MILWAUKEE — Joey Lucchesi received a phone call at his West Palm Beach home on Sunday night from Mets director of pitching development Eric Jager.
The lefty was instructed to be on a plane to Atlanta first thing the next morning. Lucchesi was being positioned — if Game 161 of the season went well — to start the first meaningless game of the 2024 Mets season. Except in the aftermath of a doubleheader, a champagne-drenched David Stearns made sure — on a day of many Mets heroes — to note how meaningful Lucchesi had been.
“I’ll tell you what about Game 2 — Joey Lucchesi picked us big-time in Game 2,” Stearns said. “That’s not forgotten here. What Joey did in Game 2 sets up very well for the next three days. He’s a big part of this.”
What Lucchesi did on the surface in Game 2 is lose to the Braves, 3-0. But he got off his couch on 11 days of rest from last pitching at Triple-A to throw a career-high 111 pitches and most vitally get 18 outs. The second-most pitches thrown by a Met this year allowed major components of an overtaxed bullpen to be rested. Only Huascar Brazoban and Adam Ottavino — generally low-leverage relievers — needed to also get outs in Game 162.
It gave some form of rest for the weary pen entering Game 1 of the wild-card round. Had Lucchesi combusted, key relievers such as Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek and Danny Young might have been needed to finish the game. Instead, they were all in good form to open a best-of-three series Tuesday against the Brewers.
“I feel like I contributed,” Lucchesi said.
It was part of a theme for the Mets this season and, really, every playoff-bound team is going to receive gifts that no one forecasted. Unless you saw the Mets making the playoffs back in, say March, and envisioned a situation in which they would be pleased to open the postseason with Jose Iglesias batting second and playing second and Mark Vientos playing third and hitting fourth.
Were you ready for Francisco Lindor’s best season, Luis Severino finishing eighth in the NL in innings and Sean Manaea eighth in ERA? Did you have Luis Torrens showing up to tag-team with Iglesias to help turn the Mets from a bad defensive team to a strong one?
But perhaps nowhere have the surprises been as pleasant as with pitching depth. The Mets insisted they had that in spring. Yet, that sounded in real time like hopes and prayers at the most optimistic time of year than a strategy to bank upon.
Back in March, David Peterson was a promise in the future while he recovered from hip surgery. And Tylor Megill only went into the season-opening rotation because of a shoulder injury to Kodai Senga, and after his first start went on the IL with a shoulder strain of his own.
Senga made it back for one start. Exciting rookie Christian Scott made nine starts before ultimately needing Tommy John surgery. Paul Blackburn, after being obtained at the trade deadline, made just five starts. Jose Butto proved better and more valuable in the bullpen.
And so the season swung back to Peterson and Megill for the two biggest starts of the year. They have been homegrown interesting arms who had teased with talent, but lacked consistency.
However, in this window when again the Mets needed innings to protect their pen, but also to win, Peterson delivered seven shutout, one-hit innings in Milwaukee in Game 160 to highlight a 5-0 triumph. Peterson returned to the rotation in late May and his 2.90 ERA was the ninth best in the majors this year, minimum 120 innings.
In Game 1 Monday in Atlanta, Megill allowed three runs in 5 ²/₃ innings. It was good enough to keep the Mets close while they were being dominated by Braves rookie Spencer Schwellenbach. Close enough to allow for the Mets to make two of the most stirring comebacks in franchise history.
Megill returned to the rotation on Aug. 31 and had a 2.32 ERA in those final six starts. He helped the Mets win the clincher in Game 161. Then, in the nightcap, Lucchesi earned a save — of the Mets bullpen.
Just as the Mets told everyone in spring training — they had pitching depth.
