"Standing alone on the top step of the Mets' dugout Tuesday afternoon, Terry Collins leaned into the railing, squinting through the wind at the empty field where two of the past three World Series were played.

"I'm really excited," he said in a quiet but firm voice, thinking of the Phillies. "I want to play this team."

Five hours later, Chris Young had the highest batting average in baseball history and was an All-Star pitcher, the Phillies were pretenders and the Mets were on their way to a championship.

Too much? Fine, but these are suddenly heady days for Collins' team. The series win in Florida provided a nice lift, but Tuesday night's destruction of Cole Hamels in a six-run third inning, and Young's 5-1/3 one-run frames and three base hits in the 7-1 win over the Phillies, elevated the Mets' start to a level of breathless exuberance.

"I'm just taking it all in right now," Young said. "The night is kind of a blur to me."

The Mets bounced out of Miami Sunday after taking two of three from the Marlins. Monday's off-day did not appear to dampen any of their sudden cheer; Jose Reyes opened the game with a single, Angel Pagan was hit by a pitch, and the two executed a double steal to put runners on second and third. The Mets were poised to bring the good vibes north. Surely they would score at least a run or two, no?

No. David Wright struck out, Carlos Beltran popped up, Scott Hairston struck out, and order in the NL East was restored. Or so it seemed.

The fizzled rally forced Young, a newcomer to the division, to make his Mets debut without a lead. No problem. In the first, Young stranded Jimmy Rollins at second by striking out Ryan Howard, after surviving an upper-deck foul ball that was nearly a homer earlier in the at-bat. That began a string of three consecutive strikeouts for 6-foot-10 righthander, who fanned four of his first six batters, and seven overall."