Oct. 17--New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson took a curious view of the Mets 0-7 record against the Cubs in regular season play entering the National League Championship Series.
Alderson, a history major at Dartmouth, said Friday that "history informs the present," but he pointed to the Mets' changes since the Cubs completed a three-game sweep at Citi Field on June 30-July 2.
"In looking at the pitching, I think that our young guys are a little more experienced, have a little better command, and have more confidence,' Alderson said. "So I think from that standpoint, we're in a better position.
"Offensively it's a different team -- not totally but significantly. So I don't think that 0-7 registers much concern on the part of our players, but we certainly have to turn that around. We'd like to be 4-10 at the end of this with the Cubs."
The Mets' history suggests that the regular season has little to do with forecasting the outcome of the NLCS. The Mets were 10-1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1988 regular season (one game was rained out), but the Dodgers stunned the Mets by winning the NLCS 4-3.
The 1971 San Francisco Giants were 9-3 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning their final six games against them. But the Giants needed Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal to pitch the final game of the regular season to win the NL West. Marichal couldn't pitch until Game 3 of the NLCS, and the Pirates went on to win the NLCS by a 3-1 margin.
