Moment Number Three: LoDuca tags two Dodgers

The hype heading into the Mets' postseason were through the roof, and once game one rolled around on October fourth there weren't many Mets fans not glued to ESPN. The day before the series opener Orlando Hernandez suffered an injury that forced him to miss the rest of the postseason, and with a worried fan base John Maine took the ball for game one of the NLDS. Maine had been one of the Mets most consistent starters in 2006, despite being a rookie in NY. However, the playoffs are a different monster from the regular season.



So in the top of the second inning after veterans Jeff Kent and JD Drew singled to start the inning you couldn't help but worry. Suddenly Russel Martin bounced a ball off of the right field wall to struggling outfielder Shawn Green. However, instead of staying at third base and playing the inning safe the Dodgers sent Jeff Kent home, and the runner behind him, JD Drew. When Green made the relay throw to Valentin at second base Valentin smelled an out, and he gunned out Jeff Kent. After LoDuca tagged out Kent, JD Drew followed one second later with a dive into home plate, and LoDuca gladly tagged him out as well.


What looked to be a dreadful inning with a potential no out and bases loaded situation quickly turned into two outs with a runner on second. Two innings later Carlos Delgado and Cliff Floyd hit home runs to give the Mets the lead. In my opinion had Kent and Drew not been thrown out at home and either the bases were loaded, or both runners scored the Mets would not have won the first game of the series 6-5. Therefore, the incredible double play may have catapulted the Mets to the series sweep, and to an eventual game seven of the NLCS.