The Mets knew better than to think it would be easy. Yes, they had enjoyed another emotional high in a season filled with them, pushing the Dodgers to the brink of elimination.
But finishing the job in the National League Division Series required scaling one more daunting summit -- beating either Clayton Kershaw in Game 4 or Zack Greinke in Game 5. Now, they face the latter.
The Mets hoped that the great Kershaw might pitch to the narrative, the one that has focused less on the Cy Young Awards he has collected, and more on his streak of five postseason defeats.