In the lead-up to the doubleheader on Monday between the Mets and Braves in Atlanta, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred had gotten some pushback for how the situation was handled. I was part of that . The situation is still unfortunate, given how things are going to shake out heading to the Wild Card Series, but I couldn't help but think about a movie as the dust was settling from the insanity that was Game 1 of the doubleheader.
It was an 8-7 Mets win , but if you only look at the score, you're missing nearly everything. Remember in "Gladiator" (which you can watch on Paramount+ , by the way!) when Russell Crowe's character screams, "are you not entertained!?!?" to the crowd on hand? He's indignant regarding the situation in which he's been thrust. I have no doubt that Manfred had similar sentiment with a hurricane forcing a tough situation.
He obviously can't control the weather, but there were still lingering questions about how he handled the situation. And then the eighth and ninth innings in Truist Park on Monday happened. And holy smokes, yes, I was totally entertained.
That was one of the most entertaining baseball games I've ever seen. It was just jaw-dropping in the last two innings and the fallout involved not just the Braves and Mets, but also the Diamondbacks , Brewers and Padres . No, this was not a playoff game, but it was tantamount to one.
Whoever won Game 1 of the doubleheader would clinch a playoff spot and then could dial back the effort in Game 2, holding back .