The Mets and Phillies Will Be a Summer Blockbuster

20 innings of great baseball set the stage for more thrills

Mets fans probably aren't feeling too thrilled with the way Wednesday night's game wrapped up, and they probably have some nitpicks here and there about the way the team played and managed their way to an 11th-inning loss. Despite that, it's a pretty good bet that they enjoyed the ride no matter how it wound up.

It was the second straight night of thrilling, edge of your seat baseball between the rivals. There was no shortage of highlights. From Cole Hamels choking on his first meeting with the choke artists to Mike Pelfrey barking at Chase Utley to Jayson Werth's magnificent catch in the 10th, the game had a little bit of everything. The teams are well matched, have a genuine distaste for each other and the 20 innings they've played this week fill you with excitement for the season to come.

The two teams play Thursday and then they have 13 more games before the season wraps up. Right now it's hard to see one team pulling too far ahead of the other. That can change, of course, but recent history says that it won't and that the Mets and Phillies will battle all the way to the end of the season.

That means more epic Pedro Feliciano vs. Ryan Howard showdowns and more chances to make Hamels regret flapping his gums. It means more of Johan Santana gutting out victories, and more of Utley being about as complete a player as you could hope to see on a baseball diamond. More K-Rod celebrations, more Jimmy Rollins takeout slides, more raucous crowds at Citi and Citizens and, well, you could go on and on.

The basic point is that more of everything would be welcomed and consumed with a smile.

Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.

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