Mets fans are thrilled to reach NLCS but we want MORE!
The Mets are off until the NLCS begins on Sunday vs. the Dodgers or Padres, this post could not wait. Three articles in one week (one is already ready for Friday) are a lot so thanks for indulging me by reading! If you are not a Met fan, then you might not understand.
As a baseball podcaster and would-be baseball writer, I’ve noted I am not impartial when it comes to the Mets. For the first three months of this season, I was sort of a beat writer for the Mets on MLBreport.com. Unfortunately, the folks that ran the site had to suspend operations in late June. I wrote sort of because I had zero access to the team. My first article was on my impartiality and my last article from June 26 was on my midterm grade for rookie manager Carlos Mendoza (I gave him a B+). The result is, while I have been a fan of the team for (gulp) nearly 60 years, I have been more vested in this season than any prior one. After the Mets vanquished the Phillies on Thursday in the NLDS, I am not able to hold back. So here goes.
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11 days that shook the Mets world
Sunday September 29 — The Mets shutout a disinterested Brewers team 5–0 after losing the first two games of a crucial series in Milwaukee. This felt like an elimination game.
Monday September 30 — Mets split a DH with Atlanta guaranteeing them a Wild Card spot. Game one in which the Mets came back from a 3–0 deficit scoring six runs in the 8th, allowing four runs in the bottom of the 8th then having Francisco Lindor save their season hitting a two-run homer in the ninth inning, also felt like an elimination game.
Thursday October 3 — This WAS a Wild Card series elimination game, with the Mets down 2–0 in the 9th inning facing Milwaukee’s fearsome closer Devin William, somehow, in what might have been his last at-bat as a Met, Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer, and the Mets closed out the Brewers 4–2. Yes, it was in a word, amazing.
Sunday October 6 — Mets blew 3–0, and 4–3 leads that would give them a nearly insurmountable 2–0 series lead, came back to tie 6–6 only to lose in the bottom of the 9th 7–6. Uh-oh.
But the Mets were finally coming home to Citi Field for the first time since they beat the Phillies behind a go-ahead homer by longest-tenured Met Brandon Nimmo in the sixth on Sunday night September 22nd and when they held on for a thrilling win. That loss was bad juju for the Phillies.
Wednesday October 9 — Mets were up two games to one in a best-of-five series but trailing 1–0 with the portent of Zach Wheeler pitching game five in Philadelphia, Francisco Lindor hit a sixth inning grand slam to put the Mets on top and despite the nervous moments in the ninth inning from Diaz who walked the first two hitters, they held on to win the series.
It was and is exhausting and exhilarating just writing it!
Mets fans are in general pessimistic
Having not won a World Series since 1986 and winning only two in the team’s 62-year history makes Mets fans feel like Winnie-the-Pooh’s Eeyore.
I tried to be optimistic back when the Mets were floundering. But like most Met fans I never imagined that there could be a huge turnaround (Mets have the best record in MLB since June 1). But all Mets fans live with the portent that the other shoe is always about to drop. This is what has made the 2024 season such a treat to watch as a Met fan. The team has great player chemistry, the players are clutch, and the team comes back time after time.
The 2024 Mets reaching the NLCS was almost beyond the wildest dreams of even the most optimistic Met fan. Anything and everything that happens going forward is gravy and a gift. Except that is a lie. Since the team has come this far, why not win the whole damn thing?! There, it’s out there. Reaching the World Series is no longer good enough. We want to win the World Series!
Baseball seasons are so long that we forget what happened along the way
I went to Opening Day at Citi Field. It was cold and windy, and the Mets started Jose Quintana. Quintana who started the clincher vs. the Phillies on Wednesday, got beat up by the Brewers while starter Freddy Peralta stymied the Mets who fell meekly 3–1. The Brewers went on to sweep the Mets who began the season 0–5.
Here we go again
2024 was pitched as a ‘transition’ year for the Mets under new President of Baseball Operations David Stearns. That’s why Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer opted to be traded during the 2023 season and the Mets ate giant amounts of salary which is why the Mets payroll in 2024 is the highest in MLB. 25% of that payroll is for two players who haven’t played for the team in a season and a half.
When the Mets started so poorly and aside from a little spurt in May, found themselves 11 games under .500 in late June it felt as if there would be a fire sale at the trading deadline. But that never happened. Francisco Lindor was moved into the leadoff spot on May 19 and once the calendar turned to June the team caught fire. Jose Iglesias being added to the team on May 31 after being signed to a minor league contract before the season, also led to the change in direction for the team.
Winning the third game vs. Philadelphia in London on June 10th, on a spectacular double play started by then newly acquired backup catcher Luis Torrens also served to change the mojo of the season. Even then, the Mets had so much ground to make up.
Remember the parade of players
Brett Baty was the Opening Day third baseman. Also on the roster were Zach Short, Joey Wendle, Omar Narvaez, DJ Stewart, and pitchers Adrian Houser, Brooks Raley, Jake Diekman, Jorge Lopez, Drew Smith, Michael Tonkin, and Yohan Ramirez. Aside from Raley who ended up being injured, the other 10 were jettisoned by the ruthless David Stearns. When catcher Francisco Alvarez came up with a broken finger and missed six weeks, veteran Tomas Nido was resigned and played quite a bit before himself being cast out of the organization. I liked Nido but his coming and going showed this front office was not willing to just ride out the season.
The Mets used 34 pitchers this season. Remember Tyler Jay or Ty Adcock? Or that Juilo Teheran started a game for the Mets? After a long season it gets a little cloudy. The Mets used 25 position players this season. Besides Short and Wendle, outfielder Ben Gamel came and went as did backup catcher Joe Hudson.59 players were used this season! It may well take a village to win a title.
2023 Texas Rangers provided a blueprint
Texas under then new manager Bruce Bochy, came out of the wild card spot to beat Baltimore, then the Rays and Astros to reach and win the World Series over the Phillies. For much of that season they looked overmatched but got hot and maintained that hot-ness all the way to a WS championship. Both the Mets, who’ve already reached the LCS and the Detroit Tigers who will try to close out the Guardians, have had remarkable runs to put themselves in a position to win.
Watching Edwin Diaz pitch the ninth inning on Wednesday to close out game 4 of the NLDS was excruciating. But being vested in every pitch, every at-bat makes me and Met fans feel alive!
Are the Mets just lucky?
Not lucky, just hot. Terry (Tito) Francona who was recently hired to manage the Cincinnati Reds noted on Sirius’ The Leadoff Spot that he wished there were more games in the playoff rounds to enhance the chance that the better team prevails. Take away some off days and have the Wild Card or Division Series be five game and seven game series, I presume since Francona did not specify. I think there’s merit in that idea (also more $ for MLB) as the value for winning a division is declining year by year.
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It’s not lost upon me that there are six other teams still vying to be the champion. If the Dodgers or Padres were to go all the way they’d have their own cool season narrative. And how about the Tigers or Guardians? The Tigers comeback and the possibility that the Guardians end their World Series drought are both great stores on their own. The Yankees behind Judge, Soto, and Cole haven’t won a World Series since 2009 which doesn’t seem that long unless you are a Yankee fan, and the Royals seem to be the little team that could. And like the Mets, none of those teams would be considered lucky if they were to win the title.
The Mets have three full days to bask in their success, rest up and get ready to travel to the West Coast to face the Dodgers or Padres. It’s fun being the team that nobody wants to face and if this is truly a magical carpet ride that defies explanation, Mets fans are totally fine with riding that carpet all the way to a World Series title. That would be story we Met fans would gladly tell for years.
About the Author: Mark Kolier along with his son Gordon co-hosts a baseball podcast called ‘Almost Cooperstown’. He also has written baseball-related articles that can be accessed on Medium.com and Substack.com.
