Phillies catcher: 'Respect for the Mets' as series heads to New York tied

PHILADELPHIA — The Mets stunned the Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday, scoring five runs in the eighth inning to take a 6-1 win.

They downed the Phillies several times on Sunday with crucial hits – two homers by Mark Vientos and another by Pete Alonso – but the Phillies kept coming off the mat and fighting back, with Nick Castellanos' walk-off single giving them a 7th – 6 win.

The series between the two geographical rivals and the National League East rivals continues with a tie in a best-of-5 format on Tuesday afternoon in New York.

“Definitely an emotional rollercoaster of a game. so many ups and downs,” Phillies catcher JT Realmuto said. “We didn't start well, things didn't look good for a while. Big homer from Bryce (Harper), big homer from Casty. Then they take the lead again. Several times you had a good feeling and other times you didn't have a good assessment of your chances. It seemed to happen quickly…I’m glad we came out ahead.”

The 2024 Mets continue to have as many 2022 Phillies vibes as if they were twins. After slow starts, both teams recovered in the second half of the season.

The Phillies team ended the season with a long road trip and then had to play the entire first round and the beginning of the second round on the road. The 2022 Phillies staged a big ninth-inning comeback in their first playoff game and stayed hot.

The Mets – who have been on the road for a while and came back to win games at the end of the regular season – showed just as much grit, if not more, in the division series and in both games of that series.

When asked if he has a weird respect for the Mets, Phillies catcher JT Realmuto said he does, except for the weird part.

“I wouldn’t call it weird, I have respect for the guys over there,” Realmuto said. “They’re a really good ball club and they don’t give up. The entire second half they were just grinning (at bats). They seem to get better with their ABs in the later innings. They perform better as bullpen pitchers, which, frankly, is difficult.”

“When you play against a team as good and as hot as over there, you have to stick it out until the end. That game had the most up-and-down lead changes I can remember, it was pretty wild.”

The respect is mutual. While Mets manager Carlos Mendoza lamented the missed opportunity, he noted that it is thanks to the Phillies' talent and perseverance that the series goes to New York in a tie.

“This is a really good team, you saw that today,” said Mendoza. “They went down, it was 3-0 and it seems like we took the crowd with us and before you know it they came back and tied the game. They kept fighting.”

Now the series moves to New York, which could have an atmosphere that rivals the atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park, considered the loudest in baseball.

“I imagine it will be pretty hostile and a lot of fun,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

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Bill Evans can be reached at [email protected].