The Cardinals, after such a great season, came unraveled in this series; brutal pitching, subpar defensively, Rick Ankiel's wildness got even worse. Only in their Game 3 victory did the Cardinals seem like they had a chance to make it a more compelling NLCS. But the Mets just overwhelmed the Cards and got everything the Cards didn't; solid pitching and far better defensive play throughout. Not to mention just about every time the Mets hit the ball it went for extra bases. Mike Hampton was a beast for the Mets in his 2 appearances, and that's what secured him the NLCS MVP.
So my Mets spanked the Cardinals in 5 games. And of course, game 2 almost went to extra innings, because we need more Mets drama. Mike Piazza and Mike Hamptom are just unstoppable. Timo Perez and Jay Payton were just great for the Mets in 2000 postseason Me, as a Mets fan, I really wanted to face Seattle, Oakland, or the WSox. That would have been really fun, especially against the A's in a 1973 WS rematch (which almost occurred in 1988). The Yankees just bored me honestly, what a boring team they were under Joe Torre
I'll never understand why the White Sox just let Robin Ventura walk as a free agent. Even the 95-win team of 2000, 3B was a rare offensive hole. You think they would rather have Ventura than Herbert Perry?
For the first time in 10 years, the NLCS did not feature a tomahawk chop. Instead, it's the New York Mets who are in against the upstart Cardinals. In Game 1, Mike Piazza "got out of the cage" with an RBI double in the first as the Mets scored twice off Kile. Mike Hampton took care of the rest, keeping the Cardinals in check all night long with 7 shutout frames, as the Mets took the opener, 6-2. Come Game 2, the Redbirds' fans tried not to fear the worst when Rick Ankiel took the mound. But the fans' fears were realized as Ankiel threw wildly to Timo Perez on the first pitch of the game. Two walks and two wild pitches led to two early runs, and Ankiel leaving the game. Though the Cards' tied it in the 8th, the Mets scored in the top half to win 6-5 on Jay Payton's RBI single, and take a two games to none lead back to Queens. The Cards bounced back to beat Rick Reed and the Mets in Game 3 in Flushing, 8-2, but the Mets answered back in Game 4 with an offensive outburst of their own by scoring 6 in the first two frames en route to a 10-6 win. Timo Perez went two for four with three runs scored, and stole a base. Subbing in place of the injured Derek Bell, Perez tied an NLCS record by scoring 8 runs in the series. One win away, the Mets turned to Mike Hampton to pocket the pennant for them. The NLCS MVP did just that, holding the Cardinals to four hits and no runs in a 7-0 win. And for the first time since 1986, the Mets were headed to the World Series.
Timo Perez and Jay Payton have just been great in the first two rounds for the Mets. I really wanted my Mets to face Atlanta again in the NLCS. 14:08 Cards also used Ankiel in game 5, and more ouch moments.
@@hmhm856 In total, ANkiel threw 9 wild pitches in less than 5 innings of postseason play. Ankiel never recovered as a pitcher. But rather than sell woman's shoes a la Al Bundy, Rick did reinvent himself as a hitter and an outfielder for several years in the late 2000s and early 2010s. And in Game 2 of the 2010 NLDS, Ankiel--now a Braves' OF--hit the game winning home run at San Francisco.
7:08 WOW, they charged Ventura with an error on that play????/ I know hes the best defensive third basemen in the history of baseball, BUT DAMN, did he set the standards high for himself on scorekeepers.
7:45 This is not be the only time in this 2000 postseason that a Mets hitter will be involved in a play like that, where a ball starts foul but then goes fair before it reaches the bases. (Game 1 2000 World Series)
The Rockies threw the bag at every free agent pitcher. Why else would you pitch in the worst atmosphere in baseball? Ruined the careers of some decent players
@@southbeachtalent well, to be fair, i said that mainly since im a Mets fan. But the greatest defensive thirdbasemen I ever saw were Ventura-Rolen-Caminiti. I never got to see the trio of Mike Schmidt - George Brett - Wade Boggs. I saw Boggs play, but in his later years with the Yankees and then with the Rays
