The 2024 New York Mets

“From 0-5 to OMG.” This is a quote from Mets commentator Gary Cohen, which I believe almost perfectly sums up the 2024 New York Mets season. You could probably infer that the Mets season didn’t start in the best way. Losing their first 5 games of the season, getting swept by the Brewers, and losing 2 to the Tigers, the Mets finally won their first game because of a walk-off on April 4. From there, the season wasn’t going great. After a May 29th loss to the Dodgers, the Mets were 22-33, 11 games below .500, and 6 games out of the last wild card slot. It wasn’t looking very good from here, like a repeat of a year before, they were going to end under .500 and miss the playoffs.

But then, something unexpected happened. After losing their June 11th game to the Marlins, a spark ignited. Grimace happened. Yes, Grimace, the McDonald's mascot. He threw out the first pitch at Citi Field on the June 12th game also vs. the Marlins. The Mets ended up winning this game 3-2 on a J.D. Martinez walk-off home run. This game sparked the beginning of a 7 game-winning streak. This was the beginning of the Met's huge turnaround. In fact, since June 1, 2024, no team had a better record than the New York Mets, who were 65-40 since then. Because of the cancellations of 2 Mets/Braves games, they had to play a doubleheader on the last day of the regular season. This was an interesting situation for both teams. See, the Mets and Braves were tied in the wild card, but there was one other team still in the mix. The Diamondbacks. All 3 teams were tied with 2 spots left. This was a bad position if you were the Diamondbacks. They needed either team to win both games in order to make the playoffs, but if they split, the Mets and Braves both make it, and the Diamondbacks are out. 

And so, game 1 began. It looked like it was going to be a Braves win with it being 3-0 going into the top of the 8th. After Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach was pulled after giving up a leadoff double was where it really started to go downhill. Joe Jimeńez came in relief for the Braves where he gave up a double to Francisco Alvarez which drove in the first run. He then gave up a single to make it runners on first and third and then gave up another single to drive in a run making it 3-2 Braves. Jimeńez was then pulled for Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, who had been stellar up to this point. At this point, it was second and third, with no outs for the Mets. Jose Iglesias would then go on to slap a single into right field, scoring Marte, and putting Lindor on third, tying the game and bringing up Mark Vientos, who hit a ball to center, deep enough to drive in Lindor, giving the Mets the lead 4-3. But, this wasn’t the end. Brandon Nimmo hit a ball deep to right field, getting over the wall, to cap a 6-run 8th inning for the Mets, putting them in the position to win the game. 

But, in true Mets fashion, they had to make it interesting. Phil Maton hit the first batter he faced, got the next out, and gave up a single to make it first and third, one out. With Edwin Diaz coming in, someone who had been shaky all year, the Mets were looking to close it out. He got the first batter out on a ground out, but then allowed an infield single, scoring a run, and keeping 2 on base. He then walked Michael Harris making it bases loaded 2 outs, with Ozzie Albies coming up, someone who had been hot all game. After working the count to 3-1, Albies turned on one, hitting to the wall, scoring all 3 runners, making it 7-6 Braves. And now, with 8-9-1 coming up for New York in the top of the 9th, they were looking to have another miracle and clinch a wild card slot. With the first batter popping out, the Mets were down to 2 outs. With Marte singling to put one on base, he brought up Francisco Lindor, and first pitch swinging, Lindor puts a drive into one, sending it 413 feet, over the right-center wall, giving the Mets the lead 8-7. In a questionable decision, the Mets were showing full confidence in Edwin Diaz and sent him out for the 9th. He was able to make the first batter pop out but gave up a single to the next. Then, a 6 pitch at-bat vs. Ramón Laureano ends in him swinging and missing at a slider down and in, meaning 1 more out, and the Mets make the playoffs. Facing former Met Travis d’Arnaud, Edwin Diaz forced a groundout, and it was over. The 2024 New York Mets, a team that was not even meant to be over .500, much less make the playoffs, had clinched on the last day of the season. Game 2 was fairly uneventful, resulting in a 3-0 Braves win, but this meant that both the Braves and the Mets would make the playoffs, with the Braves being the 5th seed, the Mets the 6th, and the Diamondbacks would miss the playoffs.

The Mets were set to play the Brewers in Milwaukee the next day. The Mets won game 1 powered by two big innings, 8-4. Milwaukee then bounced back the next day, winning 5-3, which meant that this series was going to a game 3. This game started off as a pitcher's duel between rookie Tobias Myers, and Jose Quintana. It was scoreless through six, and after the Mets put up 0 runs again in the top of the 7th, the bats would go back to Milwaukee, and with Jose Butto coming into the game, the Brewers came alive. Back-to-back home runs from Jake Bauers, and Sal Frelick, put the Brewers up 2-0 and forced the Mets to put in Edwin Diaz to come in and shut them down, and he did. But, the Mets offense was silent yet again in the top of the 8th, putting up no runs, giving the ball back to Diaz, who was able to get through the Brewers, giving the Mets a chance in the top of the 9th. But with Devin Williams coming in, one of the Best closers in baseball, it looked like the Mets were out of it. But, it was the top of the Mets lineup, and with Lindor walking, Vientos flying out, and a Nimmo single, it brought up Pete Alonso with 2 on, 1 out, and a chance to put the Mets in the lead in potentially the biggest moment of his Mets career. Alonso, who was having a down year going into free agency, was being doubted by many Mets fans, and some were skeptical about whether it was worth it to even try to re-sign him. But, he came through. Hitting a ball that barely got over the right-center fence, putting the Mets up 3-2. They then scored another run in the 9th on a Marte single putting them up 4-2 going into the bottom half. With David Peterson coming in, someone who had a career year was coming in to close out the game for the Mets. After giving up a leadoff single, he struck the next batter out, bringing up Bryce Turang, who promptly hit a sharp ground ball to Lindor, who sprinted over to second, and threw a seed over to first, to get the double play, and the Mets were moving onto the NLDS against their division rival, Phillies. 

The first 2 games of the series were to be in Philadelphia, a place that was known to be hard to play in, especially in the playoffs. Game 1 was a revenge game for Zach Wheeler, who was told by the Mets during their 2015 playoff run, that he would have to “buy his own tickets” if he wanted to support his own team. And while he said it wouldn’t have an effect on him, it certainly did. Throwing 7 scoreless innings with 1 hit and 9 strikeouts. The Mets did the same, besides a leadoff home run from Kyle Schwarber, the game stayed 1-0 until the 8th where Zach Wheeler was being pulled for Jeff Hoffman. The Mets put up 5 runs, thanks to a bunch of singles, walks, and sacrifice flies. They then put up 1 more run in the top of the 9th thanks to a Nimmo single, making it 6-1. While the Phillies did put up 1 run in the bottom of the 9th, they lost 6-2 and the Mets lead the series 1-0. Game 2 was an instant classic. With it going back and forth throughout the game, with it being 6-4 Phillies going into the top of the 9th, where the Mets were down to their last three outs. But of course, they managed to stay alive, with a 2-run homerun from Mark Vientos, tying the game at 6-6. Unfortunately, the Mets did get walked off in the bottom of the 9th, losing 7-6 making the series 1-1, but being able to take 1 game in Philly, was huge.

They were now going back to New York, for the first Mets home playoff game of the season, and since the 2022 wild card. And so, they started with a bang. Taking an early lead, on an Alonso homer, they slowly kept adding on, fueled by another homerun from Winker, and a couple of clutch singles. Sean Manaea on the mound for the Mets, was looking for payback against the Phillies. A team that put up 5 runs in 1 ⅓ innings vs Manaea in 2022. He thrived off of that, putting up 7 3 hit innings, with 1 earned run that came after he came out of the game, in which he pointed up to the sky to honor his aunt who died that morning. The Mets shut the Phillies down after that, winning 7-2 and going up 2-1, 1 game away from the NLCS. With the matchup being Jose Quintana vs. Ranger Suarez, they were going back and forth, delivering 3 scoreless innings each, before the Phillies scored 1 on a fielding error, but Quintana was able to limit the damage at 1. There were then 4 more scoreless frames going into the bottom of the 6th, where Ranger Suarez had been pulled, and the Mets quickly loaded the bases, something they had done twice so far this game, but they squandered both opportunities. But, this was different. With Francisco Lindor coming up to hit, someone who has previously hit a postseason grand slam, accompanied by an incredibly iconic call. And so, he did it again. Driving a ball over the right-center wall 398 feet, to give the Mets the lead of 4-1. This score held for the rest of the game, giving the Mets the series win, and sending them to the NLCS, where they would end up facing the Dodgers.

Now the Mets had to fly to LA to play the Dodgers in game 1 of the NLCS. A team that was coming off of a tough series with the Padres, that they ended by holding them scoreless for 24 innings straight. And this scoreless pitching continued, where the Dodgers beat the Mets 9-0 breaking the record for most scoreless postseason records with 33. The Mets then bounced back the next day winning 7-2, bringing it back to New York tied at 1-1. All 3 games in New York were just bloodbaths. With the first 2 games going the Dodger's way 8-0 and 10-2 respectively, the Mets were on the verge of their season being over. But, they had to show some resilience. Winning 12-6 in game 5 to send it back to LA, thanks to a few high-scoring innings. They were still alive. They had taken 1 in LA before, and now they just had to do that again, and just take it one game at a time. But, that did not happen at all. They were hopeful, especially with Manaea on the mound, whose last outing was stellar against the Phillies. But after the Dodgers put up 6 early runs, making it 6-1 after 1, the Mets were looking down and out. And while the next inning they put up 2 more runs to make it 6-3, they weren’t able to keep fighting and eventually lost 10-5. And now it was over. The 2024 Mets run had come to an end. But to many people, it was an incredible ride. A team that had been doubted all year, a team that should not have even been over .500, had somehow made it to game 6 of the NLCS, losing to the eventual World Series Champion Dodgers. But it is looking better for the Mets. With an offseason coming up where there are many great free agents, they have a ton of money available to hopefully go and sign some of those people, to have a better chance next year, at potentially winning the World Series.