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Familia escapes 9th with 49th straight save
- Updated: July 20, 2016
CHICAGO — Jeurys Familia began talking to himself on the mound, quietly in his head, drowning out all the noise that 41,456 fans in a 102-year-old stadium can make. Familia had walked the first two batters in the ninth inning of a one-run game, putting his 11-month save streak in jeopardy. I can do it, he said to himself. I can throw a strike. I can get this hitter.
It is Familia’s ability to keep such promises that has allowed him to become one of the game’s elite closers. In working around a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the Mets’ 2-1 win over the Cubs on Tuesday, Familia converted his 49th consecutive regular-season save opportunity dating back to last August. That is tied for the fourth-longest streak in Major League history, on this night delivering the Mets a win they badly needed.
“I just always try to calm down when I have a situation like that,” Familia said, “and believe in myself.”
It helps that Familia can throw his two-seam fastball with …
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