OMG The Mets have a pumpkin, a grimace and the momentum the Phillies need

A pumpkin sat on the top shelf of Pete Alonso's locker Saturday night, three oversized letters – OMG – lay on the clubhouse floor and a staff member cleaned dirt from a pair of soccer cleats inspired by Ronald McDonald's best friend. The Mets came to Philly with a playoff pumpkin, an anthem sung by their 34-year-old infielder and an affinity for Grimace. They also carried the momentum of a wild week, a ride that stunned the Phillies in their National League Division Series opener.

“We’ve done this all year,” Alonso said after the Mets’ 6-2 win. “We’re just a gloomy bunch. It's a special group. It's a great atmosphere. There are a lot of good things coming our way at the moment.”

The Mets haven't been home since Sept. 22 and sneaked into the playoffs with a ninth-inning rally in Atlanta on the final day of the season. They eliminated the Brewers in the wild-card round with an even more dramatic rally in the ninth inning. Of course, they won Saturday behind a pitcher who last pitched in July and five runs in the eighth inning after going 1-for-21 in the first seven innings. Name the pumpkin, the song, or the purple thing.

“Every team has that winning song,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “You definitely need things like that throughout the year. Then there are things that appeal to fans. But in the end we have to play the game the right way.”

It's hard to quantify the momentum, but the Mets appear to be making some progress. They finished the season six games behind the Phillies but have baseball's best record since June 1. They entered the postseason with a four-month preseason.

The Phillies did that two years ago when they were the last seed to make the playoffs, won three straight postseason series that began on the road and reached the World Series. The Diamondbacks took a similar route last year. Saturday was just one game, but the familiar atmosphere could be felt in the visitors' clubhouse.

“One of the things we talked about is finishing the game by the ninth inning,” third baseman Mark Vientos said. “And the game is only over on matchday nine. We kind of ran with that mentality. I feel like I was in Atlanta last week. We kind of showed that in the last game in Milwaukee and it gives us more confidence.”

The Mets were helpless against Zack Wheeler on Saturday — “He was throwing planes,” JD Martinez said — but recovered when the bullpen phone rang.

“He was almost unbeatable,” said Alonso. “It was electric. That was definitely the best I've ever seen from him. We weren’t upset when he left the game.”

Francisco Alvarez hit a leadoff single as four straight Mets reached base and took the lead. The rally-towel-obsessed stadium that roared through the first seven innings was silenced by a momentum train that had been in the works for a week.

” READ MORE: Murphy: The Phillies just lost Game 1, which they almost had to win. The bats should arrive quickly in Game 2.

“I believe in dynamism. I believe in momentum,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo said. “And I think we have confidence at the moment. We have recent examples of the return. I believe in the hard work we've done and I believe in the preparation these guys do every day. But dynamics is a big deal. And confidence is a big thing. And the boys are showing a lot of that right now.”

Alonso bought the little pumpkin at a farm earlier this week while the team was in Milwaukee and unveiled it during Thursday's locker room celebration after his ninth-inning home run, the defining moment in the career of the team's face Brewers had defeated. He called it the playoff pumpkin because nothing is more “fall” than late-season baseball and pumpkins.

Alonso is wearing purple cleats because fans are recognizing Grimace – the purple creature from McDonaldland – for turning the tide of the team in June after throwing out the first pitch at Citi Field. And the Mets celebrate home runs by posing in the dugout with a cutout of “OMG,” the title of the chart-topping song Iglesias sang on the field after a game this season in Queens.

The Mets have momentum. They're having fun, too, as the loose group believes they can win a game after being silenced for the first seven innings.

“When you compete, it’s just a matter of time,” Iglesias said.

The Phillies last lost the first game of a postseason series in 2010 and have never won a playoff series after losing the first game. The crowd was excited and the starting pitcher performed as promised, but the offense was listless after Kyle Schwarber's leadoff blast. They spent the week resting at Citizens Bank Park. It was a necessary break, Bryce Harper said. The Mets spent their time picking pumpkins and building momentum as their wild ride continued.

“Momentum is real,” Lindor said. “But at the end of the day, you have off days in between and face different pitchers every day. So you can call it dynamics. You can also call it baseball.”

” READ MORE: Hayes: The heartless Phillies collapse again in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Mets, like they did in the NLCS last year