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| Hannes Wolf flew past the Atlanta defense in the 59th minute... |
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| To make it 4-0 NYCFC. Photos by Jason Schott. |
New York City Football Club got in a rhythm on offense, and it flourished into a full-blown symphony as they routed Atlanta United FC, 4-0, on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.
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| Jeff McNeil hit a three-run home run in the first inning on Thursday afternoon against Washington. Photo by Jason Schott. |
One year ago, June 12, 2024, the Mets got a spark from someone who would become a touchstone as they made their run to a surprise appearance in the National League Championship Series.
Grimace through the first pitch before the Mets beat the Miami Marlins, 10-4.
Brooklyn Digest covered that game, and here’s a sampling from the article, “Mets Mash Marlins On Night That Could Be Model Going Forward”:
“The Mets had one of their most complete games of the season on Wednesday night at Citi Field, as they romped past the Miami Marlins, 10-4. They got solid pitching from David Peterson and Dedniel Nunez, and a trio of home runs from Harrison Bader, Starling Marte, and Francisco Lindor.
The Mets (29-37) set the tone early when Peterson had a strong 1-2-3 top of the first, capped by striking out Josh Bell looking.
“In the bottom of the first against Marlins starter Braxton Garrett, a lefty like Peterson, the Mets offense got off to a fast start. Francisco Lindor led off with a double when Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. misjudged a liner, and then Harrison Bader then crushed one to right field for a no-doubt two-run homer.
“That gave the Mets center fielder his fourth of the season, and 25 RBI on the season as well.”
The Mets led 5-4, then 8-4 before they “blew it open in the bottom of the eighth when Lindor led off the frame with a solo shot, his 11th homer of the season, and Marte followed with an RBI single that made it 10-4.
“Marte, Bader, and Alvarez had two RBI apiece, while Taylor led the way with four hits, followed by Lindor, Bader, and Marte each notched two hits.
“Peterson improved to 2-0 on the season, but since this was just his third start of the season, his ERA (earned run average) jumped from 3.09 to 4.32.”
A year later, Peterson is 5-2 with a 2.49 ERA after he threw a complete game shutout in a 5-0 win on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.
As you read, the Mets were 29-37 on this date a year ago, and that victory began a seven-game winning streak.
The Mets reached the .500 mark, at 39-39, with a 12-2 blowout win over the Yankees at Citi two weeks later.
By July 2, the Mets had won 13 of 17 games, and that extended to 20 wins in 28 games over basically a month, and a record of 49-45 on July 13.
The Mets torrid pace continued through the summer, as they snagged a Wild Card spot with a record of 89-73.
That meant the Amazin’s went an astonishing 60-36 the rest of the way.
On Thursday afternoon, the Mets added one more to that total, as they completed their sweep of the Washington Nationals with a 4-3 win.
Jeff McNeil gave the Mets the early lead with a three-run home run in the first inning off Washington starting pitcher Mike Soroka.
That was McNeil’s seventh home run of the season and gave him 22 RBI.
Brandon Nimmo got a home run off his own, a solo shot in the fifth that rang off the right field foul pole.
Mets starter Kodak Senga turned in a phenomenal outing, as he surrendered just one hit and one walk over 5 2/3 shutout innings. At one point, he retired 13 straight Washington hitters from when there was one out in the first inning until two out in the fifth.
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| Kodai Senga pitching to Nathaniel Lowe in the fourth inning. Photo by Jason Schott. |
Senga’s afternoon ended in deleterious fashion, as he suffered an injury leaping up to grab a high throw from first baseman Pete Alonso at the bag to nab C.J. Abrams.
Senga came up lame, and was writhing in pain before he left on his own volition, and was promptly removed from the game.
Even though Washington scored three in the ninth to make in interesting, Senga earned the win to improve to 7-3 with a 1.47 ERA.
The Mets are now 45-24, and they have expanded their lead to 5 1/2 games over the Philadelphia Phillies.
That gives them 105 regular season wins in the past calendar year.
Overall, they’ve won 112 games because they won eight in the playoffs last year as they beat the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies before losing the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
The River Is Waiting
By Wally Lamb
S&S/Marysue Rucci Books; hardcover, 480 pages; $29.99; available today, Tuesday, June 10th
Wally Lamb is the author of six New York Times bestselling novels, I'll Take You There; We Are Water; Wishin' and Hopin'; The Hour I First Believed; I Know This Much Is True; and She's Come Undone. Lamb also was the Editor of two essays from students in his writing workshop at York Correctional Institution, a women's prison in Connecticut - Couldn't Keep It to Myself and I'll Fly Away. Lamb lives in Connecticut with his wife and three sons.
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| The Boston Red Sox take the field Saturday night. @RedSox. |
Friday night at Yankee Stadium was “embarrassing” for the Boston Red Sox, a term used by both starting pitcher Walker Buehler and a WEEI announcer.
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| Rick Pitino on Wednesday night. Provided by St. John's. |
St. John's Head Coach Rick Pitino threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night ahead of the Yankees' 4-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.
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| Madison Square Garden during a Knicks game this season. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The Knicks made the shocking decision on Tuesday to fire Head Coach Tom Thibodeau just days after they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers.
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| The Red Bulls celebrate after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting made it 2-0. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The Red Bulls, backed by a pair of early, excellent goals, shutout Atlanta United FC, 2-0, on Saturday night in front of a near-capacity crowd of 20,187 at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
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| Hannes Wolf looking to make a play. Provided by NYCFC. |
New York City Football Club tied Nashville SC, 2-2, on the road Saturday, backed by a pair of goals from Hannes Wolf.
DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods
By Bob Harig
St. Martin's Press; paperback, 320 pages; $20.00
Bob Harig is a writer for Sports Illustrated, formerly of ESPN and the Tampa Bay Times, who has covered Tiger Woods since the very beginning of his career nearly three decades ago. Harig is one of the few authors who has conducted dozens of one-on-one interviews with Tiger, and is the author of Tiger & Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry (click here for our review from April 2022).
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| Clay Holmes fires one in to Chicago's Mike Tauchman in the fourth inning. Photo by Jason Schott. |
Clay Holmes established himself as a reliable closer in The Bronx, but it was the team in Flushing that saw what he really could be.
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| NYCFC put the game away when Alonso Martinez scored on this penalty kick in the 89th minute. Photo by Jason Schott. |
New York City Football Club won their second in a row with a dominant 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.
Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man's Search for Home
By Jonathan Capehart
Grand Central Publishing; hardcover, 272 pages; $30.00; available today, Tuesday, May 20th
Jonathan Capehart is a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and a co-host of the morning edition of The Weekend on MSNBC. Capehart is an Associate Editor at the Washington Post, where he also writes an opinion column, and he is an analyst for The PBS News Hour. His career began here in New York with the Daily News, where he was the deputy editorial page editor from 2002-04, and served on the editorial board from 1993-2000. He earned the board a Pulitzer for his editorial campaign in 1999 to save the Apollo Theater.
Night in the City
By Michael McGarrity
W.W. Norton & Company; hardcover, 272 pages; $28.99; available today, Tuesday, May 20th
Michael McGarrity is the author of the nationally best-selling Kevin Kerney crime novels, which he concluded in Head Wounds, the acclaimed American West trilogy, and his recent novel, The Long Ago.
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| The scene after the final whistle. Photo by Jason Schott. |
New York City Football Club was victorious in the first Hudson River Derby of the season, as they shutout the Red Bulls, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 30,804 at Citi Field.
Lollapaolooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival
By Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour
St. Martin's Press; hardcover, 432 pages; $32.00
Richard Beinstock is the former senior editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He is the author of several books, including Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, and he co-authored Nothin' But a Good Time with Tom Beaujour. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and SPIN.
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| NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese looks on. Photo provided by NYCFC. |
If you're going to watch a New York City Football Club game this season, you have to figure there will be a clean sheet.
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| Photo by Jason Schott. |
On Tuesday, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made a monumental decision regarding whether Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and other players who have been on the permanently ineligible list.
We are in the heart of spring, a perfect time of year to curl up with a book outside, and in this review we will look at two new novels, Marble Hall Murders, by Anthony Horowitz; and The Marriage Rule, by Helen Monks Takhar; and a thoughtful book of poetry by Josie Balka, I Hope You Remember: Poems on Loving, Longing, and Living.
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| Paul Skenes fires one in to Juan Soto in the first inning. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The Mets, in first place in the National League East with possibly the best lineup in baseball, battled the Pittsburgh Pirates and their ace, Paul Skenes, one of the best young starting pitchers, in front of 35,580 fans on Monday night at Citi Field.
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| Montreal celebrates their victory after the referee's whistle at the end extra time in the second half. Photo by Jason Schott. |
New York City Football Club suffered their toughest loss of the season on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium, as they were shutout, 1-0, by CF Montreal, who earned their first win of the season.
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| Citi Field. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The Amazin' Mets Foundation announced on Thursday morning that it has launched Amazin' Auction.
Run for the Hills
By Kevin Wilson
Ecco; hardcover, 256 pages; $28.99; available Tuesday, May 13th
Kevin Wilson is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Nothing to See Here, and The Family Fang, plus two story collections. His work as been honored with the Shirley Jackson Award and been chosen as a Read with Jenna book club pick.
The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football
By Bill Belichick
Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster; hardcover, 304 pages; $35.00; available today, Tuesday, May 6th
Bill Belichick is arguably the greatest football coach of all time, after he led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships. He also won two championships with the Giants in 1986 and 1990, giving him an unprecedented eight rings overall, which he displays in his dust jacket cover photo.
Undeniable: How to Reach the Top and Stay There
By Cameron Hanes
St. Martin's Press; 336 pages; hardcover, $35.00; $16.99 EBook; available today, Tuesday, May 6th
Cameron Hanes is a master motivator, as he has inspired people through his writings, television appearances, and social media postings. His first book was ENDURE, which demonstrated how to push beyond your physical limits to improve yourself. Hanes also has a podcast, Keep Hammering Collective, that highlights outliers who have accomplished extraordinary things and helps listeners find motivation in their everyday lives.
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| NYCFC celebrates Julian Fernandez's early goal. Photo by Jason Schott. |
That's two games at Citi Field and two shutouts for New Yoirk City Football Club, as they won their playoff rematch with Cincinnati CF, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon in front of 21,611 fans.
Together We Roared: Alongside Tiger for His Epic Thirteen-Majors Run
By Steve Williams and Evin Priest
William Morrow; hardcover, 320 pages, $30.00; E-Book, $14.99; and Digital Audio, $27.99
Steve Williams, a New Zealand native, is one of the greatest caddies in golf history. He carried the clubs for such golfers as Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch, and most famously, Tiger Woods. He became most known as Tiger's caddy because in their time together, he won eighty tournaments worldwide, including thirteen major championships. Williams was inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame by the Western Golf Association in 2014.
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| Citi Field. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The Mets will host Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Night at Citi Field when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:10 P.M.
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| Madison Square Garden is the home of St. John's basketball. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team has had a busy off-season, and this update will catch you up on the past few days.
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| Juan Soto at home plate after rounding the bases on his first home run. Photo by Jason Schott. |
Juan Soto gave the Mets fans the moment they were waiting for at a crowded Citi Field on Thursday afternoon - and then he did it again.
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| Provided by St. John's. |
The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team have spent a lot of time this off-season focusing on acquiring outside shooters, and on Wednesday, they announced that they have added a major presence in the paint.
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| Citi Field. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The Mets rolled to a 19-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday evening to become the first team in Major League Baseball to reach 20 wins.
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| Noah Elie heading home the lone goal of the game midway through the second half. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The New York Red Bulls notched a 1-0 shutout over CF Montreal on Saturday evening at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
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| Alonso Martinez celebrates his goal on Saturday afternoon. Provided by NYCFC. |
New York City Football Club shutout Toronto FC, 1-0, on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field, their first road win of the season.
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| Yankee Stadium. Photo by Jason Schott. |
In the future the Yankees have to remember "don't bring in a player known for choking against the Mets."
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| RJ Luis Jr. burying a fadeaway jumper against UConn on February 24th. Photo by Jason Schott. |
St. John's star RJ Luis Jr. was honored on Thursday by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association as the winner of the Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Met Player of the Year.
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Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS
By Lisa Rogak
St. Martin's Press; hardcover, 240 pages; $29.00
Lisa Rogak is the author of numerous books including And Nothing But the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert, and Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart, and she was the editor of Barack Obama in His Own Words, which was a New York Times bestseller.
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| Provided by St. John's. |
St. John's announced on Wednesday that is has signed forward Dillon Mitchell, the third big addition to their roster in as many days and sixth this off-season.
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| Zuby Ejiofor lays one in during St. John's win over Creighton on February 16. Photo by Jason Schott. |
The Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association honored the most successful team in the New York region, the Big East Champion St. John's Red Storm, when they announced their awards on Wednesday morning.
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| Provided by St. John's. |
The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team made another addition to their Big East Championship roster, as they signed Imram Suljanovic, a 6-8 wing from Austria, on Tuesday.
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| Provided by St. John's. |
The remodeling of the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball roster took another big leap on Monday, as the team announced that they signed one of the top prospects in the transfer portal.
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Sweet Nothings: Confessions of a Candy Lover
By Sarah Perry
Mariner Books; hardcover, 304 pages; $29.99
Sarah Perry is the author of the memoir After the Eclipse, which was honored as a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, a Poets & Writers Notable Nonfiction Debut, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. She is a recipient of the 2018 Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award, and was nominated for the 2024 MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award from the James Beard Foundation.
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| Kodai Senga fires one in to Brendan Donovan in the first inning. Photo by Jason Schott. |
Kodai Senga entered this season as the Mets' ace, and his latest outing on Saturday, a 3-0 shutout win over the St. Louis Cardinals, affirmed that once again.
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| It was a tough night for NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese. Provided by NYCFC. |
The New York City Football Club was shutout by the New England Revolution, 2-0, in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday night.
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| Mike Piazza in the New York Or Nowhere near. Provided by New York Mets. |
The Mets, in partnership with New Era and Major League Baseball, announced they will have a new co-branded collection, with New York or Nowhere.
That's What She Said
By Eleanor Pilcher
Avon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; paperback; $18.99
Eleanor Pilcher is a published author of commercial fiction and an award-winning marketer in the publishing industry. Based in London, she is also a freelance journalist, public speaker, and founder of #MarketYourMarketing.
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| Provided by St. John's. |
St. John's continued their rapid off-season makeover, as they announced on Wednesday that they have signed Stanford transfer Oziyah Sellers, and he will be on its 2025-26 roster.
The Annotated Great Gatsby: 100th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
By F. Scott Fitzgerald; Edited by James L.W. West III; Introduction by Amor Towles
Library of America; hardcover, 272 pages; $35.00
The Library of America, now in its fourth decade, is a nonprofit organization that champions the nation's heritage by publishing America's greatest writing in authoritative new editions, and providing resources for readers to explore this deep legacy.
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| NYCFC and Philadelphia take the field. Photo by Jason Schott. |
New York City Football Club made the most of its first game of the season at Citi Field on Saturday night, as they shutout the Philadelphia Union, 1-0, in front of 19,897 fans.
The Tell: Oprah's Book Club
By Amy Griffin
The Dial Press; hardcover, 288 pages; $29.00
Amy Griffin is the founder of the investment firm G9 Ventures, and she lives in New York City with her husband, John, and their four children.
