Five key moments from the Mets’ 9-3 win in World Series Game 3

The New York Mets picked up a huge win Friday against the Kansas City Royals in Game 3 of the World Series. With the club trailing 2-0, New York’s bats finally came alive during the club’s 9-3 victory.

David Wright fittingly played a major role. The captain, and longest-tenured Met, smacked a two-run homer in the first inning to give New York the early lead.

As usual, the Royals refused to go quietly. Kansas City quickly retook the lead the following inning. The Mets battled back, eventually going up 4-3 in the third inning, and extended that lead to 5-3 in the fourth. Though the Mets had a two-run lead, that hardly felt safe given the Royals proclivity for comebacks. 

[Related: Mets, Royals remember the last time their teams won the World Series]

In the sixth inning, the Mets put the game out of reach. Juan Uribe would single in a run, Wright would pick up two more RBIs with a single and Yoenis Cespedes would add a sac fly. By the end of the inning, the Mets had an 8-3 lead. 

For what seems like the first time all postseason, the Royals couldn’t mount a come back. The Mets bullpen managed to shut them down, tossing three scoreless innings to finish the game. With the win, the Mets cut the Royals series lead to 2-1. 

Here’s a look at five key moments from the contest, beginning with Wright’s first inning blast.

THE CAPTAIN COMES THROUGH
There was incredible pressure on the Mets coming into this contest. With a loss, everyone would have written them off. With a win, they could fight their way back into the series. Given how much was on the line, it’s fitting that Wright was the one who put the Mets on top right away. Wright’s two-run shot in the first inning had to be one of the best moments of the 12-year-veteran’s career. The fact that it came in front of the home crowd only added to the gravity of the situation. It was an incredible moment for both Wright and Mets fans. 

GRANDERSON GOES YARD
Wright’s home run may have given the Mets an early lead but, and this won’t shock anyone, the Royals battled back to take a lead. That is, until the third inning. Curtis Granderson stepped to the plate against Yordano Ventura. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, he knocked a 94 mph fastball out to right for a two-run shot. The ball barely crossed the wall out in right, giving the Mets the 4-3 lead. 

SYNDERGAARD SETS ‘EM DOWN
Things didn’t look promising for Noah Syndergaard early, but he settled in once the third inning started. Once that frame started, Syndergaard tossed three straight perfect frames. He managed two more outs in the sixth inning before finally giving up a hit to Mike Moustakas. Including the final out of the second inning, Syndergaard sent down 12 straight Mets. He struck out five batters over that period. Syndergaard got himself in some trouble during the sixth inning, and that sets up our next big moment.

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SYNDERGAARD WORKS OUT OF TROUBLE
Syndergaard faced a huge challenge in the sixth inning. With two outs, the Royals strung together a bit of a rally. The club managed to load the bases against the 23-year-old. Given that the Mets only had a two-run lead at the time, it felt like the Royals were about to rip out the hearts of their opponent again. With the bases juiced and Syndergaard over 100 pitches, manager Terry Collins stuck with his young ace. Syndergaard came through, inducing a ground out to end the threat. If the Royals were going to come back, that seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

WRIGHT COMES THROUGH AGAIN
Wright’s home run wasn’t his only big moment from the game. In the sixth inning, Wright stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and a chance to really break things open. Once again, he delivered. Wright knocked a two-run single, pushing the Mets lead to 8-3. Given the Royals propensity for comebacks lately, this hit seemed like the final nail in the coffin for Kansas City. 

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik