[jg2977]

Alright lemme tell ya somethin’ — this was a statement win by the Mets, okay? Game One, Division Series, Citi Field — and the Mets, the defending two-time champs, they look every bit the part. 8–2 final, and it wasn’t even that close. Pittsburgh? They were never really in it.
Alan Sloan — folks, this guy’s a monster. Two home runs, three RBIs, scored twice, and both homers were absolute no-doubters. One in the fifth, one in the eighth — the second one basically shut the door. You wanna talk about playoff pedigree? This guy’s got it. That’s what stars do in October. When you need the big swing, Sloan delivers.
Now look — B. Colón, the old veteran — gives you seven-and-a-third strong innings. Two runs, eight hits, strikes out seven, and never really looked rattled. That’s what you want from your Game One starter. You get the lead, you hold it. You pass it to the bullpen, you go home happy. Textbook postseason baseball.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh — look, they had chances. Couple of guys on in the fourth, Hinkston up with two outs, a chance to maybe flip the game right there — and he grounds out. And I said it right there: “That’s it. That’s the inning. You had your shot, you missed it.” Because against this Mets team, you don’t get many of those.
S. Kim — absolutely shelled. Four and two-thirds, gives up nine hits, six runs, and a homer to Sloan that’s probably still flying over Flushing right now. His ERA looks like a zip code — 11.57! That’s not gonna get it done in October.
And the Mets lineup — up and down — everybody contributed. Thirteen hits, clutch hitting with two outs. Pepper had two RBIs, Guidice with a sac fly, Contreras lacing doubles. They moved the line, they executed. You can tell this team’s been here before.
Now listen, you split hairs if you want, you say “Oh, the Pirates hit a few doubles, they just didn’t cash in.” Yeah, yeah — fine. But this is October baseball. It’s about timely hitting, it’s about executing when the lights are brightest, and it’s about stars stepping up. Sloan did that, Colón did that, and the Mets as a whole — they set the tone.
Tomorrow? Game Two, right back at Citi Field. If Pittsburgh doesn’t steal one, this thing’s over. You go down 0–2 heading back to Pittsburgh, goodnight. You’re not beating this Mets team three straight, not with that lineup, not with that pitching staff.
So yeah — Mets take Game One, 8–2, and they look every bit like a team chasing their third straight title. I’m tellin’ ya — this club’s got that look again.