Bloodthirsty Mets fans got their wish at 7:59 p.m. in the top of the third inning Saturday night. They got a long-awaited measure of vigilante justice on Chase Utley for the infamous NLDS slide into second base that broke Ruben Tejada’s leg and Mets career as well when Noah Syndergaard fired a missile behind his back.
Better late than never. Better to have finally done something than nothing.
Utley was not hit, but the purpose pitch got Syndergaard ejected by home plate umpire Adam Hamari — an enraged Terry Collins was tossed soon after. It was the kind of message that can bring a team together, a message perfectly understood by the champion 1986 Mets, who were honored before the game, who wouldn’t have waited as long for their revenge.