The Mets are looking for their biggest comeback yet after falling behind the Dodgers 3-1 in the NLCS

NEW YORK (AP) — The Mets insist their biggest surge of 2024 may still be ahead.

“When we come back from this, it’s going to be a hell of a story. “We're going to step up the whole Grimace-OMG stuff,” Brandon Nimmo said after New York erased a 3-1 NL Championship Series deficit with a 10-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.

A 22-33 start left them six games out of a wild card spot and made it to the playoffs.

They were two outs away from elimination before Pete Alonso's three-run home run saved them in the Wild Card Series in Milwaukee.

They rallied with five runs in the eighth inning of the Division Series opener in Philadelphia and hit a grand slam off Francisco Lindor in the sixth inning of Game 4 to defeat the Phillies.

“It taught us a lot about our character and identity as a team. “We are an extremely resilient bunch and have had to answer the bell pretty much all year long,” Alonso said. “The only word I can think of for the 2024 Mets other than Grimace is resiliency. That's just who we are.”

Hoping to reach the World Series for the first time since 2015 and win the title for the first time since 1986, New York was outscored 30-9 by the Dodgers. The Mets' pitchers have driven in 31 runs and batters have driven in 4 for 29 runs with runners in scoring position, including 0 for 11 in the last two losses.

Alonso is batting .133 (2 for 15) with no RBIs. Nimmo hit .200 (3 for 15) with one RBI and Lindor hit .250 (4 for 16) with one RBI.

“If you don’t have faith, you shouldn’t be here,” Lindor said. “You will believe. You have to fight for what we want.”

David Peterson will start for the first time since September 29, the penultimate day of the Mets' regular season, after six playoff appearances.

“I feel ready to go as deep as necessary,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it and am ready to give any pitch I have.”

Coach Carlos Mendoza didn't give his team a big speech after the game, but saved his thoughts for Friday.

“I'm going to go the same way I've been going all year,” he said. “I'll stop by the batsmen's meeting or the pitchers' meeting, small groups. But I will definitely say something.”

Los Angeles overcame a 3-1 deficit in the NLCS in 2020 and went on to win the World Series. The Mets recognize the task is difficult, but not impossible.

All the adversity they have overcome this year gives the Mets players hope.

“We have a long history with this, so this is nothing new,” Nimmo said. “We can do it. This team is very capable. It's a very good team. But we all just have to pull together and all pull together, and honestly, some good things have to come our way. We need to drop some balls.”

Alonso, who is eligible for free agency after the World Series, said he isn't thinking about the fact that Friday could be his last game with the Mets.

“I’m so focused on winning for these guys. “This group is really special and it’s been an absolute blast this year,” he said. “We have achieved a lot but this will be an incredible challenge and I am really looking forward to going into battle with the boys in this clubhouse tomorrow.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb