In the week-long series, The Post is looking for alternative realities in New York sports. Today’s edition discusses what would have happened had the Mets landed Alex Rodriguez in 2000. Here are some great what-if Mets from the past 30 years:
What if Juan Lagares starts in midfield in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series?
The vast field of the Kauffman Stadium was a concern for the Mets front office, but manager Terry Collins went with Yoenis Cespedes in the middle of the superior Lagares to keep the Mets bats better in line against the Royals. Cespedes misplaced Alcides Escobar’s shot into the middle of the match leading to a homer in the park. The Royals tied the game in ninth with homer Alex Gordon of Jeurys Familia and won in the 14th inning. If Lagares starts, he might catch Escobar’s ball and the game might not reach the extra round. Will the series – won by the Royals in five games – turn out differently if the Mets take the opening act?
What if the referee Adrian Johnson had decided “fair ball” in Carlos Beltran’s shot against Johan Santana on June 1, 2012?
The replays are conclusive: The Beltran ball cuts the foul line behind the third base in the sixth inning, meaning Johan Santana should let the blow. Johnson called it rotten, and Santana went on to throw the first no-hitter in Mets history. It comes with a fee. Santana, who had missed the previous season undergoing rehabilitation from shoulder surgery, remained in the game to throw 134 throws. Fighting weeks later, he was on the injured list and never returned to the major leagues. If Johnson gets the right call, does Santana throw fewer and does his career continue until 2013 and beyond?
What if Duaner Sanchez isn’t that hungry?
The dominant Mets reliever, out for dinner, was seriously injured in an accident in South Florida in 2006, when a drunk driver collided with a taxi where Sanchez drove. Sanchez’s shoulder injury leaves the Mets short in the bullpen, which injured them in the NLCS against the Cardinals. Did the healthy Sanchez translate World Series titles for the Mets and postseason in 2007 and ’08?
