Mets thrash Cubs to sweep into World Series

Daniel Murphy hit a historic home run and Lucas Duda knocked in five runs as the New York Mets advanced to the World Series by routing the Chicago Cubs 8-3.

New York on Wednesday reached Major League Baseball's best-of-seven championship series for the first time since 2000 by sweeping the National League final four games to none over a Cubs team that has not won the World Series in 107 years.

The Mets will seek their first title since 1986 when the World Series opens Tuesday at the home ballpark of the American League champion, either the Kansas City Royals or Toronto Blue Jays. The Royals lead that series 3-2 and play host to game six Friday.

"We're going to the World Series. It's just incredible," Murphy said. "Words can't describe what it's like.

"The miracle Mets. You've got to believe. This team has so much fight in it. We were tested. We came through," Murphy said.

Murphy blasted a two-run homer in the eighth inning to stretch his major league record streak of playoff games with a homer to six, breaking the old mark of five set by Carlos Beltran with Houston in 2004.

"When you are in the backyard playing as a kid, you dream of playing in the World Series and now we're going to be there," Murphy said. "It just feels too good to be true."

Duda smashed a three-run home run to centerfield in the first inning to open the scoring and added a two-run double in the second inning to match a team playoff record for run production in a single game and provide all the scoring New York needed.

"I was trying to make solid contact and fortunate enough to put the barrel on it," Duda said. "It's an unbelievable feeling. The chemistry in the clubhouse is just fun to be around."

For Chicago, the loss foiled dreams of ending the longest title drought in North American sports. The Cubs having not won the World Series since 1908. They have not reached the World Series in 70 years.

The Mets, who were only 52-50 in early July, never trailed in the entire series.

Duda was 3-for-24 in the playoffs until his first playoff homer off Cubs starter Jason Hammel in the first inning.

Travis D'Arnaud followed with a solo homer to rightfield to give the Mets a 4-0 edge and the Cubs were in trouble. They never recovered from a four-run deficit in a playoff game since the team was founded in 1870.

In the second inning, Duda smacked a two-run double to rightfield to stretch New York's lead to 6-0.

Chicago's Kyle Schwarber put the Cubs on the scoreboard with a bases-loaded ground out to first base in the fourth inning.

Murphy's streak-stretching homer put the Mets in front 8-1 and Kris Bryant's two-run homer in the eighth for Chicago could only trim the final margin.
Source: AFP