Mets Game 162: Win Over Astros

Mets 4 Astros 0

Finally, it’s over.

The worst Mets season since Art Howe “lit up a room” has come to a close — and the team finished with a bang.

The Mets swept the ‘stros behind the spectacular pitching of Nelson Figueroa, who pitched the best game of his MLB career — a four-hit, no-walk, seven-strikeout, complete-game shutout.

Angel Pagan was the offensive star of the game, scoring two runs and nearly hitting for the cycle from the leadoff spot.

Notes

Figgy was ultra sharp, throwing 76 strikes out of his 113 pitches. His curveball had excellent 12-6 bite and he had great command of both his sinking fastball and change-up low in the strike zone. This performance capped what was a fairly impressive, if mostly winless, September, and he may have pitched himself into an MLB contract for 2010. With better offensive support and a little luck he might have had four or five more wins, and been 8-3 instead of 3-8. Heck, if he had the Phillies hitting behind him he might’ve been 10-1.

Funny that it took 156 games for a Met to throw a complete-game shutout, and a second one was thrown in game 162 — and neither were tossed by Johan Santana, and both were accomplished by men no one would have ever guessed back in April.

Sad that although the Mets finished the season with a three-game sweep at home, it wasn’t enough to bring happiness. It was kind of melancholy — not unlike the music of the 1970s. We had joy we had fun we had seasons in the sun …

Luis Castillo gave himself up all day. He had a sac bunt, a sac fly, and he bounced a grounder to the right side to move Angel Pagan to third with none out prior to David Wright driving Pagan home with a long fly.

Pagan finished with a flourish, going 4-for-4 with a triple and two doubles to end the year at .306. He was unconscious all day — to him the ball must have looked like a basketball coming out of the pitcher’s hand.

Jeremy Reed made his first start since Halley’s Comet was last seen, and walked three times.

Josh Thole looked good at the plate, punching the ball all over the field and collecting three hits (he was five for his last six on the season). Gotta love a guy who fights through long at-bats and gets the bat on the ball — in that respect he reminds me of David Eckstein.

Next Mets Game

The Mets host the Marlins on April 5th, 2010 — because of course the weather will be much nicer in Flushing than Miami that day. Johan Santana is penciled in to start against Josh Johnson (keep your eraser handy). First pitch is 1:10 PM.