Franchise Friday: Spahn and deGrom and Pray for a Sac Fly. Jake's Great in 2-0 Win Over Braves

Week 8 of Franchise Fridays took us on the road to Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium, where the All-Time Mets Greats faced off against the All-Time Braves Greats. The opponent was chosen by fan vote, the setting chosen by nostalgia, and the pitching matchup ordained by the baseball gods themselves. Thanks to Strat-O-Matic and the Franchise Greats sets, these dream matchups aren’t just imagined—we play them out, pitch by pitch, and get to study a real, honest-to-goodness box score when it’s all said and done.

Sometimes a season turns not with a thunderous swing but with a subtle adjustment.

For the All Time Mets Greats that adjustment came before Game 8 of their Franchise Fridays Strat O Matic campaign the second contest in a three game set against the All Time Braves Greats. With a chance to pull back to 500 the Mets tweaked their rotation sliding Jacob deGrom up to the No 2 spot and bumping Dwight Gooden to third.

The move paid off in vintage fashion.

Behind a dominant cold blooded performance from deGrom and just enough timely offense the Mets slipped into Atlanta Fulton County Stadium and left with a crisp 2 0 victory over a Braves lineup stacked with Hall of Fame thunder.

A Duel Worthy of the Setting

This one had the feel of a black and white photograph from the start deGrom versus Warren Spahn power versus guile modern velocity against old school mastery.

Spahn set the tone early striking out David Wright and escaping a first inning walk to Mike Piazza without damage. deGrom matched him pitch for pitch punching out Ronald Acuna Jr and keeping Hank Aaron quiet in the opening frame.

The early innings moved briskly the kind of game where every baserunner felt like a small crisis.

The Mets finally cracked the code in the third aided by a lineup change that raised a few eyebrows before first pitch.

Jose Reyes got the nod at shortstop replacing Francisco Lindor and promptly reminded everyone why chaos has always been his specialty.

Reyes worked a walk swiped second and raced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Carlos Beltran. One out later David Wright lifted a sacrifice fly to center and Reyes trotted home with the games first run.

It wasnt flashy. It was Mets baseball the way its been written for decades speed pressure execution.

If the Mets scratched and clawed for their runs deGrom simply erased hitters.

The Braves managed scattered singles but nothing came easy. Chipper Jones, Eddie Mathews, Joe Torre, and Freddie Freeman names that normally cause sleepless nights were reduced to grounders fly balls and strikeouts.

Atlanta's best chance came in the fourth when Hank Aaron doubled and later stood 90 feet away after a double play. deGrom calmly induced a foul pop from Freeman to end the threat stranding Hammerin Hank at third like an unresolved subplot.

From there deGrom was ruthless

Nine strikeouts

No runs

Endless frustration for a lineup built to punish mistakes

There were no mistakes to punish.

The Mets added a crucial second run in the eighth once again with Reyes at the center of it.

A leadoff single another stolen base and smart baserunning put him at third with one out. David Wright playing the role of professional hitter to perfection lifted his second sacrifice fly of the night this one to right field making it 2 0.

It felt enormous.

With Spahn finally giving way to reliever Steve Bedrosian the Braves still couldnt find daylight.

deGrom returned for the ninth and finished what he started. Hank Aaron flew out. Eddie Mathews grounded out. Donn Murphy struck out swinging.

This was not a game built on fireworks. It was built on control confidence and a reminder that sometimes the best teams dont overwhelm you they suffocate you.

deGrom looked every bit the ace the Mets hoped hed be in this all time rotation shuffle and Jose Reyes proved that one lineup change can tilt an entire game.

With the win the All Time Mets Greats pull back to .500 and set the stage for a Gooden versus Glavine series finale.