[jg2977]

JOE BENIGNO:
“Ahhh—ya gotta love it, folks! The Mets, the Amazins’, get it done AGAIN! Five-one over the Pirates, up two-zip in the Division Series, and lemme tell ya somethin’, Evan—this Jose Rojas kid was filthy. Absolutely filthy! Seven innings, two hits, one run, and he made the Bucs look like a bunch’a Little Leaguers out there, bro!”
EVAN ROBERTS:
“Yeah Joe, I mean, you couldn’t have drawn it up better. That first inning—bang!—Brubaker goes deep, the place is rockin’, the crowd’s waving towels, Citi Field’s shaking! Then you get the Rosa double, the Stacks double—next thing you know it’s 4–0 before Pittsburgh even gets a cup of coffee! It was over right there.”
JOE (excited, talking over him):
“DONE! DONE! The Pirates were finished after the first inning! T. Loder—God bless the guy—he had nothin’! Nothin’! The Mets are just spraying line drives all over the yard. Fourteen hits! This lineup, Evan—this lineup is relentless!”
EVAN:
“And here’s what’s crazy, Joe—everybody’s contributing. Rosa, two hits. Pepper, two hits. Contreras, couple of knocks. Brubaker, homer and a double. It’s not just one or two guys—it’s the entire lineup doing their job. That’s how you win in October.”
JOE:
“Exactly! It’s not just Alonzo and Lindor—oh wait, this is 1923, so it’s Sloan and Rosa—but you know what I mean! This team’s got balance, bro. They get clutch hits, they run the bases, they don’t kick the ball around. CLEAN baseball. No errors! That’s how championship teams play!”
EVAN (smirking):
“Now, Joe, lemme ask you this—does this remind you at all of the past two runs? You know, the energy, the starting pitching, the clean fundamentals—?”
JOE (cuts in immediately):
“Evan! Evan! Don’t jinx it, bro! Don’t even say that! I’m not goin’ there yet. I’ve seen too much Mets heartbreak in my life. But I’ll tell ya this—Jose freakin’ Rojas, if he pitches like that, you can pencil this team in for the LCS, no question. The Pirates are dead! They’re goin’ back to Pittsburgh, down two-nothin’, and they’re toast!”
EVAN:
“Yeah, they’re in trouble, Joe. I mean, they’ve got three hits in the whole game—three! Rojas dominated. And then Hoelzle comes in, two clean innings, shuts the door. I mean, it’s clinical. That’s what good teams do.”
JOE (rant mode):
“And you know what I love, Evan? The Mets didn’t fool around. They got the lead early, they stayed aggressive, they didn’t try to hit ten-run homers every at-bat—they just kept the pressure on! Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s got one guy, Pitre, hits a solo shot, and that’s their whole offense! PATHETIC!”
EVAN (laughing):
“Yeah, it’s like—thanks for showing up, J. Pitre, but the rest of you guys? Forget it. Rojas was in control. The guy barely broke a sweat. Eighty-three pitches through seven. That’s efficiency.”
JOE:
“Exactly! No walks! Attacks the strike zone! Reminds me of Al Leiter in his prime—just poundin’ the zone, mixin’ speeds, total command. I mean, the guy was in a groove! He could’ve gone nine, Evan!”
EVAN:
“Yeah, maybe, but I like that Showalter—or whoever’s managing in 1923—went to Hoelzle there. You keep your guy fresh for the LCS. Smart move.”
JOE:
“Absolutely. Smart baseball. We’re talkin’ October management, bro! The Mets are playin’ like a veteran team—like they’ve been here before. I’m tellin’ ya, this is special!”
EVAN:
“So now it’s simple—Thursday in Pittsburgh, Game 3. Rojas sets the tone, the bats are alive, and the Mets are a win away from the LCS. You can’t ask for more than that.”
JOE (yelling as the segment ends):
“BRO, IF THEY SWEEP ‘EM IN PITTSBURGH—IF THEY SWEEP ‘EM—YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO PEEL ME OFF THE CEILING! LET’S GOOOOOOO METS!!!”
EVAN (laughing):
“Alright, calm down, Joe. Mets up two-nothing, Game 3 Thursday night—don’t go anywhere, we’ll take your calls right after this break on The Fan!”