it carried and carried until it cleared the fence.
The Mets bullpen would keep it interesting to the end. (It's really kind of humiliating how much of my happiness right now depends on, like, Ryne Stanek throwing strikes.) But that grand slam proved to be the difference in a 7-3 final that sent the series back to New York tied one-all.
The intentional walk to Lindor was reasonably sound strategy on the Dodgers' part, even if Vientos "did take it personal," but it marked the continuation of a trend pointed out by ESPN: The last three playoff grand slams after a purposeful free pass have all come at the expense of the Dave Roberts's boys. There was Miguel Montero as the eventual champion Cubs took Game 1 of the NLCS in 2016, Howie Kendrick for the eventual champion Nats in the 10th inning of an NLDS Game 5, and now Mark Vientos in 2024 for the outcome-TBD Mets. Nobody's had more practice at burning themselves in big moments than the Dodgers.
