OMG The Mets have a pumpkin, Grimace and the momentum the Phillies need

A pumpkin sat on the top shelf of Pete Alonso’s locker Saturday night, three oversized letters — OMG — lay on the clubhouse floor and a staff member cleaned dirt from a pair of cleats inspired by the best friend of Ronald McDonald. The Mets came to Philadelphia with a playoff pumpkin, an anthem sung by their 34-year-old infielder and an affinity for Grimace. They also carried with them the momentum of a wild week, a run that stunned the Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

“We’ve been doing this all year,” Alonso said after the Mets’ 6-2 victory. “We’re just a brave group. This is a special group. It’s a great atmosphere. Many good things await us at the moment.

The Mets haven’t been home since September 22, and they sneaked into the playoffs on the final day of the season with a ninth-inning rally in Atlanta. They eliminated the Brewers in the wild-card round with an even more spectacular ninth-inning rally. So sure, they won Saturday behind a pitcher who last pitched in July and five runs in the eighth inning after going 1 for 21 over the first seven innings. Credit the pumpkin, the song, or the purple thing.

“Every team has that winning song,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “You definitely need things like that during the year. Then there are things that fans bring up. But at the end of the day, we have to play the game the right way.

It’s hard to quantify momentum, but the Mets seem to be riding on something. They finished the season six games behind the Phillies, but they have the best record in baseball since June 1. They entered the playoffs with a four-month heater.

The Phillies had that two years ago when they made the playoffs as the top seed, won three straight playoff series that started on the road and reached the World Series. The Diamondbacks followed a similar path last year. Saturday only had one game, but those familiar vibes could be felt in the visitors’ clubhouse.

“One of the things we talked about is finishing the game until the ninth inning,” third baseman Mark Vientos said. “And the game’s never over until the ninth.” We kind of operated with that mentality. I feel like last week in Atlanta. Then the last game in Milwaukee we kind of showed it and that gives us more confidence going into it.

The Mets were helpless against Zack Wheeler on Saturday — “He was throwing airplanes,” JD Martinez said — but rallied when the bullpen phone rang.

“He was almost untouchable,” Alonso said. “He was electric. It was definitely the best I’ve ever seen him. We weren’t upset when he left the game.

Francisco Alvarez hit a leadoff single as four straight Mets reached base to take the lead. The rally towel-crazed ballpark that roared for the first seven innings was drowned out by a momentum train that has been rolling for a week.

» LEARN MORE: Murphy: The Phillies just lost a near-winnable Game 1. The Bats better get there fast in Game 2.

“I believe in momentum. I believe in momentum,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo said. “And I think, you know, we have confidence right now. We have recent examples of returns. I believe in the hard work we put in and the preparation these guys put in every day. But momentum is an important factor. And having confidence is an important thing. And the guys are showing it a lot right now.

Alonso purchased the little pumpkin earlier this week from a farm while the team was in Milwaukee and unveiled it during Thursday’s locker room celebration after his ninth-inning home run, the face’s career-defining moment of the team, toppled the Brewers. He called it the playoff pumpkin, because nothing is “more autumn” than baseball and playoff pumpkins.

Alonso wears purple cleats because fans credit Grimace – the purple creature from McDonaldland – with turning the team’s fortunes around in June after throwing out a first pitch at Citi Field. And the Mets are celebrating home runs by posing in the dugout with a cutout of “OMG,” the title of the chart-topping song Iglesias performed on the field after a game this season in Queens.

The Mets have momentum. They also have fun as the cowardly group believes they can win a match after being silenced for the first seven innings.

“When you compete, it’s just a matter of time,” Iglesias said.

The Phillies last lost the first game of a playoff series in 2010 and they have never won a playoff series after losing the first game. The crowd was electric and the starting pitcher performed as advertised, but the offense was listless after Kyle Schwarber’s leadoff hit. They spent the week relaxing at Citizens Bank Park. It was a needed break, Bryce Harper said. The Mets spent it picking pumpkins and building momentum as their wild ride continued.

“The momentum is real,” Lindor said. “But at the end of the day, you have days off in between and you face different pitchers every day. So we can call it momentum. You could also call it baseball.

» LEARN MORE: Hayes: Heartless Phillies collapse again in NLDS Game 1 vs. Mets, like they did in last year’s NLCS